Italy’s social-security agency INPS has clarified that foreigners holding so-called “special-case” residence permits (permessi di soggiorno per casi speciali) are now eligible for the flagship Assegno di Inclusione (ADI) welfare benefit. The guidance—Circular 58 of 20 May and an interpretive note published on 22 May—extends income support to victims of trafficking, domestic violence and other severe exploitation who previously fell between the cracks of Italy’s welfare net.
![INPS Expands “Assegno di Inclusione” to Holders of Special Humanitarian Residence Permits]()
Foreign nationals who still need assistance securing or renewing the relevant humanitarian residence permits can simplify the process through VisaHQ, which offers step-by-step online application support, document checking and appointment scheduling for Italy: https://www.visahq.com/italy/ Their specialists can also advise on related visa and immigration questions, helping applicants position themselves for benefits such as the ADI.
To qualify, applicants must possess a valid humanitarian permit under Articles 18, 18-bis or 18-ter of the Immigration Act and meet the same household-income thresholds that apply to Italian citizens. Crucially, the ADI will be paid only for the remaining validity of the permit, ensuring that beneficiaries remain engaged in the integration programmes that justified their protection status. For employers the message is two-fold. First, recruiting victims of exploitation into regular jobs will no longer terminate their access to subsistence income, making labour-market insertion programmes more attractive. Second, companies hosting anti-trafficking internships can now rely on INPS support to co-finance training allowances, reducing project costs. The circular also tightens fraud controls: INPS will cross-check permit data with the Interior Ministry’s immigration database and will suspend payments automatically if a permit expires or is revoked. HR departments that sponsor humanitarian permits for recruits—common in agriculture and caregiving—should monitor expiry dates closely to avoid payroll disruptions. While the measure concerns a relatively small population (fewer than 8,000 permits were issued in 2025), experts view it as a test case for wider benefit portability across immigration categories—particularly important as Italy experiments with skill-matching pathways such as the Talent Decree and the forthcoming EU Talent Pool.
Foreign nationals who still need assistance securing or renewing the relevant humanitarian residence permits can simplify the process through VisaHQ, which offers step-by-step online application support, document checking and appointment scheduling for Italy: https://www.visahq.com/italy/ Their specialists can also advise on related visa and immigration questions, helping applicants position themselves for benefits such as the ADI.
To qualify, applicants must possess a valid humanitarian permit under Articles 18, 18-bis or 18-ter of the Immigration Act and meet the same household-income thresholds that apply to Italian citizens. Crucially, the ADI will be paid only for the remaining validity of the permit, ensuring that beneficiaries remain engaged in the integration programmes that justified their protection status. For employers the message is two-fold. First, recruiting victims of exploitation into regular jobs will no longer terminate their access to subsistence income, making labour-market insertion programmes more attractive. Second, companies hosting anti-trafficking internships can now rely on INPS support to co-finance training allowances, reducing project costs. The circular also tightens fraud controls: INPS will cross-check permit data with the Interior Ministry’s immigration database and will suspend payments automatically if a permit expires or is revoked. HR departments that sponsor humanitarian permits for recruits—common in agriculture and caregiving—should monitor expiry dates closely to avoid payroll disruptions. While the measure concerns a relatively small population (fewer than 8,000 permits were issued in 2025), experts view it as a test case for wider benefit portability across immigration categories—particularly important as Italy experiments with skill-matching pathways such as the Talent Decree and the forthcoming EU Talent Pool.
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