Report shows only 8 % of foreign workers obtain permits under Italy’s expanded ‘decreto flussi’

Italy’s flagship labour-migration policy is creaking under the weight of its own bureaucracy. An investigation published by Il Fatto Quotidiano on 23 April reveals that of the 181,450 work-permit quotas released in 2025—the largest allocation in decades—barely 14,349 residence permits have actually been issued, an effectiveness rate of just 7.9 %. In Rome the picture is bleaker: only six permits have been finalised out of more than 13,000 applications, a success rate of 0.08 %. The data come from the civic-society coalition “Ero Straniero”, whose new territorial atlas highlights stark regional disparities. Provinces such as Cuneo and Verona process over 60 % of dossiers, while Naples and parts of Lazio languish below 5 %. Unions blame chronic understaffing at prefectures and consulates, with some files waiting two years between the notorious online ‘click-day’ and the actual contract-of-stay appointment. For employers the delays are not just a humanitarian issue; they translate into unfilled vacancies—CIA-Agricoltori Italiani estimates a shortfall of 120,000 seasonal farm workers—and heightened reliance on irregular labour with attendant compliance and reputational risks. Companies recruiting through the flussi should budget for extended timelines or explore alternative channels such as EU Blue Cards and intra-company transfer permits, which have faster statutory deadlines. Policy-wise, the findings intensify pressure on the government as it prepares the 2026-28 quota decree: business lobbies want digitalisation and staffing, while opposition parties argue for a points-based system that allocates slots only where regional labour offices certify demand. Whatever the fix, the report is a wake-up call: without administrative capacity, even the most generous quota is little more than a mirage.