Immigration news site VisasUpdate has obtained a draft of the 2026-2028 ‘Decreto Flussi’, Italy’s quota decree that regulates the entry of non-EU workers. The numbers are unprecedented: 500,000 slots over three years – roughly double the volume authorised in the 2023-2025 period. Quotas are split almost evenly across the three years (164,850 in 2026, 165,850 in 2027, 166,850 in 2028). A key structural change is the abolition of the so-called ‘click-day’. Instead of a frantic first-come, first-served race when the portal opened, employers will be able to pre-file applications as soon as the decree is published and benefit from rolling assessment windows. The Interior Ministry is promising a new e-tracking tool and extra staff in 40 one-stop immigration desks to cut processing times that in 2024 averaged 210 days.
![Italy’s new three-year ‘Decreto Flussi’ to authorise 500,000 work permits – biggest quota yet]()
For companies or individuals looking for hands-on assistance with these upcoming Italian work-permit changes, VisaHQ can help. Their country-specific page bundles the latest policy alerts, document templates, and submission timelines, giving HR teams a single dashboard to monitor applications and avoid the usual bottlenecks.
The decree introduces “preferential quotas” for nationals of partner countries that run joint information campaigns discouraging irregular migration – a political concession that also offers HR departments a route to faster approvals if they recruit in those jurisdictions. Other changes include multi-year permits for returning seasonal workers and a rise in dedicated places for live-in carers, highly-skilled tech roles and heavy-goods drivers – sectors facing acute labour shortages. For multinationals the message is clear: Italy is opening the door wider to foreign talent, but companies should prepare early, align recruitment pipelines with the new timetable, and consider shifting sourcing to partner-country labour pools to take advantage of priority slots. Immigration counsel also recommend updating assignment cost projections as new digital-signature requirements and PEC (certified e-mail) filings replace several in-person steps.
For companies or individuals looking for hands-on assistance with these upcoming Italian work-permit changes, VisaHQ can help. Their country-specific page bundles the latest policy alerts, document templates, and submission timelines, giving HR teams a single dashboard to monitor applications and avoid the usual bottlenecks.
The decree introduces “preferential quotas” for nationals of partner countries that run joint information campaigns discouraging irregular migration – a political concession that also offers HR departments a route to faster approvals if they recruit in those jurisdictions. Other changes include multi-year permits for returning seasonal workers and a rise in dedicated places for live-in carers, highly-skilled tech roles and heavy-goods drivers – sectors facing acute labour shortages. For multinationals the message is clear: Italy is opening the door wider to foreign talent, but companies should prepare early, align recruitment pipelines with the new timetable, and consider shifting sourcing to partner-country labour pools to take advantage of priority slots. Immigration counsel also recommend updating assignment cost projections as new digital-signature requirements and PEC (certified e-mail) filings replace several in-person steps.
