Italian Senate converts urgent Justice & Immigration Decree-Law 100/2026

In its late-night sitting of 28 July 2026 the Italian Senate approved – with a confidence vote requested by the Meloni Government – the bill converting Decree-Law 12 June 2026 n. 100 on “urgent measures in matters of justice and for the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum”. The text now moves to the Chamber of Deputies for final approval within 60 days, but the political signal is already clear: Rome intends to tighten asylum procedures, accelerate expulsions and expand the use of “enhanced border surveillance” along the Balkan route before the Pact enters into force in mid-2027. The decree bundles three sets of provisions. First, it introduces fast-track asylum courts with specialised judges and strict 25-day deadlines for appeals, a move welcomed by business associations that complain about legal uncertainty when hiring non-EU talent. Second, it lengthens the maximum stay in pre-removal centres (CPR) from 18 to 24 months and authorises the Interior Ministry to open two new CPR facilities near the ports of Gioia Tauro and Trieste. Third, it adapts Italian law to the data-sharing requirements of the new Eurodac and EES regulations, allowing biometric information collected at the border to be reused in criminal investigations. For employers this will translate into quicker answers on work-permit applications but also higher due-diligence obligations: companies sponsoring a foreign worker now have 30 days (down from 60) to notify local labour offices of any change in contract, while fines for irregular employment of asylum seekers rise to €6,000 per worker. Multinationals running intra-EU assignment programmes should review their compliance check-lists, as inspectors will gain direct access to the new Eurodac terminal network. Political opposition argues that the decree does little to address structural staffing shortages in immigration offices and risks overcrowding removal centres. Still, with the Senate vote the Government shows Brussels that Italy is moving from emergency decrees to structural alignment with the new Pact, hoping in return for greater EU co-funding of reception capacity. Companies relying on seasonal permits (decreto-flussi) should monitor the parliamentary debate: several amendments tabled in committee would earmark additional quotas for agritech and renewable-energy technicians, profiles that are hard to source locally. In practical terms HR and mobility managers should expect shorter litigation windows, more biometric data requests at police headquarters, and possible site visits if they employ workers whose asylum appeals are pending. Legal teams are advised to update privacy notices and obtain explicit consent for biometric transfers under the new rules.