Late in the evening of 29 July 2026 the Italian Senate gave its definitive green light—161 votes in favour, 98 against—to the conversion into law of Decree-Law 100/2026, the government’s omnibus package on justice and migration. The text transposes key elements of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact ahead of its 12 June 2027 start-date and introduces several domestic measures that will immediately change how business travellers, assignees and international students interface with Italian immigration authorities. First, the decree extends the maximum period of administrative detention for irregular third-country nationals from 135 to 180 days in standard cases and up to 24 months for persons considered a security risk. Employers that sponsor work permits should therefore anticipate longer timelines before overstaying employees can be removed—and should review internal compliance programmes to prevent inadvertent overstays. Second, the law creates a fast-track border procedure for asylum claims judged manifestly unfounded, to be processed in dedicated facilities within four weeks. Carriers bringing passengers who lack the right travel documents will face stiffer fines (now up to €10,000 per passenger) and may be required to post guarantees covering eventual return costs. Airlines and corporate travel managers will need to update their check-in compliance check-lists immediately. Third, the decree streamlines quota management under the ‘decreto flussi’. Quotas for 2026–2028 will be allocated on a rolling basis with digital lotteries replacing the controversial “click day”. Companies that rely on seasonal or highly-skilled non-EU staff should prepare internal head-counts well before the September portal opening. Finally, the package transposes EU rules on long-term residents, allowing foreign assignees who have lived in Italy for at least three of the previous five years to count periods spent on intra-corporate transferee (ICT) permits toward permanent-residence eligibility—a long-sought change for multinationals rotating staff through Milan, Turin and Rome hubs. The law enters into force the day after its publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale (expected 31 July). Employers, relocation providers and global-mobility teams should audit existing immigration files, update posted-worker notifications and plan for potential delays at detention facilities and border procedures during the transition phase.
