Immigration-law specialist Fabio Loscerbo outlined major operational changes to Italy’s EU Blue Card system in a 14 September 2026 briefing. From this month, employers filing for highly-qualified third-country nationals must receive the nulla osta within 30 days rather than the previous 90, thanks to amendments in Law 182/2025. In parallel, the Interior Ministry has activated a new module on its “Portale Servizi” that allows the work-contract of stay to be generated and signed entirely online. For companies, the Blue Card now offers a year-round, quota-free alternative to the Decree-Flussi, with predictable processing times that rival the digital-nomad and intra-company-transfer routes. The faster timeline, however, shifts the compliance burden to the front of the process: supporting documents on education or professional experience must be flawless at submission, as requests for integration could derail the 30-day clock. Loscerbo stresses that a university degree is no longer mandatory; five years of relevant experience suffice, and ICT managers qualify with just three. The minimum salary threshold remains about €36 300 gross but will be recalculated when ISTAT updates average wage data in November. The digital-contract feature, piloted on seasonal visas earlier this year, eliminates physical appointments at the Sportello Unico, saving HR teams several days and reducing the need for interpreters. Once the worker enters Italy, the employer logs arrival details online, signs the contract with SPID or CIE digital ID, and submits it back within 15 days—triggering the printing of the residence permit. Mobility advisers should update checklists immediately and consider batch-filing Blue Card applications before the next Flussi click-day, which insiders say may not open until February 2027.
Source: Avvocato per Immigrazione blog
