For the three‑year period 2026–2028, the overall quotas for entries for employed work (seasonal and non‑seasonal) and self‑employment are set at 164,850 units for 2026, 165,850 for 2027, and 166,850 for 2028.
Within these annual ceilings, the decree distinguishes three main channels: non‑seasonal employed work, self‑employment, and seasonal employed work.
The quotas for non‑seasonal employed work amount to 76,200 units for each of the three years; the quotas for self‑employment remain stable at 650 units per year; seasonal work is programmed to increase, with 88,000 entries in 2026, 89,000 in 2027, and 90,000 in 2028.
For non‑seasonal employed work and self‑employment, the decree specifies the economic sectors in which foreign workers may be hired. The admitted sectors include: agriculture, forestry and fishing; food, beverage and tobacco industries; textile, clothing and footwear industries; metallurgical and metal‑products industries; the broader group of “other manufacturing industries” (including wood, paper, chemical, pharmaceutical, rubber and plastics, electrical equipment, mechanical engineering, automotive, other transport equipment, furniture, other manufacturing activities and machinery repair); construction; wholesale and retail trade; accommodation and food services; tourism services (accommodation, restaurants, travel agencies and tour operators); transport, logistics and warehousing; operational support services for businesses and individuals; healthcare, social assistance and private health services; and other services. Seasonal work is concentrated primarily in the agricultural and tourism‑hospitality sectors, in continuity with previous quota decrees.
Within the quotas for non‑seasonal employed work, the draft decree reserves a significant portion for nationals of countries with which Italy has migration cooperation agreements, including agreements on returns and information campaigns on the risks of irregular migration. For each year of the three‑year period, 25,000 units are reserved for workers from this group of countries, in addition to further quotas (18,000 in 2026, 26,000 in 2027, and 34,000 in 2028) allocated to countries with which such agreements will be concluded during the three‑year period. Among the countries already benefiting from these preferential quotas are Côte d’Ivoire and Niger.
The decree also provides reserved quotas for specific categories of workers and priority situations. For non‑seasonal employed work, a dedicated quota is set aside for family care workers, amounting to 13,600 units in 2026, 14,000 in 2027, and 14,200 in 2028, confirming the intention to structure this channel as a response to the care needs of persons with disabilities and the elderly, in line with recent legislative measures aimed at placing this type of entry outside the general quota system. Additionally, 300 units per year for employed work and 20 units per year for self‑employment are reserved for stateless persons and refugees recognized by UNHCR or by the competent authorities in countries of first asylum or transit.
How does it work?
The procedure is always initiated by the Italian employer. It is the employer who must submit the application for the nulla osta (work authorization) to the Single Immigration Desk (Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione) using the Ministry of the Interior’s ALI Portal. The worker cannot submit the application independently: they must be selected by an Italian employer willing to hire them.
For non‑seasonal employed work, the employer must demonstrate a genuine need for personnel, compliance with social‑security obligations, and the ability to offer a contract in accordance with Italian law. For seasonal work, the procedure is faster, but the employer must still request the nulla osta, indicating the worker’s name and the sector of employment, such as agriculture or tourism. For self‑employment, the worker must demonstrate that they meet the professional, economic, and technical requirements to start an activity in Italy; however, the nulla osta application is still submitted through the ALI Portal and requires more in‑depth checks.
Once the Single Immigration Desk approves the application and issues the nulla osta, the document is transmitted electronically directly to the Italian Embassy or Consulate competent for the worker’s country. The worker must then promptly book an appointment to apply for the entry visa, as the nulla osta is valid for six (6) or four (4) months from the date of issuance. The Embassy verifies the applicant’s identity, checks the validity of the nulla osta, and ensures that no grounds for refusal exist.
After obtaining the visa, within eight days of entering Italy, the employer and the foreign worker must sign the residence contract (contratto di soggiorno). Within the same eight‑day period, the employer must submit the signed contract electronically to the competent Single Immigration Desk for the procedures related to the residence permit application.
For further information, please consult the websites of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies.