{"id":2819,"date":"2026-01-11T18:53:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/?page_id=2819"},"modified":"2026-01-12T17:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T16:04:07","slug":"the-decreto-flussi-foreign-workers-quota-decree","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/servizi-consolari-e-visti\/servizi-per-il-cittadino-straniero\/visti\/the-decreto-flussi-foreign-workers-quota-decree\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cDecreto Flussi\u201d (Foreign Workers Quota Decree)"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the three\u2011year period<\/strong> 2026\u20132028<\/strong>, the overall quotas for entries<\/strong> for employed work (seasonal and non\u2011seasonal) and self\u2011employment are set at 164,850 units for 2026<\/strong>, 165,850 for 2027<\/strong>, and 166,850 for 2028<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Within these annual ceilings, the decree distinguishes three main channels: non\u2011seasonal employed work, self\u2011employment, and seasonal employed work.<\/p>\n

The quotas for non\u2011seasonal employed work<\/strong> amount to 76,200 units<\/strong> for each of the three years; the quotas for self\u2011employment<\/strong> remain stable at 650 units per year<\/strong>; seasonal work<\/strong> is programmed to increase, with 88,000 entries in 2026<\/strong>, 89,000 in 2027<\/strong>, and 90,000 in 2028<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For non\u2011seasonal employed work<\/strong> and self\u2011employment<\/strong>, the decree specifies the economic sectors<\/strong> 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\u2011products industries;<\/strong> the broader group of \u201cother manufacturing industries\u201d<\/strong> (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<\/strong> (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<\/strong>. Seasonal work<\/strong> is concentrated primarily in the agricultural<\/strong> and tourism\u2011hospitality<\/strong> sectors, in continuity with previous quota decrees.<\/p>\n

Within the quotas for non\u2011seasonal employed work<\/strong>, the draft decree reserves a significant portion for nationals of countries with which Italy has migration cooperation agreements<\/strong>, including agreements on returns and information campaigns on the risks of irregular migration. For each year of the three\u2011year period<\/strong>, 25,000 units<\/strong> are reserved for workers from this group of countries, in addition to further quotas (18,000 in 2026<\/strong>, 26,000 in 2027<\/strong>, and 34,000 in 2028<\/strong>) allocated to countries with which such agreements will be concluded during the three\u2011year period. Among the countries already benefiting from these preferential quotas are C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/strong> and Niger<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The decree also provides reserved quotas for specific categories of workers and priority situations<\/strong>. For non\u2011seasonal employed work, a dedicated quota is set aside for family care workers<\/strong>, amounting to 13,600 units in 2026<\/strong>, 14,000 in 2027<\/strong>, and 14,200 in 2028<\/strong>, 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<\/strong> for employed work and 20 units per year<\/strong> for self\u2011employment are reserved for stateless persons and refugees<\/strong> recognized by UNHCR or by the competent authorities in countries of first asylum or transit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How does it work?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The procedure is always initiated<\/strong> by the Italian employer<\/strong>. It is the employer who must submit the application for the nulla osta<\/strong> (work authorization) to the Single Immigration Desk (Sportello Unico per l\u2019Immigrazione)<\/strong> using the Ministry of the Interior\u2019s ALI Portal<\/strong>. The worker cannot submit the application independently: they must be selected by an Italian employer willing to hire them.<\/p>\n

For non\u2011seasonal employed work<\/strong>, the employer must demonstrate a genuine need for personnel, compliance with social\u2011security obligations, and the ability to offer a contract in accordance with Italian law. For seasonal work<\/strong>, the procedure is faster, but the employer must still request the nulla osta, indicating the worker\u2019s name and the sector of employment, such as agriculture or tourism. For self\u2011employment<\/strong>, 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\u2011depth checks.<\/p>\n

Once the Single Immigration Desk approves the application and issues the nulla osta<\/strong>, the document is transmitted electronically directly to the Italian Embassy or Consulate<\/strong> competent for the worker\u2019s country. The worker must then promptly book an appointment to apply for the entry visa<\/strong>, as the nulla osta is valid for six (6) or four (4) months<\/strong> from the date of issuance. The Embassy verifies the applicant\u2019s identity, checks the validity of the nulla osta, and ensures that no grounds for refusal exist.<\/p>\n

After obtaining the visa, within eight days<\/strong> of entering Italy, the employer and the foreign worker must sign the residence contract (contratto di soggiorno)<\/strong>. Within the same eight\u2011day period, the employer must submit the signed contract electronically to the competent Single Immigration Desk for the procedures related to the residence permit application.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For further information, please consult the websites of the Ministry of the Interior<\/strong> and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the three\u2011year period 2026\u20132028, the overall quotas for entries for employed work (seasonal and non\u2011seasonal) and self\u2011employment 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\u2011seasonal employed work, self\u2011employment, and seasonal employed work. The quotas for non\u2011seasonal employed […]","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":142,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2819","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2819"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2822,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2819\/revisions\/2822"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}