Decree Law 146/2025: New Rules On Immigration, Quota System For Non-Eu Workers and General Provisions

Oct 10, 2025

Decree-Law No. 146/2025 was published in the Official Gazette (Gazzetta Ufficiale) on October 3, 2025, and entered into force on October 4, 2025. It has been now transmitted to Parliament for conversion into law (note: decree-laws must be converted into law within 60 days or they automatically lapse; during the conversion process, Parliament may amend the provisions).

The decree introduces several new rules and amendments in Italian immigration rules, especially concerning the quota system (decreto Flussi). By way of background, immigration for work purposes in Italy is based on a quota-system which is fixed by means of a Decree – the so-called “decreto-flussi”. The decree sets the numerical limits for each category of foreign nationals for whom a work permit can be granted and the period during which applications can be submitted. Several categories of workers are excluded from the cap and are not subject to a fixed limit, such as intra company assignments, highly skilled, executives or managerial employees assigned to the Italian branch of a foreign legal entity, university lecturers and professors, translators and interpreters, professional nurses, etc.

The following are some of the key legislative updates:

1. The provision already introduced by the current Decreto Flussi, that requires employers to pre-fill Work permit (Nulla Osta) applications before the official submission dates has been fully implemented. In addition, it has been confirmed that private employers cannot submit more than 3 applications under the quota system, unless they appoint an authorised organisation.
2. The decree confirms and expressly state the possibility to employ foreign citizens even during the conversion process of their permit, as well as while awaiting the issuance of the first permit and during the renewal process.
3. The verification process conducted by authorities concerning the accuracy of employer declarations, previously applied only to standard quota-based applications, has been formally extended to non-quota applications as well.
4. The validity of residence permits issued to all victims of labour exploitation, victims of trafficking and domestic violence has been extended to 1 year.
5. The special provision that allows up to 10,000 foreign workers per year (to be employed specifically to assist elderly individuals over 80 years old or persons with disabilities), to enter the country outside the standard immigration quotas, has been extended until 2028.
6. Concerning foreign nationals wishing to enter the country to take part in volunteer programs, until now, the number of participants allowed each year was to be set by a ministerial decree issued annually. From now on, the decree will be issued once every three years instead of every year, making the planning process more stable and predictable for organizations and applicants.
7. The timeline for the issuance of entry clearances for family reunification has been extended from 90 days to 150 days.

This article was written by Alessia Ballacchino

Web Content Manager

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