Italy | New decree law comes into force

The Italian government approved a law decree that introduces new provisions regarding the entry of foreign workers.

Key Points:

• Decree Law No. 145/2024 came into effect on Oct. 11 following its publication in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic.
• The first section focuses on streamlining and improving the efficiency of entry procedures for foreign workers, introducing important changes to the application procedure, including:
  • The contract of stay and the integration agreement for quota and non-quota subject work permit applications will now be signed digitally directly between the parties, rather than at the immigration office.
    • Previously, an employer and worker were obligated to go to the immigration office within eight days of entry for the signing of the contract of stay.
    • Effective immediately, both the employer and the worker must now sign the contract of stay digitally within an eight-day period, and employers will submit the signed documents to the immigration office for the necessary next steps.
  • Beginning in January, employers will need to confirm their effective interest regarding a work permit within seven days of being notified that the worker’s visa application has been examined before the visa is issued.
    • Once the work permit is approved, the Visa Information System will transmit a request to the employer via certified email for confirmation of their interest in the work permit.
    • If confirmation is not received within seven days, the authorization is revoked.

Additional Information: In addition to the above, the decree introduces a set of rules regarding the issuance of work permits under the quota system, including changes concerning the maximum number of applications per applicant as well as new quotas for 2025 and “click days” dates. Finally, the new decree includes a new biometric data requirement for national visas beginning in January and a shortened waiting period for labor market tests to eight days.

BAL Analysis: The decree must be presented to the parliament for conversion into law by Dec. 10 or it will lose effectiveness. BAL will continue to monitor any additional changes and will provide more information as it becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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