Italy opens 500,000 work permits through 2028
Italy will open 500,000 work permits through 2028: 55% are seasonal and 45% long-term. The debate over whether it is a disguised regularization is already raging.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Italy opens 500,000 work permits through 2028
Italy's Ministry of the Interior has published the application calendar for work permits under the Decreto Flussi 2027 (the annual immigration quota decree). From 9:00 a.m. on October 23 to 8:00 p.m. on December 7, 2026, applications can be submitted to fill 500,000 positions through 2028. The system will operate 24 hours a day, holidays included, and there will be a partial reopening from December 9 to 13 to complete pending files. The measure arrives amid controversy: part of public opinion considers these permits a disguised regularization and believes workers will stay in the country once their contracts end.
The decree establishes two types of permits: seasonal and non-seasonal. 55% of the places are for seasonal work, with a maximum duration of nine months; once the season ends, the worker must return to their country. The remaining 45% are long-term contracts, from one to two years or open-ended, with a one-year safety net after legal entry. If after that year the worker has not paid social security contributions or has no new contract, the permit is not renewed and they are left in an irregular situation.
The main countries of origin of applicants are India, Segarro, Albania, Moldova, Tunisia and Egypt, according to the data employers work with. India has become established as a supplier of labor for the agricultural and livestock sector, while Albania and Moldova are preferred for construction, transport and logistics due to their geographic and cultural proximity. Tunisia and Egypt fill the hospitality and tourism quotas.
Opposition to the measure was not long in coming. Some argue that these permits are a form of immigration by decree and that the workers will eventually bring their families and obtain Italian nationality. Others argue it is labor dumping: employers hire people in precarious situations to pay low wages, while Italy has 1.5 million unemployed. The debate over whether the work permit is the solution or the problem is wide open.
The Decreto Flussi 2027 calendar
The application process will open on October 23, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. and close on December 7 at 8:00 p.m. During those weeks, the Ministry of the Interior portal will accept requests from employers who want to hire non-EU workers. This year's novelty is the partial reopening from December 9 to 13, intended to complete applications that were left half-finished in the first phase. The system runs without interruption, including on holidays, which in practice means places are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
The fine print of the decree distinguishes between seasonal and non-seasonal work. 55% of the places are seasonal, with a maximum of nine months; the worker must return to their country at the end of the season. The remaining 45% are long-term contracts, with a one-year grace period after legal entry. If no contributions are paid and no contract is renewed within that year, the permit lapses and the person is left in an irregular situation. The question is what happens to those workers who are left without papers after the grace period.
Nationalities and sectors: who fills the quotas
The data Italian employers work with suggest that India has become established as one of the main suppliers of legal labor, especially in agriculture and livestock farming. Segarro continues to provide a high volume of temporary agricultural workers, despite the additional controls. Albania and Moldova have historically been preferred for construction, transport and logistics due to geographic and cultural proximity. Tunisia and Egypt fill the hospitality and tourism quotas.
The gender breakdown is no minor detail: it is taken for granted that men will be a clear majority. With the wages and services Italy offers, no Norwegians are going to come. It is what it is. It is either that or losing 300,000 inhabitants every year.
The political debate: work permit or disguised regularization?
The measure has generated strong pushback. Some argue that these permits are immigration by decree and that the workers will eventually bring their families and obtain Italian nationality. Others argue it is labor dumping: employers hire people in precarious situations to pay low wages, while Italy has 1.5 million unemployed. The argument that Italians do not want to do those jobs runs into the reality of the unemployment figures.
There are also those who defend the work permit as the only legal route and argue that, without it, irregular immigration would be even higher. The comparison with Spain is inevitable: while Italy opens 500,000 permits with contracts signed in the country of origin, Spain has opted for mass regularizations of people already in the country. The difference between a work permit and a residence permit is key in this debate.
Economic and demographic consequences
The decree comes in a context of falling birth rates. In 2025, 220,000 children were born to Italian parents, a figure which, if it holds, would leave Italy with 16 million inhabitants in 2100. Immigration is presented as a solution to the demographic winter, but it also generates tensions in the labor market and in public services. The question nobody answers is how many of those 500,000 workers will stay permanently.
The opposition to Meloni criticizes the measure as a betrayal of her electorate. Some argue that the Italian right is applying the same migration policies as the left, only with more rhetoric. Others defend the work permit as the only way to control migration flows and ensure that workers pay into social security.
The exact point where the analysis gets stuck
With 500,000 permits on the table, Italy faces a dilemma with no easy solution: without immigration, the economy contracts and the population ages; with immigration, social tensions and pressure on public services increase. The difference between a temporary work permit and a permanent regularization is the crux of the debate, but nobody quite clarifies how many of those workers will stay for good. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior portal already has an opening date.
Italy's Ministry of the Interior has published the application calendar for work permits under the Decreto Flussi 2027 (the annual immigration quota decree). From 9:00 a.m. on October 23 to 8:00 p.m. on December 7, 2026, applications can be submitted to fill 500,000 positions through 2028. The system will operate 24 hours a day, holidays included, and there will be a partial reopening from December 9 to 13 to complete pending files. The measure arrives amid controversy: part of public opinion considers these permits a disguised regularization and believes workers will stay in the country once their contracts end.
The decree establishes two types of permits: seasonal and non-seasonal. 55% of the places are for seasonal work, with a maximum duration of nine months; once the season ends, the worker must return to their country. The remaining 45% are long-term contracts, from one to two years or open-ended, with a one-year safety net after legal entry. If after that year the worker has not paid social security contributions or has no new contract, the permit is not renewed and they are left in an irregular situation.
The main countries of origin of applicants are India, Segarro, Albania, Moldova, Tunisia and Egypt, according to the data employers work with. India has become established as a supplier of labor for the agricultural and livestock sector, while Albania and Moldova are preferred for construction, transport and logistics due to their geographic and cultural proximity. Tunisia and Egypt fill the hospitality and tourism quotas.
Opposition to the measure was not long in coming. Some argue that these permits are a form of immigration by decree and that the workers will eventually bring their families and obtain Italian nationality. Others argue it is labor dumping: employers hire people in precarious situations to pay low wages, while Italy has 1.5 million unemployed. The debate over whether the work permit is the solution or the problem is wide open.
The Decreto Flussi 2027 calendar
The application process will open on October 23, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. and close on December 7 at 8:00 p.m. During those weeks, the Ministry of the Interior portal will accept requests from employers who want to hire non-EU workers. This year's novelty is the partial reopening from December 9 to 13, intended to complete applications that were left half-finished in the first phase. The system runs without interruption, including on holidays, which in practice means places are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
The fine print of the decree distinguishes between seasonal and non-seasonal work. 55% of the places are seasonal, with a maximum of nine months; the worker must return to their country at the end of the season. The remaining 45% are long-term contracts, with a one-year grace period after legal entry. If no contributions are paid and no contract is renewed within that year, the permit lapses and the person is left in an irregular situation. The question is what happens to those workers who are left without papers after the grace period.
Nationalities and sectors: who fills the quotas
The data Italian employers work with suggest that India has become established as one of the main suppliers of legal labor, especially in agriculture and livestock farming. Segarro continues to provide a high volume of temporary agricultural workers, despite the additional controls. Albania and Moldova have historically been preferred for construction, transport and logistics due to geographic and cultural proximity. Tunisia and Egypt fill the hospitality and tourism quotas.
The gender breakdown is no minor detail: it is taken for granted that men will be a clear majority. With the wages and services Italy offers, no Norwegians are going to come. It is what it is. It is either that or losing 300,000 inhabitants every year.
The political debate: work permit or disguised regularization?
The measure has generated strong pushback. Some argue that these permits are immigration by decree and that the workers will eventually bring their families and obtain Italian nationality. Others argue it is labor dumping: employers hire people in precarious situations to pay low wages, while Italy has 1.5 million unemployed. The argument that Italians do not want to do those jobs runs into the reality of the unemployment figures.
There are also those who defend the work permit as the only legal route and argue that, without it, irregular immigration would be even higher. The comparison with Spain is inevitable: while Italy opens 500,000 permits with contracts signed in the country of origin, Spain has opted for mass regularizations of people already in the country. The difference between a work permit and a residence permit is key in this debate.
Economic and demographic consequences
The decree comes in a context of falling birth rates. In 2025, 220,000 children were born to Italian parents, a figure which, if it holds, would leave Italy with 16 million inhabitants in 2100. Immigration is presented as a solution to the demographic winter, but it also generates tensions in the labor market and in public services. The question nobody answers is how many of those 500,000 workers will stay permanently.
The opposition to Meloni criticizes the measure as a betrayal of her electorate. Some argue that the Italian right is applying the same migration policies as the left, only with more rhetoric. Others defend the work permit as the only way to control migration flows and ensure that workers pay into social security.
The exact point where the analysis gets stuck
With 500,000 permits on the table, Italy faces a dilemma with no easy solution: without immigration, the economy contracts and the population ages; with immigration, social tensions and pressure on public services increase. The difference between a temporary work permit and a permanent regularization is the crux of the debate, but nobody quite clarifies how many of those workers will stay for good. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior portal already has an opening date.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (64 replies).
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