Italy's Lower House of Parliament approved the 2026-2028 flow decree on Wednesday. The decree sets quotas for foreign workers over the next three years. The house also approved a proposal from a League party member, to impose stricter rules for families of migrants coming to Italy.
On Wednesday, (November 18), Italy's Lower House of Parliament gave a green light to new measures on migration set out in the government decree No.146, which was presented in early October this year.
The first reading of the legislation was approved with 131 votes in favor, 75 against and seven abstentions. It includes urgent measures concerning the legal entry of foreign workers and the management of immigration during the 2026-2028 period.
The legislation changes the timeframe required to release residence permits for employment and regulates the terms administrations have to abide by to check the documentation presented by employers and other actors involved.
It eliminates, among other things, the need for a foreigner applying for a stay permit to include a document certifying a perspective employer's willingness to hire them.
During proceedings, a member of the League party introduced proposals to tighten up the rules for family members wishing to join migrants in Italy. Those proposals were also approved.
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New measures in the 'flow decree'
New measures in the flow decree include the introduction of a 30-day deadline to obtain a work permit once the application has been presented. Moreover, the deadline to present a visa request has been experimentally extended until December 31, 2027, after the completion of educational and training programs in countries of origin.
In addition, the possibility of residing in Italy outside the standard quotas established by the decree has been prolonged until 2028 for a maximum of 10,000 foreign workers to be employed as family or health carers for people with disabilities, the elderly and children under six.
The duration of residence permits released to foreign citizens for social protection (victims of trafficking or grave exploitation) and the victims of gangmastering has been extended from six months to a year.
In both instances, the legislation states that the duration of the permit can be extended for employment purposes. The possibility of participating in committees to fight gangmastering and exploitation in agriculture has also been extended to recognized religious organizations.
Foreigners who have been granted a residence permit for social protection or as domestic violence victims can also apply for Italy's anti-poverty 'inclusion cheque'.
The quota of foreigners admitted to take part in volunteer programs in Italy, as defined by a decree from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, will not be determined annually anymore but over a three-year period.
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Stricter rules on family reunification promoted by the League
The Lower House also approved an order of the day presented by the League with which the executive commits to "changing the current rules for family reunions so they are more in line with the measures of directive 2003/86/EC both regarding the categories of family members admitted and also the income criteria requested to benefit from the reunion."
The text refers to a stricter family reunification directive with respect to Italian legislation.
Meanwhile, the timeframe to release a permit for family reunification has been extended from 90 to 150 days. The government coalition also promoted another order of the day, put forward by the party led by Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini to establish that the violation of fiscal and social security rules can lead to the refusal to renew a residence permit.
A third order of the day, also promoted by the League, was approved, allowing for the re-establishment of an annual duration of a stay permit for special protection.
League members in the Constitutional Affairs committee had withdrawn amendments on family reunifications originally found within the migrant flow decree to turn them into orders of the day in order to include them in the "first useful measure", which could be represented by a security package of measures presented by the League on November 12.
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