The first day possible in 2026 to file applications for foreign workers to come to Italy for seasonal agricultural work, known in Italy as 'click day', has been deemed successful and a step forward by Italy's agricultural representative body, Coldiretti. In the past, the organization had lamented the lack of available places for workers of non-EU origin. 

These workers, it has often noted, are key to the country's economy.

"For the first time, the number of available spots were made available immediately on the same day of the opening for applications and in sufficient quantity, 30,000, to meet all the requests made," said Romano Magrini, head of the labor division of Coldiretti.

Coldiretti praises improvement

"This is an important result that shows that procedures are finally evolving in the right direction. The timeliness of the assigning of quotas enables businesses to plan their productive activities with greater certainty and sharply reduce waiting times for the issuance of authorizations," Magrini said. 

Praise is due to the labor ministry and the general directorate for immigration, he continued, "both for the rapidity of the intervention and the size of the quotas assigned, which will enable businesses to get authorization within 20 days of filing requests." 

Increase in channels for foreign workers

Italy’s three-year Flow Decree for 2026–2028, published on October 15, expanded legal channels for foreign workers. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) at that time praised the Italian government’s move to expand migration channels across different sectors.

"This is the kind of bold, forward-looking policymaking we urgently need. When countries expand regular migration channels, they not only respond to labor shortages but also protect people from falling into the traps of exploitation and irregular routes. Migration, when managed responsibly, can be a catalyst for economic growth," said IOM Director General Amy Pope in a statement. 

Agricultural sector employs over a million workers 

The results of this year's 'click day' are part of broader efforts to improve a system that was time-consuming and seen by agricultural businesses as lacking in the necessary efficiency. 

These measures lighten the administrative burden and render procedures more responsive to the needs of a sector that employs over a million workers and includes 185,000 businesses, Coldiretti noted.