Italy sets 497,550 work-entry quotas for 2026-2028 under new Flows Decree
A decree published October 15, 2025 authorises 497,550 non-EU work entries for 2026-2028 — 267,000 seasonal and 230,550 non-seasonal — rising each year.
Italy's government has authorised 497,550 entries for non-EU workers over 2026 to 2028 under its three-year Flows Decree, published in the Official Gazette on October 15, 2025. The annual quotas rise across the period — 164,850 in 2026, 165,850 in 2027, and 166,850 in 2028 — divided between seasonal and non-seasonal employment.
What's changed
The Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers, dated October 2, 2025, sets the maximum number of non-EU nationals admitted for subordinate employment — seasonal and non-seasonal — and for self-employment across the three-year period. Of the 497,550 total, 267,000 places are allocated to seasonal work in agriculture and tourism and 230,550 to non-seasonal subordinate and self-employed work. Non-seasonal subordinate quotas hold steady at 76,200 a year, alongside 650 annual self-employment places.
Within the non-seasonal allocation, 25,000 places a year are reserved for nationals of 38 named countries — among them India, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia — that cooperate with Italy on migration, with a further 18,000 places in 2026 rising to 34,000 by 2028 for countries that sign new migration agreements during the period. The decree sets a domestic-care quota rising from 13,600 in 2026 to 14,200 in 2028, and reserves 47,000 agricultural seasonal places a year for applications filed through recognised farm-employer organisations.
Who's affected
The quotas govern entry for non-EU citizens resident abroad who are seeking work in Italy through employer-sponsored applications. Seasonal agriculture and tourism account for the largest single share, reflecting Italy's reliance on foreign labour in those sectors. The 38-country priority list spans high-volume corridors into Italy, with South Asian, North African, Sub-Saharan African, and Western Balkan nationalities featuring prominently, and multi-year seasonal permits are set aside for workers who have entered Italy for seasonal work at least once in the previous five years.
A separate self-employment channel of 500 places a year covers entrepreneurs investing at least 500,000 euros and creating three jobs, regulated professionals, internationally recognised artists, and founders of innovative start-ups. The decree also provides 50 annual self-employment places for people of Italian descent resident in Venezuela and other designated countries, and 320 places a year for stateless people and recognised refugees.
When it takes effect
The decree covers the three calendar years 2026, 2027, and 2028, with quotas allocated annually. Applications are submitted through the Interior Ministry's online "click-day" system, which opens on set dates early in each programme year. The framework continues the three-year planning cycle Italy introduced in 2023, which replaced the single-year flows decrees used previously.