The Italian government is planning to increase the number of work visas issued to careers. With an experimental approach, starting in 2025, the government wants to issue 10,000 more visas for this category of workers.
However, this change will be followed by more stringent measures for applications from workers coming from certain countries – typically those considered “high risk of submitting applications accompanied by counterfeit documentation or in the absence of the legal requirements”, Schengen.News reports.
In total, 165,000 visas are expected to be issued in 2025 – the highest number compared to 151,000 allocated for 2024 and 136,000 for 2023.
The Italian government has introduced this three-year plan, allocating the number of visas that will be issued to foreign workers. This scheme will apply to all professions where a labour shortage is evident.
Italy Is Taking Pro-Active Measures – Increases the Number of “Click Days”
Italian officials have recently confirmed that foreign candidates will have more time to apply for the scheme. The so-called “click days” are days when foreigners can apply for work permits in Italy, and certain professions will be able to apply for visas on specific days.
The government introduced this measure as the country has not met the required number of foreign workers to fill in the labour shortages.
We need to move beyond the click day. We need an annual flow system, no longer tied to quotas and precise deadlines, but based on the real needs of the country.
Italian Government Concerned Over Exploitation of Seasonal Work Visas by Criminal Networks
Seasonal workers will be able to obtain up to 93,550 visas in 2025, while for 2024, the maximum cap is set at 89,050. These workers are usually hired in the agricultural and hotel tourism sectors.
However, the Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, has previously voiced her concerns that the Italian work visas scheme is being exploited by criminal gangs, who have found loopholes in the system and are bringing workers into the country for monetary gains.
According to her, work visas are being sold to foreigners who are looking to come into the country for up to €15,000, with Bangladeshi nationals being quite affected by this practice.
In a meeting with the newly-elected secretary, Jashim Uddin, the Italian ambassador to Bangladesh, Antonio Alessandro, confirmed that more stringent measures will be put in place, especially against human trafficking and migrant smuggling.