VENICE – The government of Italy has announced to raise the work permit quota for foreign unskilled workers and startup visa applicants from third countries to 82,705 spots for the ongoing year.
The details published in the official gazette state that the move will permit about 7,000 more third-country nationals to apply for work permits this year compared to 2022 and 44,000 out of the total spots are reserved for entries for seasonal work reasons.
The detailed breakdown confirms that the quotas fixed for entries for non-seasonal and self-employment reasons are 38,705 units of which the vast majority (30,105 units) has been reserved for entries for non-seasonal subordinate work in the road haulage, construction and other sectors. The government has however clarified that the work permit quota does not apply to foreigners with highly skilled work permits.
Besides, another 7,000 spots are reserved for foreigners holding a residence permit in Italy or another EU country who desire to change their status. As per the distribution, 500 spots are reserved for self-employed people, including start-up owners, entrepreneurs, chairmen, prominent artists, CEOs, auditors, and members of boards of directors in Italian companies who have held their current position for at least three years.
The government has announced that the applications for work permits under the new quota can be submitted from March 27, 2022 which will be processed within 30 days and the document will be sent automatically to the Italian diplomatic missions that are responsible for issuing the visa.
