Italy to Offer 500,000 Work Visas for Foreign Workers

Italy’s right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has announced that it will grant nearly 500,000 work visas to non-European Union (non-EU) workers over the next three years. The decision aims to address ongoing labor shortages in various sectors of the country.

According to the government’s latest plan, a total of 497,550 foreign workers will be allowed to legally enter and work in Italy during the 2026 to 2028 period. The plan will begin with approximately 165,000 visas issued in 2026. This new quota is higher than the 450,000 visas approved for the 2023 to 2025 period, and it marks a significant increase compared to just 75,700 visas in 2022 and around 70,000 in 2021.

Although Prime Minister Meloni’s administration has taken a strong stance against undocumented immigration, it has also realized the need to create more legal pathways for foreign workers. This shift is largely due to Italy’s ageing population and declining birth rate, which have caused serious labor shortages in sectors like farming, tourism, and domestic care.

Under the new plan, the largest share of the visas—about 267,000—will go to seasonal workers, especially in the agriculture and tourism industries. These sectors have been struggling to find enough local workers, and foreign labor is seen as essential to keep things running.

Italy’s main farming organization, Coldiretti, welcomed the decision. They called it a “major step forward” in making sure farms have the workers they need to continue growing food and maintaining Italy’s agricultural production.

However, not everyone agrees that this visa plan will solve Italy’s labor problems. Maria Grazia Gabrielli, a top official at CGIL, the country’s oldest and largest trade union, warned that the new system still doesn’t address the real issues behind migration and job shortages.

She pointed out that in both 2023 and 2024, only about 7.5% to 7.8% of the available work visa quotas actually led to approved residence permits. In other words, most of the visas were not used, showing that the current system isn’t working as planned. The only exception was for domestic work, where demand remained high.

Gabrielli also criticized the government for giving priority to applicants from certain countries—specifically, countries that have agreed to help Italy stop illegal immigration. This includes some North African nations that have cooperated with Italy by fighting human trafficking and running public awareness campaigns to discourage people from attempting dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean Sea.

She argued that this approach is flawed because it ignores the deeper reasons why people migrate and fails to offer fair solutions to everyone. According to her, the system rewards some countries while punishing others, and it focuses too much on control and punishment rather than real humanitarian and economic needs.

Another major concern is the possibility of fraud and abuse in the visa process. Reports suggest that criminal groups are exploiting the system, and in some cases, foreign workers already living in Italy are reapplying for new visas, often through illegal means.

To fix these issues, Gabrielli believes that Italy needs to rethink its entire migration policy. She called for structural reforms, including the regularization of undocumented workers who are already in the country. She explained that many businesses are desperate for workers, and regularizing existing migrants could help both employers and workers. It would also help prevent people from falling into illegal or unsafe working conditions.

In summary, while Italy’s plan to increase legal immigration through work visas is a step in the right direction, experts and unions say more needs to be done. They stress that simply increasing quotas is not enough—what’s really needed is a fair, effective, and long-term strategy that supports both the economy and the human rights of migrants.

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