Former seasonal workers awaiting leave: OK for employment
Decree 146/2025 included requests for conversion to 'stable' activity
Key points
- What Decree 146/2025 provides for
Non-EU citizens can work even if they are waiting for the response to the request for conversion of the residence permit for seasonal work into a permit for subordinate work (fixed-term or open-ended). Decree Law 146/2025 (published in the 'Official Gazette' 230 of 3 October and now being examined by the Chamber of Deputies for conversion into law) extended the possibility of working, already provided for in the case of requests for the issue or renewal of permits, to permit conversions.
From January 2025, applications to convert a residence permit for seasonal work into a permit for subordinate work are outside the quotas of the flows decrees: there are no numerical ceilings, no click days, but they can be submitted all year round.
What Decree 146/2025 provides for
Il testo iniziale del decreto 146/2025 approvato dal Consiglio dei ministri il 4 settembre prevedeva anche l’esclusione strutturale dalle quote delle richieste di lavoratori extra Ue per l’assistenza a disabili e anziani over 80. La contrarietà della Lega ha però spinto a riscrivere la misura e la soluzione finale attualmente in vigore è la proroga per tre anni (dal 2026 al 2028) della sperimentazione introdotta per il 2025 dal Dl 145/2024. È stata quindi prevista una quota specifica di 10mila ingressi annuali, con domande che possono essere presentate tutto l’anno ma solo tramite le associazioni datoriali firmatarie del contratto collettivo nazionale di lavoro del settore domestico o le agenzie per il lavoro. Non è ancora chiaro se le richieste potranno essere inviate dal primo gennaio o solo a partire With regard to the 10,000 posts for 2025, it is still possible to apply because as of 18 September there were 1,605 applications. However, the nulla osta issued were less than a third (535), the entry visas 258 and just 80 applications for residence permits for those who arrived in Italy and started working.
According to Decree Law 146/2025, from next year, the 60-day deadline for issuing the nulla osta (20 for seasonal workers) will no longer start from the date of the click day but from the date 'of charging the request to the entry quotas', a later step, which risks lengthening entry times.
