Italy, which had been tightening its immigration rules for years, was forced to recalibrate the route. With a rapidly aging population and a job market lacking professionals, Giorgia Meloni’s government took a turn: making room for descendants of Italians living abroad, including Brazilians.
The change contrasts with the recent policy, the strict control over the entry of foreigners.
The new mechanism was made official on November 24th. The rule creates a special channel for work visas, with no numerical limit per country, for descendants of Italians in seven nations historically linked to migration: Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Australia, Canada, Venezuela and Uruguay.
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It is an opening that did not exist and that bypasses the traditional decree flowsa rule that establishes the number of work authorizations granted annually.
Currently, the flows sets the admissions ceiling for three years. Between 2023 and 2025, there are 452 thousand permits for seasonal, non-seasonal and self-employed work, and, in 2025 alone, the limit is 151 thousand foreigners.
With the new channel, descendants from these seven countries will no longer compete for vacancies within this quota, as long as they present a valid employment contract in Italy.
The most accepted interpretation is that the change includes descendants from great-grandchildren, as children and grandchildren of Italians born with citizenship have their own processes for recognition.
Even so, those who do not fit into this category continue to be subject to the limitations of flowsa relevant factor for Brazil, where it is estimated that there are around 30 million descendants of Italians.
To join the new regime, you must gather documentation that proves your family lineage — birth, marriage and death certificates — and a job offer from an Italian company.
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An additional point weighs in favor of Brazilians: working time in Italy can be added to contributions made in Brazil for retirement purposes, thanks to the social security agreement between the two countries.
