Italy Decreto Flussi 2026–2028: How the Click Day Really Works

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A stunning aerial view of Florence, Italy highlighting the city's architecture under the vibrant sunset sky.

A reader in Deira sent us a screenshot last week: a WhatsApp offer to “buy a nulla osta for Italy”, quota “confirmed”, click day “done”, price in dirhams. We see a version of this every week in our Dubai office. The person who clicks on click day is an employer in Italy, not the worker, and nobody in the UAE can sell you that click. Here is how the 2026–2028 decree works, as at August 2026, and how to tell a real file from a story.

At a glance

  • The decree (DPCM 2 October 2025, published 15 October 2025) sets 497,550 entries over three years: 164,850 in 2026, 165,850 in 2027 and 166,850 in 2028.
  • Only an employer in Italy can file, on the Ministry of Interior’s ALI portal with SPID or CIE digital identity and a PEC email; a worker abroad cannot self-apply.
  • 2026 click days ran at 09:00 Italian time on 12 January (seasonal agriculture), 9 February (seasonal tourism), 16 February (non-seasonal employment) and 18 February (family and care assistance).
  • After the nulla osta, the worker applies for a type D visa at the Italian mission for their emirate; the nulla osta must be used within 6 months.
  • Nobody can sell you a quota place, a “priority” click or a faster consular appointment; the Italian Embassy in Colombo reported the arrest of intermediaries doing exactly that.

What the 2026–2028 decree actually sets

Italy now plans labour migration three years at a time. The figures below come from the joint ministerial circular n. 8047 of 16 October 2025.

Entry type 2026 2027 2028
Non-seasonal employment (lavoro subordinato) 76,200 76,200 76,200
Self-employment (lavoro autonomo) 650 650 650
Seasonal work, agriculture and tourism 88,000 89,000 90,000
Total 164,850 165,850 166,850

Non-seasonal places in 2026: 25,000 for nationals of listed countries that cooperate with Italy on migration (including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria and Ghana); 18,000 for countries whose agreements come into force during the period; 13,600 for home and care assistance; 300 for refugees and stateless persons; and 19,300 unreserved places, falling to 10,900 in 2027 and 2,700 in 2028.

The sectors are fixed by the decree: agriculture, forestry and fishing; food, beverage and tobacco; textiles, clothing and footwear; metallurgy and metal products; other industry; construction; wholesale and retail; accommodation and food service; tourism; transport, logistics and warehousing; business and personal support services; private healthcare and social care; and other services.

Who applies: the Italian employer, never you

An employer in Italy, a company or a private household, files a named request for a nulla osta al lavoro at the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione (SUI) of the province where the job will be. The Ministry of Interior’s visa page says the work visa “is obtained only after” that nulla osta. You have no form to fill in and no portal account to open.

Before the click, the employer carries real obligations:

  • Ask the local Centro per l’Impiego whether a worker already in Italy is available; no reply within eight calendar days counts as a negative.
  • Obtain an asseverazione from a professional authorised under Law 12/1979 or from an employer organisation, in every sector including family assistance.
  • Show economic capacity: outside the domestic sector, taxable income or turnover of at least EUR 30,000 a year; a household hiring a carer needs EUR 20,000 (single) or EUR 27,000 (with cohabiting family).
  • File no more than three requests a year as a private employer (Decree-Law 146/2025); employer organisations, authorised professionals and staffing agencies are exempt from the cap.

The same decree made truthfulness checks systematic on every application, cross-matching Interior, Chamber of Commerce, tax, social security and customs databases to catch mass filings. That is the model a “buy a nulla osta” offer depends on.

How the click day really works

The click day is a timed submission window for applications an employer prepared and saved weeks earlier, during pre-compilation.

2026 timeline

Date (Italian time) What happened Who acts
23 Oct 2025, 09:00 to 7 Dec 2025, 20:00 Pre-compilation on the ALI portal (SPID or CIE, PEC required); documents uploaded and signed digitally Employer or its professional
9 to 13 Dec 2025 Portal reopened only to edit and save pre-filled forms Employer
12 Jan 2026, 09:00 Click day: seasonal agriculture (model C-Stag agricolo) Employer
9 Feb 2026, 09:00 Click day: seasonal tourism (model C-Stag turistico) Employer
16 Feb 2026, 09:00 Click day: non-seasonal employment in the listed sectors (model B2020) Employer
18 Feb 2026, 09:00 Click day: non-seasonal family and care assistance (model A-bis) Employer
Within 10 days of each click day Ministry of Labour distributes quotas by province and sector; requests are assigned in order of arrival, or wait Ministry of Labour
20 days (seasonal) or 60 days (non-seasonal) from quota assignment SUI decides; silence counts as approval unless the Questura objects (not automatic for Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Moroccan nationals) SUI, Questura, Labour Inspectorate
Until 31 Dec 2026 Applications may still be lodged, only against quotas that remain available Employer

Every row belongs to the employer or the Italian state; the worker appears only once the nulla osta exists.

After the nulla osta: visa, entry, contract, permit

A nulla osta is not a visa. What follows:

  1. You book a type D visa appointment. The SUI then asks the employer by PEC to confirm the hire within 15 days; without confirmation the nulla osta is revoked, and only after it does the mission issue the visa.
  2. The nulla osta must be used within 6 months of issue; fingerprints are taken for national visas.
  3. Within 15 days of entering Italy, you and the employer sign the contratto di soggiorno digitally (you may sign by hand) and the employer uploads it to the ALI portal.
  4. You apply for the permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days of entry and may work from the day the receipt is issued. A permit for open-ended employment lasts up to two years, seasonal up to nine months; renew at least 60 days before expiry.

“Buy a nulla osta”: what a real process never involves

Back to that WhatsApp message in Deira. It bundled a “quota slot”, a “click-day filing” and a “priority embassy appointment” into one price. None of these exist. The Italian Embassy in Colombo reported the arrest of a group charging roughly EUR 6,000 for a promised visa and EUR 600 for a “priority appointment”, and reminded applicants that no intermediary can give preferential access to consular services.

Warning signs before paying anyone:

  • You cannot name the Italian employer, its Chamber of Commerce registration or the SUI province.
  • You are told to pay for the nulla osta itself. The employer files it, in its own name.
  • Nobody can show you the request on the ALI portal, or the asseverazione behind it.
  • You are told to fly on a visit visa and “sort it out in Italy”. The route runs through a type D visa issued where you live.

If an offer fails any of these tests, keep your money and use our credential verification page to check who you are dealing with.

From the UAE: what this means for you

Which mission. Only holders of a UAE residence visa issued in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra) apply at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi; residence visas issued in Dubai or another emirate go to the Consulate General of Italy in Dubai.

Timing. Abu Dhabi accepts applications between six months and 15 calendar days before travel, keeps your passport and may take up to 90 calendar days; once the nulla osta arrives you email visa.abudhabi@esteri.it and book on Prenot@mi. Dubai requires filing at least 15 days before travel and a residence visa with six months left. Plan your notice period around that 90-day window, not a promised date.

Documents from the UAE side. The D form, a passport issued within the last 10 years with two blank pages, a no-objection letter from your UAE sponsor or a resignation acceptance or termination letter, medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000 (Abu Dhabi requires a UAE-based insurer), proof of accommodation in Italy and a flight booking.

Degrees and attestation. Neither mission’s subordinate work checklist asks for degree certificates, so there is no attestation queue for this route. Only Blue Card applicants need apostilled or legalised degrees with a Declaration of Value and Italian translation.

Realistic outlook. The 2026 click days have passed. Pre-compilation is now permanent, so the 2027 round again starts on an employer’s desk in Italy, not in Deira. Our Italy page covers the routes outside the click day.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for the decreto flussi myself from Dubai?

No. The employer in Italy files the nulla osta request on the ALI portal. Your part starts after it is issued, with the type D visa application.

Are Indian, Pakistani and Filipino nationals eligible?

Yes. All three are on the decree’s list of countries with reserved non-seasonal quotas. Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Moroccan files do not get the automatic silence-approval; the Questura and Labour Inspectorate must clear them.

Is there a route outside the quota?

Yes. The EU Blue Card, intra-company transfers and a 10,000-a-year allocation for carers of people over 80, people with disabilities and children under six sit outside the click day, but each still needs an Italian employer to file the nulla osta.

What to do next

If you hold a real Italian job offer, or a document that claims to be a nulla osta, we can check it against the decree before you spend anything on flights. Book a free eligibility assessment, call 04 357 7796, or arrange a 20-minute review through our contact page. We do not promise outcomes. More guides: all-guides library.

Sources

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