Italy to issue almost 500,000 work visas to foreigners due to demographic crisis
Photo: George Maloney / EPA

Italy plans to issue nearly 500,000 new work visas for non-EU nationals between 2026 and 2028. This was reported by Reuters.

In particular, next year 164,850 people will be granted permission to enter Italy. In total, by the end of 2028, the number of work visas issued by the country will reach 497,550.

This is the second such initiative of the government of Prime Minister Georgie Maloney. Italy has already approved more than 450,000 work permits for migrants in 2023-2025.

New quotas were adopted taking into account business requests and the actual number of applications for work permits in previous years.

The program aims to provide Italian enterprises with the necessary labor force in the context of an aging population and low birth rate.

According to official figures, in 2024, the death rate in Italy was 281,000 higher than the birth rate. The country's population decreased to 58.93 million people.

At the same time, Prime Minister Maloney has a tough stance on illegal migration. The Italian government is stepping up deportations and restricting the activities of humanitarian organizations rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean.

According to the Osservatorio Conti Pubblici think tank, in order to maintain a stable population, Italy will have to accept at least 10 million immigrants by 2050.