Italy Notable Increase in Family and Study Applications: Grants Over 330,000 Residence Permits in 2023

In 2023, there were notable shifts in Italy’s resident permit landscape: a notable increase in temporary protection visas, particularly for Ukrainians, and a dramatic decrease in employment permits. Find out how this has affected the communities of foreign residents in the nation.

Italy saw a significant change in the country’s residency permit policy in 2023. The Italian Institute for Statistics (Istat) reports that 330,730 residence permits were issued to foreign nationals in total. The impact of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine was highlighted by this surge, which was greatly impacted by the temporary protection permits granted to Ukrainians.

Foreign Nationals Holding Valid Residency Permits

In 2023, there were 3.6 million foreign nationals in Italy with valid residency permits. It’s interesting to note that the makeup of these permit holders has shifted, with Ukrainians now making up a larger portion of the foreign population in the nation than more established ethnic groups like Moroccans and Albanians.

Growth in Study and Family Permits

Preferences have changed recently. Work-related visas have significantly decreased, while those relating to family reunification and study are growing more prevalent. This chart shows how foreign nationals in Italy are migrating and prioritizing different things.

Work Permits Roughly Decreased in 2023

A Dramatic Drop in Work Permits

In 2023, the number of residence permits issued for work purposes was drastically reduced. There were just 39,000 of these permits issued, a 42.2% decrease from the year before. Just 13,000 of the permits issued fall into this category, which today makes up just 11.8% of total permits.

Causes of the Drop

Authorities blame the decline on a decline in the need for emergency work permits, which made up more than 70% of all permits in 2022. 13,800 work permits were granted for dependent workers, and 8,200 were granted for temporary labor.

Nationalities With the Highest Number of Work Permits

Leading Recipients of Work Permits

The top three nationalities receiving work permits in 2023 were Albanians, Moroccans, and Indians, with 5,783, 4,251, and 3,637 licenses issued, respectively. Americans (2,196) and Bangladeshis (3,467) were two other notable groupings. Just these five countries were responsible for half of all work permits granted in that particular year.

• Indians: 5,783 Work Permits
• Moroccans: 4,251 Work Permits
• Albanians: 3,637 Work Permits
• Bangladeshis: 3,467 Work Permits
• Americans: 2,196 Work Permits

Permits for Family Reunification Are Increasing

Albanians, Moroccans, and Indians were also the most common receivers of family reunification licenses; on the other hand, the number of these permits significantly decreased for Bangladeshis and Ukrainians.

Fewer foreign nationals possess valid residency permits

Decline of Regular Resident Permits by 3%

In Italy, the overall number of foreign nationals holding valid residency cards decreased by 3% in 2023. This decline was especially apparent among Chinese, Indian, and Albanian nationals. On the other hand, there was a 3% rise in the number of applications for regular permits from citizens of Egypt and Bangladesh.

Acquisition of Citizenship

Many Moroccans and Albanians became citizens of Italy, which eliminated the requirement for residency permits since they could now dwell there without one.

Applications for Citizenship Fall Slightly

Italian citizenship was awarded to 213,567 people in total in 2023—a small decrease from the 213,716 applications that were accepted the year before.

Conclusion

Significant alterations changed the resident permit landscape in Italy in 2023. Authorities decreased employment permits, redirected the focus of requested permissions, and granted more Ukrainians temporary protection permits. Officials anticipate that the number of permanent residence permits will continue to decline as more foreigners become citizens of Italy.