On December 9, 2024, with Law No. 187, the Italian Parliament approved the conversion into law of Decree No. 145/2024, which had been adopted by the Government on October 11th.
With the conversion into law, the Parliament partially amended the text of the decree in order to address certain interpretative issues that had arisen during the first 60 days of the measure’s application.
Among the main new provisions, there is a rule that reserves up to 40% of the planned 2025 entries for subordinate employment to female migrant workers. Additionally, a new three-year plan has been established for labor-related immigration to Italy for the period 2026-2028.
One of the most debated aspects was the approval of stricter regulations regarding family reunification procedures. Under the new law, family reunification may only be requested after a continuous period of at least two years of legal residence in the national territory.
With the conversion of the decree into law, the Parliament also took the opportunity to incorporate the list of countries considered “safe countries of origin” into a primary legislative source. According to European Union law, Member States may subject applications for international protection – filed by applicants from countries deemed safe – to an accelerated border procedure. Prior to Law 187/2024, Italy’s list of safe countries of origin was contained in a ministerial decree. The use of such a secondary legislative instrument has been referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Finally, under Law 187/2024, Parliament also transferred jurisdiction over the validation or extension of detention measures concerning asylum seekers from the specialized sections on international protection to the Courts of Appeal.