Italy — Work (Decreto Flussi quota (in practice domestic care only))

Main requirements

The Decreto Flussi is Italy's annual quota for non-EU workers. The DPCM of 2 October 2025 sets 76,200 non-seasonal employment and 650 self-employment places per year for 2026–2028, but most non-seasonal places are reserved for partner countries: 25,000 for a named list (e.g. Albania, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Ukraine) and 18,000 in 2026 for countries signing migration agreements during the period. Iran is not on the list. Seasonal agriculture and tourism quotas (88,000 in 2026) are also mostly reserved for those countries. The clearly open option for Iranians is the domestic care (assistenza familiare) quota of 13,600 in 2026, 14,000 in 2027 and 14,200 in 2028, which has no nationality limit in the decree text and from 2026 covers only domestic work for a household, plus a small self-employment quota for specific categories (investors with at least EUR 500,000 creating 3 jobs, regulated professionals, company officers, renowned artists, innovative start-up founders; 500 a year in total). The ministries' joint circular also lists 'non-reserved' non-seasonal places (19,300 in 2026, 10,900 in 2027) without saying which nationalities can use them; ask the Sportello Unico before counting on them.

Documents

The employer (for care work, a family living in Italy) files for the nulla osta; once issued you apply for the visa with the nulla osta, passport, D visa form, photos and VisaMetric checklist items.

Language

The decree sets no language requirement for the worker, but care work in an Italian home practically needs Italian, and the long-term permit later needs an Italian test.

Costs and proof of funds

The employer obtains the nulla osta; you pay the visa (EUR 116), VisaMetric fee, translations, flight and setup costs. The Tehran embassy explicitly says no intermediary has special channels; ignore offers to 'sell' a nulla osta or a paid job contract.

Steps and timeline

Care-work applications open at 09:00 on 18 February each year (listed-country non-seasonal work on 16 February), until the quota fills or 31 December at the latest. For the 2027 quota, the joint circular of 1 October 2026 opens form pre-filling from 09:00 on 23 October to 20:00 on 7 December 2026, and the family-care click day is 18 February 2027. The employer's taxable income must be at least EUR 20,000 a year, or EUR 27,000 if the household has several members (a spouse's and close relatives' income can count), and the employer must first check with the job centre that no worker is available locally. Once a quota is assigned, the nulla osta is issued automatically after 60 days unless there is an objection; the visa must be obtained within 6 months, and under the 2027 circular the contratto di soggiorno is signed within 15 days of arrival. Applications not within quota 6 months after 31 December, or nulla osta not followed by a visa in that time, lapse.

Notes for Iranian applicants

You get the national D work visa from the Italian Embassy in Tehran via VisaMetric. Booking is free but a 50 million rial (about EUR 25) deposit is taken and refunded at submission; slots follow registration order and each visa type's checklist is on the site. The national visa fee is EUR 116 plus the VisaMetric fee. The embassy was closed from February to June 2026 and resumed all consular services on 8 July 2026; during the closure Iranians could apply at any reachable Italian embassy where they could stay legally. The embassy stresses that no intermediary has special channels; only the consular and VisaMetric fees are allowed. Iranian documents (degrees, work records, shenasnameh) usually need official translation and legalisation by Justice and Foreign Affairs, since Iran is not in the Apostille Convention.

Men: without a completed-service card or exemption you cannot leave Iran for work; per Iranian secondary sources, the bonded exit permit is only for master's/PhD study.

Because the general non-seasonal quota isn't open to Iranians, skilled applicants usually do better with the Blue Card or researcher routes (both outside quotas).

After arrival (work during studies, post-study stay, path to permanent residence)

After signing the contratto di soggiorno you get a work permit and renew it while employed. The EU long-term residence permit needs 5 years of legal residence, income at least equal to the assegno sociale, suitable housing and an Italian language test pass.