Rome – The Philippine Embassy in Rome has acknowledged the Italian government's decision to include Filipino nationals in the list of non-European Union (EU) workers eligible for Italy's decreto flussi, or flows decree program. This program is an essential pathway for non-EU workers to enter Italy for employment.
According to Philippines News Agency, Philippine Ambassador to Italy Neal Imperial, there is a continued high demand for Filipino workers across various sectors in Italy. Filipinos, being one of the earliest labor communities in the country, are preferred for their high-quality work standards.
Decretto flussi is a crucial immigration policy that outlines the modalities and timings for non-EU nationals to enter Italy for work. It also sets the maximum number of immigrants allowed from each country. The program's availability varies yearly, depending on Italy's immigration and labor market conditions. There is no fixed schedule for the program's opening each year, and individuals interested in applying must await the Italian government's announcement regarding quotas, as work permits are not always immediately available.
The latest Prime Minister's Decree in Italy has established a three-year forecasting of quotas for foreign workers. This decree will permit a total of 452,000 foreign citizens to enter Italy for various types of work between 2023 and 2025. Specifically, about 136,000 foreign citizens will be admitted in 2023, 151,000 in 2024, and 165,000 in 2025. The quota for non-seasonal subordinate workers is set at 52,770, covering sectors like road transportation, construction, tourism, mechanics, telecommunications, and several other industries. Additionally, a specific quota is reserved for workers in family and socio-sanitary assistance. Seasonal subordinate workers in the agricultural and tourism-hotel sectors have a quota of 82,550, while the quota for self-employed individuals is 680.
Regarding the Filipino community in Italy, the latest data from the Italian Ministry of Interior reveals that there are 166,718 Filipinos residing in Italy, primarily in the metropolitan cities of Rome and Milan. The Italian Ministry of Labor and Social Policies reported last year that the Philippines is the third largest recipient of remittances from Italy, following Bangladesh and Pakistan, comprising almost 8 percent of the total funds sent from Italy globally. The remittances to the Philippines from Italy amounted to USD151.525 million, as per data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The Embassy advises Filipinos interested in the decreto flussi system that the worker's admission for subordinate work must be done through an individual and nominal request by an employer in Italy. The job orders for Filipino workers must be verified by the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Rome. Employers or recruitment agencies are required to submit necessary documents to the MWO and the Department of Migrant Worker to issue an overseas Filipino worker pass, which includes the no objection to work certificate and visa. The MWO in Rome is committed to assisting in verifying job orders for qualified applicants through the decreto flussi system to prevent illegal recruitment and scams.