New rules for highly skilled workers: Italy aims to attract foreign talents with the Blue Card
Italy is gearing up to become more attractive to foreign talents by introducing significant changes to the regulations for highly skilled workers. The Council of Ministers has preliminarily approved a legislative decree that incorporates the EU-mandated changes to the Blue Card framework, the residence permit dedicated to this kind of workers coming from Third Countries. The main objective of this initiative is to promote a more attractive and efficient regime for highly skilled workers who wish to work in Italy. The EU Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and the Council, dated October 20, 2021, aims to facilitate greater mobility within the European Union by streamlining procedures and introducing more flexible and inclusive admission criteria.
The main changes introduced by the legislative decree include:
-Blue Card for seasonal workers: Seasonal workers who meet the requirements for highly skilled jobs can now obtain the EU Blue Card without being counted towards the maximum quotas of foreign workers admitted for subordinate employment in the country.
-Facilitations for managers and IT specialists: It will be easier for managers and specialists working in the information and communication technology sector to obtain the EU Blue Card to work in Italy.
-Innovative entrepreneurship: Foreign citizens with the EU Blue Card will have the opportunity to start their own self-employed business alongside their subordinate employment.
-Simplified family reunification: More favourable conditions will be established for family reunification of EU Blue Card holders, and spouses and family members of highly skilled workers will have improved access to the labour market.
These new measures aim to facilitate the entry and stay of highly skilled workers from third countries, encouraging foreign talents to choose Italy as a destination for their expertise and contribute to the country’s growth and development.
More information: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2021/1883/oj