Interested applicants from UAE can also apply for Italy’s Decreto Flussi immigration program in 2023 (started already on 27 March). The Italian government has already announced a yearly immigration program that allows seasonal and non-seasonal workers to come to Italy to work in the labor market. A quota of 82,705 has been set aside for seasonal and non-seasonal subordinate work and self-employment. Important is that even though they live in the United Arab Emirates they are citizens of countries that are allowed to participate in the immigration program. The eligible countries for this year’s Decreto Flussi are as follows:
- Albania,
- Algeria,
- Bangladesh,
- Bosnia-Herzegovina,
- Korea (Republic of Korea),
- Ivory Coast,
- Egypt,
- El Salvador,
- Ethiopia,
- Philippines,
- Gambia,
- Georgia,
- Ghana,
- Japan,
- Guatemala,
- India,
- Kosovo,
- Mali,
- Morocco,
- Mauritius,
- Moldova,
- Montenegro,
- Niger,
- Nigeria,
- Pakistan,
- Peru,
- The Republic of North Macedonia,
- Senegal,
- Serbia,
- Sri Lanka,
- Sudan,
- Tunisia,
- Ukraine.
If you live in UAE and hold the nationality of any of the above-mentioned countries, you can apply for seasonal or non-seasonal visas. There are two following programs for which you can apply for an Italian work visa from UAE.
A work visa of a maximum of from 20 days to 9 months (depending on the nature of the job) is issued to applicants for performing the sample following jobs in Italy:
- Agronomist
- Agrotechnician
- Laboratory analyst of the agri-food industry
- Poultry farmer
- Agri-food technician
- Cellarman –
- Direct farmer
- Farm operator (professional agricultural entrepreneur)
- The driver of food processing plants
- The driver of agricultural machinery
- Environmental Consultant
- Oenologist
- Fruit grower – Frantoiano
- Specialized agricultural worker (farm worker)
- Horticulturist
- Pruner
A work visa of a maximum of 2 years is issued to applicants for performing the sample following jobs in Italy:
Mostly for performing the following example jobs:
- road haulage for third parties,
- construction,
- tourism-hotel,
- mechanics,
- telecommunications,
- food,
- shipbuilding.
How does the work permit process work?
The Italian work permit process under decreto flussi can be identified as follows:
You choose to get a job in the Italian labor market for either seasonal or non-seasonal work. Once you get the job from an Italian employer, the following process applies:
- The Italian employer must request a work permit from the competent Italian authorities (One-Stop-Shop for Immigration in the Prefettura) for the category of the worker concerned;
- You must take out health insurance that covers the entire duration of your stay in Italy (talk to your employer in Italy about it first);
- You will need to prepare a series of documents for your visa application, such as your passport, photo ID, copy of your employment contract, proof of your health insurance, criminal record certificate, etc.;
- Once you have all the necessary documents, you can submit your visa application to the Italian embassy or consulate in your home country;
- The visa process may take several weeks or months for the Italian authorities to review your application and make a decision;
- The conversion of residence permits into subordinate work requires the presence of the residence contract proposal signed by the employer at the time of the summons at the Sportello Unico. This proposal must commit the employer to hire the non-EU foreign worker. Subsequently, the Mandatory Hiring Communication will be generated by the system and sent electronically to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies.
Italian residence permit costs
You must apply for a residence permit to the One-Stop-Shop for Immigration at the “Prefettura” of the competent province within eight days of arriving in Italy.
As a general rule, visas to enter the Italian territory (excluding Uniform Schengen Visas) cost €116.
As for residence permits, their cost is:
- €40 for stays between 3 and 12 months;
- €50 for stays between 12 and 24 months;
- and €100 for long-term residence permits, highly qualified workers, and intra-corporate transferees.
- In addition, administrative costs amount to €30 for the sending of the postal kit; €16 for the tax stamp; and €30.46 for issuance costs.
How to find jobs in Italy for UAE applicants?
You need to find an Italian employer willing to hire you and provide you with a job offer. This offer must be included in your visa application. This is the core requirement of your intended work visa. Here are some private and official job portals to apply for a farm worker job for a work visa:
- ClicLavoro
- Ministry of labor and social policies
- Jooble.org
- Job by doo
- Torino Comune
- Informagiovani
- Bakeca
- SeasonWorkers (In the search category, please write seasonal jobs in Italy.)
- Indeed (In the search category, please write seasonal jobs in Italy.)
- JustLanded (In the search category, please write seasonal jobs in Italy.)
- AnyworkAnywhere (In the search category, please write seasonal jobs in Italy.)
- Transitionsabroad (In the search category, please write seasonal jobs in Italy.)
Italian embassy or consulates in UAE
Consular Chancery at the Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi at the Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi
Head of the Consular Chancery: Claudio Ramunno
Jurisdiction: Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 4435622
Fax: +971 2 4453673
E-mail: cons.abudhabi@esteri.it
Italy Visa Application Center: VFS GLOBAL
Consulate General of Italy to Dubai
Consul General: Giuseppe Finocchiaro
Jurisdiction: Emirate of Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman e Umm-al-Quwain.
Tel: +971 4 3314167
Fax: +971 4 3317469
E-mail: consular.dubai@esteri.it
Italy Visa Application Center: VFS GLOBAL