Update on November 24, 2020: On November 17, the Interior Minister has re-opened the sanatoria only in the following cases: - if your employer paid 500-euro fee but did not send the application on time, or - if your employer presented the application to INPS instead of applying on the Interior Ministry platform. If this is the case, your employer must apply between November 25, 2020 to January 8, 2021 on the Interior Ministry platform, or ask for the assistance of a CAF, patronato or labour expert.

The Italian government approved the sanatoria, or amnesty in English, in May 2020. You have time to apply for one of the two permessi under this sanatoria until August 15, 2020.

Remember: the current sanatoria applies to you only if you have a valid job offer or work (without contract) in one the following sectors:

• Agriculture, farming and husbandry, fisheries and aquaculture, and alike
• Caretaker work, including care workers for the elderly or people with disabilities
• Domestic housework, including housekeepers, babysitters.

You can use this article to learn more on the 6-month Permesso Temporaneo, including:

• Who can apply
• How to apply
• Who can help

More info about: Sanatoria

Who can apply

You may be eligible for a Permesso di soggiorno per lavoro subordinato, if you meet all the requirements below:

• You entered the country and were fingerprinted before March 8, 2020
• You live and work in Italy. You must not have left the country after March 8, 2020
• You have a valid job offer, or you are doing undeclared work and your current employer will hire you with a valid work contract, in one of the relevant sectors (agriculture, farming, husbandry, fisheries, aquaculture, caretaker work and domestic house work).

If you are an asylum-seeker in Italy and meet the requirements listed above, you can apply for the lavoro subordinato permit without the need to drop your asylum request.

Learn more on: Sanatoria for asylum-seekers

How long does this permit last?

The duration of the permesso di lavoro subordinato depends on the duration of your contract:

• Up to 9-month work permit, with one or more seasonal work contracts. In this case the duration of the permesso depends on the duration of the contract
• 1-year work permit, if you have a fixed-term contract
• 2-year work permit, if you have a permanent contract.

This does not mean that if you lose your job your permesso will expire right away. You must provide another work contract (also in other sectors) to renew your work permit, or may apply for other type of permessi if you meet the requirements.

How to apply for the work permit

If you meet the requirements listed above, your employer will have to apply for a permesso per lavoro subordinato in order to regularize your status and/or the undeclared working relationship.

Application period is between June 1 and August 15, 2020. Your employer will need to apply at the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione on https://nullaostalavoro.dlci.interno.it/ that your employer can access from 7 am to 10 pm with the SPID code.

The employer must also pay 500 euro for each worker to regularize or to hire. He/she will need to pay this amount with the F24 form, that can be downloaded here or found in banks and at the post office. Here you can find instructions to fill out this form.

Mind that if your employer is regularizing a pre-existing undeclared working relationship, he/she will need to pay an extra lump sum for taxes and contributions.

Here’s a tutorial in Italian to help your employer fill in the documents to apply. More info on the procedure can also be found on the website of the Ministry of Interior.

Once submitted the sanatoria application, your employer will get a recepit, like this one below. Melting Pot Europa suggested that there are some scams, so please pay attention!

Based on the opinion of the Questura and the Ispettorato Territoriale del Lavoro, the Prefettura decides on your application. The Prefettura may request you or your employer to provide some additional documentation.

If the Prefettura makes a positive decision, you and your employer will be summoned to sign the contract of stay, or ‘contratto di soggiorno’ in Italian. Afterwards, you will need to submit your request for a permesso per lavoro subordinato at the post office.

What type of contract do I need in order to be eligible?

To be eligible for this permesso, your employer must be willing to offer you either a seasonal, a fixed-term or a permanent contract. It must be a full-time work contract, unless in case of domestic work (‘lavoro domestico di sostegno al bisogno familiare’ as written on the decree).

Relevant authorities will check for the truthfulness of the work contract. If you use a fake contract and the Ispettorato Territoriale del Lavoro discovers it, you will be automatically excluded from the procedure.

Is there any requirement for the employer?

To be able to offer a work contract, an employer must meet specific requirements too.

Legal status – The employer must be Italian, European Citizen, or hold an Ex Carta di Soggiorno. This means that any other type of permesso cannot be used.

Minimum Income – The employer must also prove to have a minimum taxable income for the year 2019 equal or above to:

• 30.000 euros for agriculture, farming, husbandry, fisheries, aquaculture, and alike
• 20.000 euros for housework or caretaker work, in case of single-income families; or at least 27.000 euros in case of more people cohabiting.

Income requirements do not apply to employers affected by diseases or disabilities who are not self-sufficient.

Minimum income requirements may change if your employer applies for more than one worker.

Criminal Record – To be eligible, the employer must not have been convicted in the past 5 years for serious crimes connected to illegal immigration, prostitution and labour exploitation. You can find more detailed info in Italian on the Meltingpot guide.

How can I prove I was in the country before March 8, 2020?

According to the indications from the Ministry of Interior, you can prove you were in Italy before March 8, 2020, by providing document or certificate, such as: medical certifications, school enrollment certificates, personal public transportation cards, police certificates, sim card contracts, documentation from reception centers, certificates from embassies and consulates in Italy.

Who can help

The procedure to apply for the sanatoria is quite new and complex, so it’s always a good idea to check with an expert, regardless of the permesso you or your employer are going to apply for.

ARCI – SOS Diritti has set up a hotline for the regularization. You can call the 800999977 from Monday to Friday in the monring (9 am - 1 pm) and in the afternoon (2.30 - 6.30 pm).

CILD – Italian Coalition for Civil Liberites, you can send an email (in English or Italian) if you have questions about the sanatoria: legal@cild.eu They have also created FAQ document on the sanatoria in Italian.

Community Center Network offers an online help desk service, you can contact them by sending an email to virtualcenter@diaconiavaldese.org or calling 3441874631. The service is available Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 1 pm. They can also point to local services available in Torino, Milano, Bologna, Perugia, Napoli and Catania.

"Siamo qui - sanatoria subito" network has various legal help desks across Italy, you can find the whole list here.

Italia Hello also wrote an article including associations that can support in many Italian regions. Here for the English or French version.

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