The Italian government has adopted new rules to allow descendants of Italians abroad - the so-called “oriundi” - to return and work in Italy more easily. The update opens a legal pathway for people who descend from Italian citizens and live in countries like Argentina, Brazil, United States, Canada, Australia, Venezuela and Uruguay to obtain residence and work permits in Italy without going through the usual immigration quotas.
Once they establish continuous legal residence, after a period of two years they become eligible to apply for Italian citizenship.
This change comes despite earlier reform efforts that had narrowed citizenship eligibility, limiting ius sanguinis mostly to children or grandchildren of Italian-born citizens. The government’s aim now is to encourage the “return migration” of Italians’ descendants scattered abroad - potentially revitalizing ties with the diaspora and offering them a concrete chance to reconnect with Italy.
At the same time, broader immigration law has been restructured by the Decreto Flussi 2026–2028 - which authorizes up to 497 550 work permits for non-EU workers over its validity period. This massive quota covers both seasonal jobs (for example in agriculture or tourism) and non-seasonal employment across many sectors - from construction and services to health and logistics - giving Italy flexibility to meet labour demands.
For the “oriundi”, this means their applications for residence and work could bypass the traditional quota limits, making the return process smoother than for other foreign workers. The hope is that many descendants of Italian emigrants will take advantage of this opening, re-establishing roots in Italy and - where desired - eventually acquiring citizenship.
