Italy issued 330,730 residence permits to foreigners last year. The migration flows to Italy dropped in 2023, particularly in residence permits for asylum and international protection, which saw a sharp decline of -47.6%, primarily due to fewer temporary protection permits for Ukrainians.
Furthermore, work-related permits decreased by -42.2% whereas the number of family and study-related residence permits grew. Surprisingly, the study permits, in particular, increased by 9.4%, reaching levels not seen since 2013.
As per ISTAT, the official statistical data provide from Italy notes that as of December 2023, Ukrainians have become the largest non-EU community in Italy, surpassing both the Albanian and Moroccan communities. Till same period, there are overall 3,6 million non-EU nationals in Italy with a residence permit.
Category-wise residence permits issued in 2023
| Residence Permit Reason | Non-EU Citizens with Regular Residence Permits |
| Non-EU Citizens with Regular Residence Permit | 3.6 million+ |
| Total Residence Permits Issued | 330,730 |
| Asylum/International Protection Permits | 106,000 |
| Special Temporary Protection for Ukrainians | 21,000 |
| Work-Related Residence Permits | Almost 39,000 |
| Study Permits Issued | Almost 27,000 |
| Family-Related Permits | Slight increase |
| Italian Citizenship Acquisitions by Non-EU Citizens | 196,000+ |
Country-wise residence permits issued
| Nationality | Residence Permits Issued (2023) | The top recipient of residence permits | Notable Trend |
| Indians | 5,783 | Work Permits | 50% of work permits among the top five nationalities |
| Moroccans | 4,251 | Work Permits | Second highest recipient |
| Albanians | 3,637 | Work & Family Reunification Permits | Ranked third for work permits, high for family reunification |
| Bangladeshis | 3,467 | Work Permits | A decrease in family reunification permits |
| Americans | 2,196 | Work Permits | Significant share of work permits |
International Protection Permits
In 2023, Italy issued 330,730 new residence permits, which is 26.4% less than in 2022. This drop is mainly because there were fewer permits for asylum and international protection.
These permits fell from over 200,000 in 2022 to about 106,000 in 2023, a decrease of 47.6%. This sharp decline is linked to fewer temporary protection permits given to Ukrainian citizens due to the war, which dropped from 149,000 to 21,000. However, if we exclude these special temporary permits, regular asylum and international protection permits actually increased by 57.5% compared to the previous year.
Work Permits
In 2023, nearly 39,000 work-related residence permits were issued, which is 42.2% less than in 2022. Work permits made up 11.8% of all new permits issued that year. About 32.8% of these work permits (nearly 13,000) were related to a regularization measure from 2020.
The decrease in work permits is partly because fewer permits were given for special regularization reasons, which made up 72.6% of work permits in 2022 but have had less impact on migration flows in 2023.
Study Permits
In 2023, permits issued for study purposes increased by 9.4% compared to 2022, reaching over 27,000, a level not seen since 2013. These student permits account for 8.3% of the total new permits issued in 2023.