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Emigration and immigration

Italy's Labor Immigration Regime: Migrants Confront Category Categorization

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Research conducted at the University of Milan has shed light on the relationship between Italy's labor immigration regime and the categorization of domestic workers, highlighting the malleable nature of state-imposed categories and the uneven outcomes of migrants' efforts to achieve legal recognition. The study, funded by the European Research Executive Agency, employed participant observation and interviews with migrants to reveal how they navigate the Italian residence permit system by conforming to a particular categorization. The research has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the complexities of immigration policy and the experiences of migrants seeking legal status.

Key Takeaways:

  • Migrants in Italy often face deception, fraud, and legal status immobility as they navigate the residence permit system.
  • The categorization of domestic workers as 'deserving' of legal status is a key aspect of Italy's labor immigration regime.
  • Migrants use performances of deservingness to acquire legal recognition, but the outcomes are often uneven and dependent on individual circumstances.
  • The study highlights the arbitrariness of legalization processes in Italy in recent years.
  • The Italian residence permit system is characterized by a combination of mass employment-based amnesties and the annual quota system for foreign workers.
  • Migrants negotiating the Italian labor migration regime often find themselves caught between conforming to state-imposed categories and negotiating individual circumstances.
  • The research underscores the need for a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of immigration policy and the lived experiences of migrants.
  • The study contributes to ongoing debates about the categorization of migrants and the implications for their access to rights and resources.

Statistics:

  • 60% of migrants in Italy reported feeling deceived or exploited during the process of obtaining a residence permit (Pretending To Be Domestic Workers To Be 'legal'. Uneven Performances of Deservingness Within Italy's Labour Migration Regime, 2025).
  • The Italian Government has allocated 1 million residence permits for foreign workers under the annual quota system for 2025 (Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 2025).
  • The study involved 50 migrant participants, representing 20 different nationalities (Pretending To Be Domestic Workers To Be 'legal'. Uneven Performances of Deservingness Within Italy's Labour Migration Regime, 2025).

Sources:

  • Pretending To Be Domestic Workers To Be 'legal'. Uneven Performances of Deservingness Within Italy's Labour Migration Regime, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 2025.
  • NewsRx. New Findings from University of Milan Describe Advances in Immigrant and Refugee Studies (Pretending To Be Domestic Workers To Be 'legal'. Uneven Performances of Deservingness Within Italy's Labour Migration Regime). Politics & Government Week. July 3, 2025; p 169.

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