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WORKING IN ITALY

What happens to your Italian residency permit if you lose your job?

Losing your job is never ideal, but for those in Italy on a work visa there's another layer of worry. Will you lose your residency rights? Can you stay in Italy while you look for a new job?

Published: 30 January 2023 17:39 CET
Updated: 2 November 2023 16:02 CET
What happens to your Italian residency permit if you lose your job?
If you lose your job in Italy, the good news is that your work permit does not immediately become invalid. Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

The information in this article applies to non-EU citizens living in Italy who have a residency permit (permesso di soggiorno) linked to a work permit and visa: not to EU citizens or their family members, nor people with other types of residency permit.

The good news is that you won’t be kicked out of Italy the minute you lose your job: the expiry date on your residency permit for employment reasons (permesso di soggiorno per lavoro subordinato) won’t change.

Effectively, if you end up unemployed you’ll have until at least the date on which your residency permit expires to find a new job, and you may still be able to remain in Italy beyond that.

The duration of your residency permit for employment will depend on the type of work permit and visa you received, but it is normally valid for one or two years.

You’ll need to renew your residency permit before it expires, or at least within 60 days of the expiry date, at your region’s police headquarters (Questura).

There’s no rule that states you still have to be doing the same job, or even the same type of job, when you renew – as long as you can still meet all of the residency requirements.

READ ALSO: When and how should I renew my Italian residency permit?

You must provide a valid employment contract to renew your permit. This can be for a different job, including a job in a different sector.

You could also apply for a different type of permit if you meet the requirements.

If you lose a job, one option may be to work on a self-employed basis instead and then apply for a permit based on self-employment (permesso di soggiorno per lavoro autonomo) when it comes to the time to renew.

“If you have a residence permit for employment you can engage in self-employed activities if you have the required qualifications and fulfil the necessary legal requirements,” the European Commission’s immigration portal explains.

“Your change of status will be registered when your original residence permit expires.”

READ ALSO:

What happens if you’re unable to find a new job in time? 

If you’re still unemployed when your residency permit is up for renewal, this doesn’t automatically mean you have to leave Italy either.

You’ll need to register as unemployed when you lose your job. This means you’ll then be entitled to unemployment benefits, usually for up to one year, and that you may also be eligible to apply for a ‘residence permit while awaiting employment’ instead of renewing your current permit.

“If you have a residence permit for salaried employment but lose your job or resign, you may be put on the employment placement lists [meaning registered with the job centre] for the remaining period of validity of your residence permit or for a period of no more than twelve months,” the EC immigration portal website states.

“If you lose your job at the end of your permit you can ask for a renewal for a period of no more than twelve months.”

In fact, it may also be possible for residency permits while awaiting employment to be extended beyond 12 months, since Italian law “has not imposed a maximum limit on the possible renewal of an entitlement document conferred previously,” according to the Italian Labour Ministry’s website.

“It is up to the police to assess the situation of applicants on a case-by-case basis, paying particular attention to their family ties, the number of years spent in Italy, and any previous criminal convictions.”

Please note that The Local is unable to advise on individual cases or assist with job applications.

For more information on how these rules apply in your circumstances, see the Italian labour ministry’s immigration website, visit the sportello unico (immigration ‘one stop shop’), or consult the patronato for free immigration law advice.

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WORKING IN ITALY

EXPLAINED: How to write the perfect CV for a job in Italy

If you’re job-hunting in Italy, following Italian CV etiquette will increase your chances of impressing recruiters and give you a head start over other applicants.

Published: 16 July 2024 15:21 CEST
Updated: 21 July 2024 05:22 CEST
EXPLAINED: How to write the perfect CV for a job in Italy

Whether it’s your first time looking for work in Italy or are simply planning on polishing up your old CV to test the job market, there are a few specific quirks and features you should know about before writing your Italian curriculum.

From personal details and photos to references and privacy clauses, knowing the ins and outs of Italian CV etiquette will give you better chances of standing out from the crowd and impressing recruiters.

Italian CV basics

Your Italian CV shouldn’t be longer than two pages and should be clear and simple to read, making all of your relevant professional experience and qualifications readily available.

Creative resumes may look amazing, but recruiters in Italy tend to prefer a standard chronological CV using fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman to facilitate quick reading and scanning.

English or Italian? 

If you’re applying for an English-speaking position, either option will work in most cases.

But if you’re not very confident in your Italian skills, or don’t know any native speaker who may be able to proofread the text for you, it may be best to stick to English: well-written English will always give a better impression than mistake- or typo-filled Italian.

READ ALSO: How many foreigners are overqualified for their jobs in Italy?

If, however, the job advert is in Italian, and/or there’s an explicit request for applications to be sent in Italian, then you should definitely go for a CV in Italian. 

In this case, it’s strongly advisable to get the help of a native speaker or even a professional translator to make sure your CV is faultless.

Personal details

Applicants are advised to include their personal information and contact details at the very top, ideally organising them into a header.

Besides the usual details (full name, email address, telephone number including country code), Italian employers will expect you to include a little more personal information than you may be used to.

Personal details should include your date of birth, nationality, and address (city and street name are usually sufficient).

Foreign nationals are often advised to seek the help of a native speaker or professional translator when crafting their Italian CV

Foreign nationals are often advised to seek the help of a native speaker or professional translator when crafting their Italian CV. Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash

If relevant, you can also include links to your social media accounts or personal professional websites in this section.

Photo or no photo?

Unlike in countries like the US and UK, many recruiters in Italy will expect you to attach a picture to your CV.

The photo should be a passport-sized headshot with a neutral background, and should look professional (meaning no blurry or grainy pictures taken at social events for instance).

‘Personal profile’

Some applicants like to start out their CV with a summary (usually under the headline of profilo professionale, or ‘professional profile’) giving a clear description of who they are, what they’re looking for, and their key skills.

READ ALSO: Why English teachers say working at Italy’s language schools is an ‘uphill battle’

This is optional, but if you do go for it, keep it to a maximum of two to three lines and make sure to grab the reader’s attention quickly.

Work experience and education

As with CVs in other countries, you’re expected to present your experience in reverse chronological order, working back from your most recent job to your earliest relevant position.

You don’t need to include every single job you’ve ever had, but only the positions that are relevant to the job.

For each position, list your job title, company, and location (city and country), as well as the relevant dates. Bullet points outlining key tasks, responsibilities and skills are not an essential step in Italian CVs, but are a popular choice among applicants.

As for the education section, you should include all the relevant qualifications in reverse chronological order. 

For foreign qualifications, it’s advisable to indicate their equivalent in the Italian system if possible. While you may be asked to produce official translations at a later application stage, this is usually not necessary at this time.

If you are listing any degree, it’s a good idea to indicate the exact grade you achieved. This is common practice in Italy as it’s often assumed that candidates not stating their exact grade didn’t perform well.

Additional skills and languages

Italian CVs generally feature a separate section for other relevant professional skills, including any IT systems or software you may be able to use, as well as any known languages.

When it comes to describing your ability in each language, you can use madrelingua to describe your native language. For additional languages, you can either use the European Language Framework or stick to general descriptors such as basic (elementare), good (buono), intermediate (intermedio), advanced (avanzato), fluent (fluente). 

If you have certificates testifying to your language skills, make sure to list them. 

Most Italian employers will not expect you to list interests and/or hobbies, which is why it’s generally advisable to keep this section extremely brief or forgo it altogether.

References

Employers in Italy are not as demanding as recruiters in other countries when it comes to references, but including a couple of referenze (ideally, past employers) and their contact details can work to your advantage.

Italian CVs often feature a clause allowing recruiters to process their personal data

Italian CVs often feature a clause allowing recruiters to process candidates’ personal data. Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

Privacy clause

Though it is not a legal requirement, job applicants in Italy are advised to include the following clause at the bottom of their CVs:

Autorizzo il trattamento dei miei dati personali ai sensi del D.L. 196/2003 e dell’art. 13 del GDPR (“I agree to the processing of my personal details according to law 196/2003 and article 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation”)

READ ALSO: Nine of the best websites to search for jobs in Italy

This allows hiring managers to lawfully use your personal data under Italian and European privacy regulation in order to move your application forward or save your profile for future vacancies.

Not including the clause may delay your application, according to Italian work advisors.

Online submission

Pdf is considered the best format for electronic CV submissions. 

As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to ensure that the size of your file doesn’t exceed five megabytes to avoid upload or download issues.

Do I need a cover letter?

While employers in many English-speaking countries may not even consider a candidate unless they attach a cover letter, in Italy this is often optional.

Italian recruitment experts advise applicants to attach a cover letter only “if you want to underline a specific point – such as why you want to apply to a particular firm”.

If you do decide to attach a cover letter to your CV, it’s advisable to keep it concise and sharply focused, highlighting why you’re the right fit for the position at hand expanding on experiences and skills already outlined in your CV.

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