Immigrants, record number of residence permits: +47% in 2025, the highest in the last 15 years

In 2025, Italy issued 426,956 new residence permits, marking a 47.2% increase from 2024. This is the highest total in 15 years, following a peak in 2022 due to Ukrainian refugees. The rise is more pronounced among women (+56.5%) compared to men (+41.6%). Family permits saw a significant increase of 61.2%, while study permits rose by 76.0%. Asylum requests decreased by 15%. The majority of permits were for family reunification (168,733), followed by asylum and protection (135,831). Work permits also increased, nearing 59,000, but remained below the planned 165,000. The top countries of origin for new permits include Morocco, Bangladesh, and Egypt, with India showing the highest growth at 78.8%. Lombardy issued 23% of the new permits, with significant increases in several regions. Over four million non-EU citizens currently hold valid residence permits in Italy, with more than 178,000 becoming Italian citizens in 2025. The rise in family permits is attributed to applications submitted…