Ansa’s Turin bureau on 10 March 2026 reported the plight of an Iranian engineer, his wife and their four-year-old son who have waited more than a year for a family-reunion residence permit. The couple entered Italy legally but their applications remain marked “in lavorazione” in the police database, preventing the wife from working, opening a bank account or travelling. The story illustrates a nationwide backlog that lawyers attribute to staffing cuts at questure immigration desks and to the October 2025 software migration that digitised biometric data. Local NGOs estimate 28,000 files are currently pending beyond the statutory 60-day limit; affected applicants risk losing job offers and may be unable to renew rental contracts without a valid permesso. The Iranian family’s situation is compounded by the temporary closure of Italy’s visa section in Tehran, making it impossible to travel home even for emergencies. Business-immigration specialists warn that similar delays could jeopardise employee-dependent permits, urging companies to file renewal requests at least six months before expiry and to keep hard-copy proofs of submission when travelling within Schengen. The Interior Ministry told Ansa it is hiring 350 additional clerks and pledges to clear the backlog by July, but advocacy groups remain sceptical, citing two previous missed deadlines.
Source: ANSA Piemonte
