Italy has announced the issuance of 10,500 work visas to Pakistan’s skilled labor force as part of its efforts to promote legal migration. The announcement was made by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi during a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Mohsin Naqvi, in Rome on February 25, 2026.
Italy Visa-Free Entry for Pakistani Diplomats
During the discussions, Piantedosi also confirmed that Italian authorities would extend visa-free entry to Pakistani diplomatic passport holders, following a request from Naqvi. This move comes after Pakistan intensified its actions against illegal immigration networks, leading to a significant reduction in unlawful departures through enhanced monitoring at airports and maritime borders.
The Italian minister commended Pakistan’s recent measures and praised the performance of Pakistani institutions in combating human smuggling, drug trafficking, and irregular migration. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation in security, counter-narcotics, and law enforcement, agreeing to strengthen coordination against transnational criminal networks and broaden opportunities for legal migration.
In a related development, the Pakistani interior minister held a meeting with Greece’s Minister for Migration and Asylum, Athanasios Plevris. Both countries agreed to enhance cooperation against illegal immigration and human smuggling and decided to finalize a long-pending bilateral migration cooperation agreement. A Joint Working Group will be constituted to operationalize future cooperation frameworks.
These developments underscore a significant shift towards expanding legal migration pathways while curbing illegal routes. The agreements are expected to foster greater collaboration between Pakistan, Italy, and Greece, with upcoming meetings likely to focus on furthering these initiatives.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, February 26th, 2026
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