A report by the CGIL labor union has identified a significant surge in forged job offers within Italy's 2026 'Decreto Flussi' work-visa quota system www.visahq.com. Third-country nationals have reportedly been scammed into paying for non-existent employment contracts, a situation exacerbated by a high volume of applications that overwhelmed government vetting processes. This systemic failure has allowed fraudulent entities to exploit the quota, leaving many legal applicants without the documentation required to maintain their status and pushing them into irregularitywww.cgil.it.

The consequences for affected migrants are severe, as the lack of valid contracts often results in irregular status, potential expulsion, or long-term bans on entering the Schengen Area. In response to the findings, the Italian Interior Ministry is establishing a specialized task force to investigate these scams and improve the integrity of the visa system. Meanwhile, labor activists and union representatives are calling for an amnesty program to protect workers who were victimized by these fraudulent schemes and to prevent further exploitation.