The visa is issued by the Italian embassy or by the Italian consular offices of the country of residence of the foreign citizen; the residence permit (Article 5 of the Consolidated Immigration Law) is issued in Italy by the competent police headquarters according to the province in which the foreigner is located.
The residence permit must be requested within eight working days (excluding Sundays and holidays). Foreign citizens over the age of 16 who enter Italy for the first time sign the integration agreement with the State while applying for a residence permit.
Types of visas:
Visa for study/training reasons: it has the same validity as the course you intend to follow in Italy.
Visa for family reunification: it is valid for one year from its issue; it is issued to family members to be reunited following the issue of an authorization for the reunification requested.
Visa for subordinate work reasons (indefinite, fixed-term, seasonal): it is obtained only after a ‘nulla osta’ for work by the one-stop-shop for immigration (Sui).
To establish a subordinate employment relationship with a non-EU citizen residing abroad, the employer – Italian or foreigner legally residing in Italy – must submit a nominative request for work authorization to the Sui competent for the province where work activity will take place.
Visa for self-employment reasons: it may be required to carry out non-occasional self-employment activities of an industrial, professional, craft or commercial nature in Italy; to set up a corporation or partnership; to access corporate offices. To obtain it, Italian citizens must possess the professional and moral requisites required by the law of the State for the exercise of the same type of activity.
The duration of the residence permit is that foreseen by the entry visa and cannot, in any case, exceed:
a) three months for visits, business and tourism;
b) nine months for seasonal work;
c) one year for the attendance of a certified study or professional training course; annual renewal is foreseen for multi-year courses;
d) two years for self-employment, permanent subordinate work and family reunification;
e) duration linked to specifically documented needs and in the others provided for by the Consolidated Immigration Law.
The residence permit renewal must be requested from the police headquarters responsible for the province of residence at least 60 days before the expiry date to verify the conditions envisaged—conversion of the residence permit.
To convert the type of residence permit you already have, you need to ask for the nulla osta at the one-stop-shop for immigration of the prefecture responsible for the territory of residence of the foreigner and then ask for the conversion to the police headquarters. A condition for the conversion is that the flow decree provides entry quotas and that the residence permit is valid.
For study/training reasons, the residence permit can be converted into a residence permit for subordinate or self-employed work if the requisites envisaged for this type are met.
The residence permit for seasonal work can be converted into a residence permit for subordinate work for an indefinite period or with a contract of at least one year when:
the foreigner has entered Italy for seasonal work for the second consecutive year and has a valid residence permit;
the foreigner has entered Italy for seasonal work and, at the end of the first period of seasonal work granted, has a valid residence permit…