Over the past three decades, Italy has undergone a major transformation, shifting from an emigrant nation (there are currently four million Italians still living abroad) to an immigrant destination. From 1970 until today, the foreign citizens with regular residence permits in Italy have increased tenfold, and the rhythm of growth seems to be unstoppable. In 2003, following the last act of regularisation, almost 700,000 non-EU workers were legalised . This figure, when added to the one and a half million aliens who were already living on the Italian peninsula, increases the total foreign population to two and a half million people, including minors.

These substantial figures outline a complex situation, characterized by immigrant flows from more than 191 countries, especially Central Eastern Europe (Rumania, Albania and the Ukraine), Northern Africa (Morocco), the Far East (China) and the Indian subcontinent (Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka). This historically important phenomenon requires in-depth analysis and more effective intervention policies in order to find concrete solutions to help immigrants settling in our country, with its aging population and its labour market in need of additional workers.