During the COVID-19 pandemic period, the Italian government passed a law permitting the regularisation of migrants who have worked for several years in the agricultural and domestic care sectors.

More than two years later, 19 069 out of a total of 25 900 applications were still pending, prompting several associations (Asgi, Cild, Oxfam, Spazi Circolari, Naga e Spazi Circolari) and many migrants themselves to appeal - via class action - to the Court of Milan to rule on the damage caused by the delays.

On 4 December 2023 the Milan Regional Administrative Court sanctioned the government for the delays in the regularisation procedures and ruled that local administrations must make a decision on applications within 3 months. The court stated that the systematic delay in examining and processing regularisation applications could not be justified on the grounds of a lack of resources. In fact, the 2020 law itself explicitly provided for an adequate allocation of resources.

A similar action was also brought against the Prefecture of Rome, and a hearing at the Council of State is scheduled for 7 March 2024.