New on TikTok: Episode Title: Converting Seasonal Work Permits: Why Expired Permits Cannot Block Foreign Workers Podcast – English Version Good morning and welcome to a new episode of Immigration Law. Today we focus on a crucial issue that continues to generate administrative errors and unnecessary litigation: the conversion of a seasonal work permit into a permit for subordinate employment, and in particular whether the expiration of the seasonal permit can render the conversion request inadmissible. The starting point is a decision of the Regional Administrative Tribunal for Liguria, published on July seventh, two thousand twenty-five. The case is straightforward: a foreign worker holding a seasonal permit submits a conversion request after the permit has expired. The Prefecture rejects the request, arguing that conversion is possible only if the seasonal permit is still valid. The rejection is issued once without considering the worker’s written observations, then repeated—almost mechanically—with the same reasoning: the validity of the permit would be an essential prerequisite. The Tribunal completely dismantles this position, expressly recalling established case-law. The judgment states that “there is no legislative provision from which it is possible to infer that, for the purposes of converting the residence permit, the presentation of a valid residence permit is required” . This is a decisive passage, because it clarifies an administrative practice that has no legal basis. The Italian Immigration Act does not require the seasonal permit to be valid at the time of conversion. The provision on seasonal permits does not require it. Secondary legislation does not require it. No ministerial circular requires it. When no legal provision imposes such a condition, introducing it administratively results in an unlawful restriction that directly affects the worker’s employment path. The case in Genoa shows the concrete impact of these distortions. Even after two interim orders from the Tribunal, the Prefecture remained inactive and refused to reassess the application without relying on the expiration of the permit. But the Tribunal is clear: when the administration re-examines the case, it must evaluate the merits of the conversion request, verify whether the substantive requirements for subordinate employment are met, and allow the worker to participate in the procedure. The court also notes that the Prefecture failed to examine the worker’s procedural observations, dismissing them as “not acceptable” without any meaningful reasoning. This procedural defect compounds the misunderstanding of the applicable legal framework. Ultimately, however, the key point is simple and must be stated clearly, because it is often misunderstood: the expiration of the seasonal permit does not— and cannot—block the conversion procedure. The purpose of conversion is to ensure continuity in lawful employment and allow seasonal workers to stabilise ongoing employment relationships. Tying conversion to a formal requirement that the law does not impose would produce unreasonable consequences, penalising both the worker and the employer who has already planned the hire. The decision of the Regional Administrative Tribunal for Liguria therefore provides essential guidance: the administration must evaluate conversion applications on their merits, without relying on the expiration of the seasonal permit. If there is a valid job offer and the other requirements are met, the conversion request must be duly examined—even if the seasonal permit has already expired. This message matters for everyone. For workers, because it reaffirms that their paths toward integration through work cannot be interrupted on the basis of a non-existent requirement. For Prefectures, because it requires alignment with the legal framework and with consistent national case-law. For legal practitioners, because it confirms an interpretative line that has become stable across jurisdictions

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