martedì 3 febbraio 2026

New on TikTok: Leaving Italy and Residence Permit Refusal Welcome to Diritto dell’Immigrazione. I’m attorney Fabio Loscerbo. Leaving Italy while a residence permit procedure is pending is never a neutral choice. Italian administrative courts confirm that a prolonged absence, or a failure to return regularly, may lawfully lead to the refusal of the permit. In immigration law, presence matters.

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Criminal Records Are Not Enough: Bologna Administrative Court Strikes Down Automatic Residence Permit Refusal

 Criminal Records Are Not Enough: Bologna Administrative Court Strikes Down Automatic Residence Permit Refusal

A recent decision by the Administrative Court of Emilia-Romagna, based in Bologna, has once again drawn a clear line between lawful discretion and unlawful automatism in Italian immigration law. At the center of the ruling is a practice still widely used by immigration authorities: refusing or not renewing a residence permit solely on the basis of a foreign national’s criminal record.

The Court’s message is straightforward. Criminal convictions, taken alone, cannot justify the refusal of a residence permit. Public authorities are required to assess each case individually, taking into account the person’s current situation, rather than relying on past conduct as an automatic barrier.

This principle is rooted in Italian law, specifically Article 5, paragraph 5, of the Consolidated Immigration Act. That provision obliges the administration to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of the foreign national’s circumstances, balancing negative elements—such as criminal convictions—with positive factors including family life, employment history, social integration, and the time elapsed since the offences were committed.

In the case examined by the Bologna Administrative Court, the refusal decision was found to be unlawfully reasoned. The authority had merely listed the applicant’s criminal record, without explaining why those convictions still indicated a present and actual threat to public order. There was no real assessment of the individual’s personal development, reintegration into society, or private and family life. As a result, the Court annulled the refusal and sent the case back to the administration for a new and lawful examination.

From a broader perspective, the ruling confirms a trend that is increasingly evident in administrative case law. Immigration authorities do have discretion, but that discretion is not unlimited. When decisions affect fundamental aspects of a person’s life—such as the right to reside legally, work, and maintain family ties—administrative power must be exercised with care, proportionality, and proper reasoning.

The Bologna decision also carries an important practical message. Criminal records are a factor in the assessment, not the conclusion itself. Authorities must demonstrate, through a reasoned analysis, why those records remain relevant today and why they outweigh all other elements in the individual’s favor. Without such an analysis, the refusal of a residence permit cannot stand.

The full publication, including the court decision and legal analysis, is available on Calaméo at the following link:
https://www.calameo.com/books/008079775f4e8338cb9e5
https://www.calameo.com/books/008079775f4e8338cb9e5

Ultimately, this ruling reinforces a key principle of immigration law: there are no shortcuts. Automatic decisions based on past convictions are incompatible with a legal system that requires individualized assessments and respect for proportionality. For both practitioners and foreign nationals, the message is clear—each case must be judged on its own merits.

Avv. Fabio Loscerbo

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New on TikTok: Residence permit denied by the Police but granted by the Court: a job and real integration are enough for special protection Welcome to a new episode of the podcast Immigration Law. My name is lawyer Fabio Loscerbo, and today we address a very practical issue: what happens when the Police deny a residence permit, but the Court overturns that decision. We are talking about a judgment of the Court of Bologna, case number 591 of 2025, concerning the recognition of special protection . The Police had denied the permit, arguing that the applicant had not demonstrated sufficient integration. This is a very common reasoning in practice: authorities often expect an almost “perfect” level of integration, as if a foreign national had to prove complete and definitive social inclusion. The Court takes a different approach, one that is more consistent with the law and recent case law. It clearly states that full integration is not required. What matters is a serious and concrete path of integration, even if it is still ongoing. In this case, the applicant had a stable job, an income, had attended language courses, and had been living in Italy for several years. All these elements, taken together, show real social integration. At this point, a key legal principle comes into play: the right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This concept does not only concern family ties, but also includes social relationships, work, and the life a person builds over time. The Court states that removing a person in such circumstances would mean uprooting them and seriously affecting their fundamental rights. It also adds an important point: if there are no concerns related to public safety or public order, the State’s interest in expulsion becomes weak. The outcome is clear: the Court recognizes the right to a residence permit for special protection, valid for two years, renewable and convertible into a work permit . The message of this decision is straightforward: if a person works, integrates, and builds a life in Italy, this reality cannot be ignored. And this is exactly where the future of immigration law will increasingly be decided. Thank you for listening, and see you soon for a new episode of Immigration Law.

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