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The first step that a person could take towards permanent residence in any country, even in Italy, is to get employment there. To be able to do this quite successfully, you must possess the necessary set of specialized skills, propriety knowledge or executive/managerial level of skills that are scarce in the domestic labor market of your chosen destination.

In Italy, you can get a work permit while staying in the country as a visitor only if you have found an Italian employer, who will request a work permit and police approval on your behalf. Once the employer's application is approved, you should get your work visa from an Italian consulate. There are two major categories of work permits in Italy and these are the ordinary visa D – subordinate work and the visa for autonomous work – self-employment. The former is given to transferees from their own company to that of an Italian affiliate, while the latter is granted to those who are in collaboration with a company in Italy. The first visa can be given within or outside the Quota system while the second one should be granted within.

As a foreign national, you should apply for your work visa within 120 days starting from the first day of the issuance of your work permit. If you have not applied for a visa within this period, then the validity of your work permit is nullified. The validity of work permits are usually up to an initial 2 years period with one 2 year and 1 one year extensions, if necessary. This totals to a five-year maximum period of validity.