Find work no one in the local labor market qualifies for. You will need to find a job opening that cannot be filled by someone from the local labor market. Employers in Italy are required to fill jobs with people from the local labor market. Only when they cannot find someone local are they able to hire people that will need a work visa. You can find jobs on job boards or classifieds like Wanted in Rome (see Resources).
Line up a job offer. Once you have found a job that no one in the local labor market qualifies for, you should apply for the job. You will need to get a job offer or an employment contract to be able to work towards getting a work visa for Italy.
Get preliminary clearance with the provincial employment office. Once you get a job offer or an employment contract, the employer has to get you preliminary clearance with the provincial employment office. This means that the employer has to prove that there is no one in the local labor market that is qualified for the employment position that you have been offered.
Get a work permit. Once you get cleared by the provincial employment office, you have to get a work permit. The same employer will have to make the application on your behalf with the proper central and regional authorities. The work permit will be mailed to you from Italy.
Apply for your entry visa. Once you get your work permit in the mail you can apply for your visa to work in Italy. You will need to take your work permit to an Italian consulate office. You will find these offices in most major cities. You can find a directory of offices in the U.S. on the Expats in Italy website (see Resources). When you present your work permit to someone at the Italian consulate, you will be given the paperwork for your entry visa, which will be your work visa. Be sure to also have with you a valid passport, a passport-sized photo of yourself and payment for the application fee. (2009 fee: € 75.) If you have all of those things, you will be able to get your work visa for Italy from the Italian consulate.
