Article 11 of Law 133/2008 regulates the national plan for residential construction work, restricting the possibility to obtain access to council accommodation only to foreign citizens – on low earnings – 'who have been resident in this country for at least ten years or in the same region for at least five'.
The new financial manoeuvre amends the Immigration Act, Legislative Decree 286/1998, which, in article 40, stated that foreigners in possession of a residence permit valid for at least two years and with a regular employment contract, were entitled to gain access to council accommodation at the same conditions as Italian citizens.