Know Italian?

On December 9, a government decree will go into effect making it mandatory for non-European Union citizens who want to live in Italy to take a language test before beginning the residency permit procedure. Appoved in June 2010, the law introduces a new points-based residency-permit system, requiring would-be residence seekers to take the test within 60 days of applying for a permit. Applicants must respond correctly to at least 80 percent of the questions. Some groups are exempt from the test, such as those with recognized certificates attesting to their knowledge of the Italian language, university researchers and top-level managers who have been hired to work in