The aim of this chapter is to outline the evolution of migration policy in Italy, highlighting the recurrent emergency approach and the increasing importance of admission policies and the issue of control. The chapter follows the consolidated distinction between immigration policy (management of borders, regulation of entry, including asylum seekers, irregular migration) and integration policy (measures aimed at integrating new residents into the host society). Immigration in Italy has been largely ungoverned and, where it has been governed, has been interpreted alternatively as a threat or as a humanitarian issue despite the fact that 2.4 million immigrants are regularly employed and make a significant contribution to the Italian economic system. The chapter highlights the contradictions of Italian immigration policy against the backdrop of European Union policy and politics on the issue.