Shocking Changes to Italian Citizenship by Descent

[NoSpin]

I just received this email from Kathy McCabe of Dream of Italy fame. Here is her full text -

I wanted to share the news as soon as I heard. The Italian government has made some shocking, but perhaps not totally unexpected, changes to its citizenship laws, which will especially affect those of Italian descent seeking citizenship jure sanguinis. In the most simplistic terms, until today, by law descendants who can prove they had an Italian* ancestor alive after March 17, 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was created, could seek Italian citizenship jure sanguinis, by blood and receive an Italian passport, allowing them to live and work in the European Union. * "Italian" as defined by blood, not geography. Today, the Italian government announced that as of midnight, only those with a parent or grandparent born in Italy will qualify for citizenship by descent. It is unclear what will happen to those cases that are currently filed with a consulate or court. I have heard conflicting information on whether they are grandfathered in. You should consult your attorney. It looks like all paperwork for such citizenship cases will now go directly through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not through the consulates. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the move comes as the government felt that many were taking advantage of the broad definition of who would qualify. "We are striking down very hard against those who want to make money from the opportunity of becoming an Italian citizen," he said. Attorney Nick Metta has some details on his website and notes, "The Italian Parliament will have to review the law decree and rule on it within 60 days. However, the law decree will be valid and enforceable until approved or rejected by the Parliament." I have heard from a contact that there's little hope that Parliament will reject the decree. The rumors had been that the decree would allow for three generations (not the two that it is limited to as of today). The only hope for so many who are tracing back to great-grandparents is that there's a small hope Parliament could amend the decree to three generations. There are other ways, of course to live and work in Italy and Dream of Italy Members have online access to our two recent workshops on "How to Get a Digital Nomad Visa" and "How to Move to Italy," where we discuss other visa options. We’ll continue to monitor this developing situation and share updates as they become available. In the meantime, if you’re considering citizenship or a move to Italy, now is the time to explore your options and be proactive. Dream of Italy is here to help guide you.