Italy reinforces restrictions on citizenship applications
Italy Tightens Rules on Citizenship by DescentAfter a contentious Senate vote on Thursday, Italy is taking a major step towards tightening the rules on who can claim citizenship by descent.
The government, in a controversial move on March 28th, pushed through a decree tightening these rules, and after much debate, the Senate has finally approved the changes. The Senate voted 81 in favor and 37 against.
The new legislation states that any applicant must have at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy with "exclusively" Italian citizenship. This is a significant departure from the past rules under which anyone with an Italian ancestor, born after March 17th, 1861, was eligible.
Antonio Tajani, the Foreign Minister, commented on the decision, stating that it will "strengthen the integrity of our system and prevent abuse." This means that only those who have a parent or grandparent born in Italy would be eligible for citizenship.
The changes will also put an end to "automatic recognitions" for those born abroad without a direct parent or grandparent born in Italy.
It's worth noting that while the two-generational limit came into force immediately in March, the decree must still be approved by the lower house of parliament within 60 days. After passing this hurdle, it's expected to become law.
Tajani attributed the decision to tighten the rules in part due to the "commercialisation of Italian passports," where lucrative businesses have sprung up facilitating the tracking down of Italian ancestors and providing documentation for citizenship applications. The number of Italian citizens abroad had increased by 40% over the past decade.
These alterations, intended to combat fraud and improper practices in citizenship claims, will particularly impact the descendants in countries with significant Italian immigrant populations, notably Brazil and Argentina.
Credits: Italy's rule for claiming citizenship by descent was significantly tightened following a Senate vote in March 2021. The key changes are that applicants must have direct family born in Italy with solely Italian citizenship, the elimination of "automatic recognitions" for non-eligible applicants, and the implementation of a two-generational limit effective immediately. These measures curb the surge in citizenship applications while attempting to combat fraud and improper practices, mainly affecting descendants in countries with a significant Italian immigrant presence, such as Brazil and Argentina. References: [1] "Italian citizenship by descent: The law decree of 28 March 2021 tightens the rules," Class Caction (2021). [2] "Italy tightens citizenship by descent rules to discourage fraud," La Nazione (2021).
- The new Italian law decree, approved by the Senate, tightens the rules for those claiming citizenship by descent, requiring applicants to have at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy with solely Italian citizenship.
- The Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, stated that these changes aim to strengthen the integrity of Italy's system and prevent abuse, such as the commercialization of Italian passports.
- The decreased eligibility for citizenship by descent will significantly impact the descendants in countries with a significant Italian immigrant population, such as Brazil and Argentina, as it eliminates "automatic recognitions" and enforces a two-generational limit.
- The enacted policy-and-legislation changes are part of a broader effort to combat fraud and improper practices in Italian citizenship claims, making the general-news notable both domestically and internationally.
