A fact to place the measure taken by the Italian government in context. Only in 2024, the figure of new Italian citizens who registered through the consulates of Argentina and Brazil registered 30,000 and 20,000 cases respectively. The majority did it in the way that is being done for decades and that has allowed it to emigrate hundreds of thousands of people from South America to Europe: by the ancestry of blood. Italy just put the formula.
Restrict citizens. The European nation has decided to considerably cut citizens by ancestry (Jus Sanguinis), limiting it exclusively to those who have Italian parents or grandparentsthus eliminating the possibility that for decades allowed distant descendants, even fourth or fifth generation, obtaining it if they could try an Italian ancestor alive after 1861.
The decision, announced by the Giorgia Meloni government and Executed immediately Without prior notice, it seeks to stop the institutional collapse generated by the Application floodmostly from South America, where millions of people with Italian roots have tried to access a European passport. According to Antonio TajaniForeign Minister, the measure responds to “years of abuse”, since many applicants do not have real links with Italy and seek citizens only to facilitate international mobility.
Prove to be bilingual. Apparently, the measure also forces applicants to demonstrate Italian language mastery through an official exam, having resided at least Three years in Italyand undergo a centralized process with face -to -face interviews, eliminating traditional management through consulates. Plus: They must comply with obligations such as voting, paying taxes and renewing documents so as not to lose nationality.
In addition, the transmission of citizenship by marriage hardens, demanding two years of joint residence in Italy, while the application cost is has doubled at 600 euros. On the other hand, the Italians who reside outside and do not comply with these obligations run the risk of losing their citizenship, which even affects their descendants.
Saturated system, millionaire business. Of course, there is much more behind the measure. As The New York Times saidthe problem is not only numerical: in the last decade, the number of Italians residing abroad grew by 40%, from 4.6 million in 2014 to 6.4 million in 2024mainly for the granting of new citizenships. In 2024 and as we advanced, only in Argentina 30,000 citizenships were granted, and in Brazil, another 20,000.
No doubt, the avalanche has overflowed courts, civil records and consulates, where the Quotes at dawn To achieve a turn. In addition, a lucrative parallel business has been generated where companies and managers charge thousands of euros to applicants to track documents and submit requests, taking advantage of a law that, according to Tajani, “became an opportunity for simulated fraud and citizenship.”
The ethical (and political) dilemma. The measure has generated debate even within the Italian right itself. While nationalist sectors support to restrict access to prevent citizenship from being seen only as a means of obtaining a passport, others criticize that, while nationality is granted to distant descendants, children of immigrants continue to be denied born and raised in Italywho can only aspire to it when they turn 18 and under strict conditions.
Plus: Italy faces a problem that reproduces more and more nations. We talk about the serious demographic crisiswith low birth and population aging, but it has still chosen to restrict, instead of flexible, its citizenship policy.
Legal changes and hardening. The reform is not isolated. Since October 2024, the Ministry of Interior had already begun to Limit applications After a stricter interpretation of the Supreme Court in which he cut the chain of citizenship transmission if an ancestor had naturalized in another country while their children were minors, leaving thousands of applicants without options after years of investment and procedures.
The new decision has caused frustration among those who had been collecting documents for years and managing files, an anger that has been reflected In forums and social networks where testimonies abound about the great sums of money and time lost. They counted on CNN The case of many families traveling to Italy from South America to initiate the citizenship process and who are now without legal support after having sold properties and reorganized their lives following the previous regulations.
If you want also, the reform thus deepens the distance between Italy that protects its symbolic bond with emigrants from past generations and the one that still does not fully integrate those who are already part of their current society.
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