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Migrants shun Italy as crisis dampens its allure

Italy is becoming “less attractive” to foreigners, an expert has told The Local, as new figures show the number of non-Europeans taking up residency is declining.

Published: 5 August 2014 17:03 CEST

Migrants shun Italy as crisis dampens its allure

Italy is no longer such a popular place to move to. Departure lounge:Shutterstock

Some 256,000 applications for residency were approved in 2013, national statistics agency Istat said on Tuesday – a fall of 3.2 percent on 2012.

The new figures continue an ongoing trend ongoing in recent years, with fewer non-EU citizens taking up residency in Italy, Istat researcher Cinzia Conti told The Local.

“The numbers are going down, partly because of the financial crisis and the jobs market,” she said. “It’s been a trend for at least three years, which was stronger before but continues to go down.”

In 2011 there was a dramatic fall-off in the number of new residency permits. A total of 361,690 permits were issued, nearly 40 percent fewer than in 2010. Since then the number of permits issued has continued to fall, albeit at a slower rate.

“There are fewer people; perhaps Italy is less attractive,” Conti said.

While the number of residency permits for study and family reasons fell last year, by 12 percent and ten percent, the number of work permits jumped by 19.3 percent in 2013. This anomaly can however be put down to the “regularization of workers” in Italy, Conti said.

Overall last year there were also 16.5 percent fewer residency permits issued for asylum or humanitarian reasons, the Istat figures show.

In 2013 the biggest group of non-EU newcomers to Italy hailed from Morocco, with 25,484 arrivals. In second place came 20,040 from China, followed by Albanians (16,202).

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How foreigners can get ‘fast track’ citizenship in Italy

Italy is far more lenient than many other countries when it comes to allowing people to claim citizenship via ancestry.

In fact, anyone who can prove that they had an Italian ancestor who was alive after March 17th 1861 (when the Kingdom of Italy was born) and that no one in their line of descent renounced Italian citizenship before the birth of their descendant has the right to become an Italian citizen.

But that doesn’t mean getting Italian citizenship by descent is easy, and the application process is known for involving lots of paperwork and being excruciatingly lengthy.

From the moment applicants file their claim with their country’s Italian consulate, it usually takes between two to three years to get a ruling from the Italian authorities, with waiting times often being even longer in countries where the number of applications is high (Brazil, Argentina, USA).

There is an alternative route: Italy has a ‘fast track’ citizenship application option which can reduce adjudication times to around a year on average.

But this quicker avenue requires moving to Italy, becoming a legal resident, and filing the citizenship request directly with the local town hall.

This means applicants must be physically and legally resident in Italy for the entire duration of the citizenship application process, and their presence in Italy must be continuous during that time.

This is subject to checks by Italian law enforcement and breaking the rules can void your application.

If moving to Italy (and staying here) would be an option for you, here’s a closer look at the requirements:

Step 1 – Sorting out the documents

Foreign nationals opting for the quicker citizenship route can only submit their application after they’ve relocated to Italy. But, most, if not all of the documents required by Italian authorities should be prepared well before moving to Italy.

“Prospective applicants are strongly advised to come to Italy with all of the relevant documentation already arranged in the best possible way,” says Giuditta De Ricco, attorney-at-law at immigration law firm Mazzeschi Srl.

That’s because “any inconsistencies in the documentation can further complicate and lengthen the process”, she says.

But what documents do foreign nationals need to claim Italian citizenship? Here’s an overview:

Birth and (where applicable) death certificates for all the Italian ancestors in their direct line of descent plus their own birth certificate.
Marriage certificates for all the Italian ancestors in their direct line of descent, including that of their parents.
A certificate issued by their home country’s relevant authorities proving that the first ancestor in their line of descent did not acquire foreign citizenship before the birth of their descendant.
A certificate issued by their country’s Italian consulate proving that no ancestor in their direct line of descent nor they ever renounced Italian citizenship.

Prospective applicants should get all of the necessary documents in order prior to leaving for Italy. Photo by Gabrielle HENDERSON via Unsplash

It bears noting that all of the documents issued by foreign authorities will have to be legally validated by the issuing country’s Italian consulate.

Also, all documents available in a language other than Italian will have to be translated and their translation will too have to be legally validated (this is known as ‘asseverazione’).

Once again, De Ricco recommends that all translation and validation procedures be carried out before leaving for Italy.

Step 2 – Relocating to Italy

Being permanently resident in Italy is a binding requirement of the quicker citizenship avenue.

“Applicants are allowed to go on short holidays abroad if they wish to” but, outside of those, their presence in Italy “must be continuous”, says De Ricco.

Taking up residency in Italy is relatively straightforward for EU-passport holders as they don’t need a visa to enter the country nor do they need a permesso di soggiorno (residency permit).

Essentially, all EU nationals are required to do at this stage is to physically relocate to Italy and become legally resident by registering with the Ufficio Anagrafe (Registry Office).

Things aren’t quite as easy for non-EU nationals as they need a valid entry visa and a residency permit.

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There are different types of visas and permits available to non-EU nationals, but the easiest route if you’re moving for citizenship purposes is the permesso di soggiorno in attesa di cittadinanza (residency permit pending the acquisition of citizenship), which allows foreign nationals to legally live in the country for the entire length of their claim.

Prospective applicants can enter the country on a dichiarazione di presenza (declaration of presence) – this is filed with border police for non-Schengen arrivals and at the local Questura (police station) within eight days of entry for others – use the above dichiarazione to register with the Anagrafe and then submit their citizenship application at the town hall.

Starting the citizenship application process will ultimately give foreign nationals the right to apply for the residency permit, which they’ll have to request by filling out and posting the relevant form along with all the necessary documents to the local Questura.

Remember: a dichiarazione di presenza allows non-EU nationals to legally remain in Italy for a maximum of 90 days, so you’ll have to send in your permesso di soggiorno application before your 90-day window expires.

It’s also worth noting that holders of residency permits for citizenship purposes are not allowed to carry out any type of work in the country. However, such permits can be converted into residency permits for work purposes if needed.

Step 3 – Booking an appointment with the town hall

Once you’ve registered with the Anagrafe and prepared all of the relevant documents, you’ll need to book an appointment at the Ufficio di Stato Civile (Civil Registry) at your local town hall and submit the application to become an Italian citizen.

Foreign nationals must be legally and physically resident in Italy in order to apply for citizenship at their local town hall. Photo by Alex VASEY via Unsplash

You’ll find your registry’s contact details on the town hall’s website.

Step 4 – Outcome

Barring any inconsistencies regarding the submitted documentation, Italian authorities have 180 days to rule on the issue of Italian citizenship.

However, town halls are required to exchange information with foreign consulates during the application process and the latter’s response times don’t count towards the 180-day window.

That’s part of the reason why “waiting times vary greatly from case to case”, says De Ricco. “Some consulates get back after three weeks, while others might take seven months to do it.”

So, ultimately, the luckier applicants might become Italian citizens within as little as six months, whereas others might have to wait a year or a year and a half.

If the request is successful, the applicant will receive Italian citizenship and so will any children of theirs under the age of 18. Children aged over 18 will have to file their own application.

From the moment they’re awarded Italian citizenship, new citizens have six months to take an oath of allegiance to the Italian Republic. If they don’t, their citizenship will be automatically revoked.

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