HAS THE GLOBAL SITUATION AFFECTED APPLICATIONS FOR ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP?
In the past few months many have asked about the extent to which the current global situation has had an impact on applications for Italian citizenship. While there is certainly a correlation between the global emergency and the unprecedented surge of citizenship requests, it must also be said that there are a number of aspects about the process of applying for citizenship per se that have also been affected by the current emergency in different ways. Therefore, it will be the aim of this article to analyze the impact of the pandemic on Italian citizenship services specifically, and the changes that it has brought.
Firstly, as mentioned above, applications for citizenship by descent have increased considerably since the outbreak of the pandemic, and more and more people are interested in acquiring Italian citizenship and taking advantage of the benefits. People seem to have had more time to learn about dual citizenship and look into the advantages of actually applying. It is also true that the social and economic challenges arising from the health emergency might have acted as a catalyst for Italian citizenship applications in that more and more people felt the desire not only to reconnect with their Italian heritage but also to open the door towards the possibility of living in another country without any restrictions. But what other effects has the health emergency had aside from the increase in citizenship applications?
OUR SERVICES
It is worth pointing out that Italian Citizenship Assistance did not experience a slowdown caused by the health emergency, on the contrary, as explained above, our company has witnessed an unprecedented surge of citizenship applications even having to increase its team of qualified professionals. During the first few months of the pandemic our employees worked full-time remotely in order to help clients throughout their application process. Although some Vital Records offices, Counties and Secretary of State offices closed for a period of time, they soon reopened and were able to process our requests to retrieve vital records and other important documents needed for dual citizenship purposes. In this sense, we at ICA continue to work tirelessly and with no interruptions, and we strive to provide our clients with the best services.
ITALIAN CONSULATES IN THE US AND AROUND THE WORLD
As for Italian consulates abroad, and specifically in the U.S., although a few remained closed during the first two/three months of the pandemic, they have reopened and they are now working with a few restrictions (e.g. online appointments have replaced in-person meetings for some services, application forms are mailed in and no longer delivered in person etc). However, it is still possible to book appointments for most services and of course submit citizenship applications. Interestingly, the pandemic has introduced new ways of processing requests; many consulates, for instance, have started to process citizenship applications via mail. On the other hand, others have replaced in-person appointments with short interviews conducted over the phone, and require applicants to submit their application electronically first and then mail their citizenship kits to the consulates after their online submission has been assessed.
WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN ITALY?
Italian municipalities have always been open with limited on-site staff and some staff members working from home, therefore it is still possible to retrieve vital records from Italy and this can be done via mail. Courts are also open and so our lawyers are still able to file petitions for citizenship via judicial proceedings, which have become easier to file thanks to new online ways of submitting documents. Similarly, our sworn translators are able to certify translations in court without any restrictions. Certified translations might be required by some consulates in the U.S. but especially by consulates outside the U.S., as well as by judges in Italy for citizenship applications that need to be filed via a lawsuit. As for applying for citizenship to a municipality in Italy, it is worth clarifying that while some international travel restrictions may apply, Italian municipalities are operating normally and are accepting citizenship applications for those people who reside in Italy. The situation is constantly evolving therefore we suggest consulting the website of the Italian Ministry of Health by clicking here to keep up to date with the most recent rules and regulations regarding traveling from and to Italy.
It is worth clarifying that if you started your application process prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, although some offices might have experienced an initial backlog of requests due to the health emergency, this will not affect your application significantly because consulates were able to catch up on their backlog rapidly.
Therefore, in conclusion, it is fair to say that the current global situation has changed our lives drastically but for many it has also opened a new window of opportunity, one that is allowing many Americans with Italian descent to rediscover their roots and family history. We at Italian Citizenship Assistance will continue to work diligently to make sure that our client’s citizenship applications run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
If you need further information about our services or you would like help with determining whether you qualify for Italian citizenship by descent do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. We will be happy to help you.
