Being the son of Italian parents, my wife and I started considering Italian Citizenship in 2014 but never pursued it. Then one day, our son expressed an interest and approached us to reconsider it and we did. At that point, we started to investigate the options in making it happen and did some in-depth research. We finally decided to look at several solutions and Italian Citizenship Assistance (ICA) based out of Rovigo, Italy, (with offices in LA and NYC) was one of them. So, I started watching several ICA’s Podcasts hosted by Marco Permunian, lawyer and ICA Principal, and Rafael Di Furia on YouTube and considering other possible providers’ online reviews. I was so impressed with ICA’s breadth of market penetration and the wealth of knowledge presented in the many videos they have available that the selection of my ‘citizenship partner’ started getting a lot easier. I then considered the depth of their practice and staff and the information they provided about all aspects of the process and activities. Lastly, with their confidence, faith, and conviction of being successful in my situation, it became a no-brainer ICA was to be our go-to firm. They won us over gaining our respect and business and we never second guessed our decision!
The first step in the process with ICA is their free consulting to determine if and how you can achieve Italian Citizenship. Although my father was born in Italy, I quickly found that path was no longer available because of his U.S. naturalization. Therefore, the only consideration I had was the ‘1948 Case’ on my maternal side and that’s where all the fun began! ICA made it very clear at the outset of the effort in pursuing citizenship via the mother’s side and they were up for the challenge. Since they have several solution levels available, I had to decide how to move forward and I chose Full Executive, which is a full-service turn-key program. My original contact was Anna Tasinato, Intake and Client Relations Representative, who was so pleasant and a pleasure to work with, and who introduced me to the process and program. Once we got through the preliminary steps, I was then introduced to my primary contact Jelena Mandičić, Italian Citizenship Specialist. Jelena was an excellent project manager and extraordinary communicator. Being a MA Graduate in Foreign Languages and Translation and an English Teacher was the first of many precious characteristics she brought to the table. Jelena understands and communicates better than many Americans! She worked closely with me throughout the process holding my hand all the way. She talked to me via email continuously and answered my questions within 24 hours. You can tell by her enthusiasm, interest, and dedication, she truly enjoys assisting her clients in pursuing and achieving their Italian Citizenship dreams.
Once we started down the path to citizenship in mid-2020, we ran into our first snag due to the health emergency. Between our two countries, there were more hurdles than you’d find in an obstacle course. Although it caused some delays, the ICA team didn’t let it stop the process and kept moving forward. I found that I needed to be a bit more patient but ICA didn’t let it deter them from getting things done and expediting wherever they could with Jelena leading the way. It is now two and a half years later and I just received the call I’ve been waiting for from Jelena informing me and six members of my family have successfully won the 1948 Case with the Judge ruling in our favor of approving our citizenship. It only took one review by the Judge with no exceptions or concerns and we’ve achieved success! The results speak for the effort and diligence applied by Jelena and the team.
I can’t give enough praise to Marco and his team for all their work, dedication, and timely success in achieving our family goal. They did everything beginning to end. including extensive research along with obtaining, preparing, certifying, and submitting all the documents from Italy and the United States through the appropriate channels. The application went relatively quickly and smoothly and it was approved without a hitch. ICA is an amazing professional organization and I appreciate all their work and dedication in achieving success for my family. They are amazing and I’m in awe and extremely appreciative of their efforts. Lastly, it goes without saying that Jelena is key to our success. She is very personable and a joy to work with, she has been extremely sensitive to my needs throughout the process, thoroughly knowledgeable and competent in her work, and a pleasure to have as my partner. From the outset, she has been professional, cordial, and courteous even during my hastiness and it’s been a heartwarming experience throughout. Finally, I couldn’t have made a better choice! I’m grateful for everyone’s efforts and am thankful to have developed some new friendships.
Written by Joe P.
