For a long time, Michael did not think pursuing Italian citizenship was even possible, in his own words:
“For years, my immediate family and relatives were of the belief that we were not eligible to apply for Italian citizenship through family descent. Not satisfied with this outcome, I began to do my own research and came across the website and Facebook page for ICA. Finally, I felt that there was some hope and I had found the right people to help. After some brief conversations and exchange of emails with the friendly ICA staff, I was made aware that I, my father and my children were all eligible to petition the Italian Court for Italian citizenship through decent of my grandmother.”
Michael’s tenacity proved invaluable, and it was through his contact with ICA that he learned he and his family were able to claim citizenship by descent through the “1948 rule”. A 1948 case applies to those who are able to apply for Italian citizenship through a female ancestor who gave birth to her child prior to January 1, 1948, the date when the Constitution of Italy came into effect. Before this, women were not allowed to pass on citizenship to their children.
Michael, upon discovering that he had a female ancestor who meets the 1948 rule, was able, with his family, to claim citizenship retroactively, by filing a case in the local court, in the municipality where the female ancestor was born.
Following this positive news, Michael submitted applications with his father and four children, and he was pleased with the honest and meticulous approach of ICA, commenting: “whilst no guarantees were given, I was confident at all times that ICA would prepare all documentation, retrieve all records and follow all procedure to obtain a favorable outcome.”
Michael and his family’s journey to claiming their Italian citizenship has not been without setbacks and difficulties. There were delays because of the pandemic, as well as various obstacles caused by bureaucratic difficulties, such as a lack of communication by the local comune responsible for registering the family’s records, which resulted in a delay of up to 8 months.
There was also a personal loss, Michael’s father sadly passed away during the course of the process, before he was able to receive his Italian-registered vital records.
These events undoubtedly had an impact on the family, but their perseverance and unwavering efforts were finally rewarded in November 2023 when Michael and his children received their passports at the Italian Consulate in Sydney, almost one after being issued the certificate of no appeal from the court. As Michael declared: “we were all thrilled to have recently received our Italian passports!”
Throughout the entire experience, Michael has valued and appreciated the expertise and reliability of the ICA team: “Everything that ICA advised proved to be correct… I have dealt with several staff at ICA, Lisa Benetti, Marco Permunian, Ilaria Lunghi, Ines Cossalter and Chiara Quaglia, all of whom have been incredibly professional to deal with. Every email was responded to promptly and thoroughly. Despite being on the other side of the world, I could not have hoped for the communication to be handled any better. I strongly recommend ICA to all friends and family.”
The commitment and drive Michael and his family have shown is testament to their desire to realize their dream of having their Italian birthright recognized. And we are as delighted as they are that they can now fully enjoy their Italian citizenship.
Michael R. has agreed to serve as a subject of this success story and has granted ICA the right to use his name and image.
