Michael has always been drawn to Europe. After having worked as a photography assistant, he made his way to Paris in 1985 to begin introducing himself to magazines, get to know the industry, and establish himself as a photographer. Thanks to his friends, it wasn’t long until he found himself in Milan. “Paris was the…
When Kyle began doing research on how to get Italian citizenship by descent he came across one of ICA’s YouTube videos. Being a 1948 case, his application had to go through the courts, which can be trickier than applying via a municipality or a consulate. “ICA immediately stood out for the ease with which they…
Joe is a broadcast technical operator from Orange County, California. He first connected to his Italian heritage and considered acquiring Italian citizenship to honor his dad’s legacy. “My wife and I made a pilgrimage trip to Italy, and the first thing I wanted to do when I got off the plane was to touch the…
My grandparents were from Italy – my mother’s parents from Sicily and my father’s parents from Lake Como. I applied for citizenship at first to honor my mother, who spent quite a few years scouring Italian churches and courthouses searching for documentation to validate her right to Italian citizenship. She also went to Ellis Island to…
My great-grandfather emigrated from Italy to the United States in the early 1930s. I did a lot of research before starting the application process for Italian citizenship by descent so I knew that I had to inquire with USCIS to determine my eligibility. I had poured over census records and knew that my great-grandfather became…
I can’t quite remember when I found out I was eligible for Italian citizenship, but I do know I had been working on the process for many years before I contacted ICA. My cousin suggested I may be eligible as she had activated hers. It only took her a matter of months, as her side…
As an Italian American girl growing up in New Jersey during the sixties I always believed that I was just as much Italian as both sets of my grandparents who were born in Italy. In fact, my maternal grandparents raised me because both my parents worked. Like most of my neighbors in a small Italian…
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.…
My path to Italian citizenship began many years ago as a child playing on the floor in my grandmother’s kitchen, listening to my grandparents bicker in Italian while she cooked and he read the newspaper. I didn’t know what they were saying but I remember their voices, their mannerisms, and the wonderful aroma of tomato…
I have always felt very connected to my Italian roots since both sides of my family were all from Italy. When I learned about citizenship by descent many years ago, I set to work tracing my family roots. I knew that my maternal grandfather was born in Italy and my other three grandparents were born…
Nina and Andrea, who originally come from New Hampshire and Illinois respectively, began their friendship in Rovigo, where they chose to file their application for Italian citizenship by descent. Nina had long dreamt of travelling to Europe and reconnecting with her Italian heritage but it was only after her husband came across one of ICA’s…
The Italian side of our family comes from my father. His parents came to the US separately but coincidentally in 1920. My grandmother, Helen (born Elena), came from a small mountain town in Abruzzo, whereas my grandfather, Nick (born Nicola after his grandfather), came from a small town in Puglia, near Bari. She was only…