Matt secured Italian citizenship by descent for himself and his daughter. Here, Matt recounts their journey to becoming Italian citizens, and talks about its significance and importance to him and his family.
Italian culture and customs had always been a part of my family’s everyday rituals–even if I was totally unaware of it growing up. From the Sicilian-inspired decor of my grandparents’ house, to the amazing bolognese sauce that my mother would make, to the occasional Italian word that was uttered between the adult family members so us children couldn’t understand- being Italian-Americans was just part of who we were.
I decided to look into whether or not I could obtain Italian citizenship, Jure Sanguinis, for my family members and myself. My Italian heritage shaped who I am today, and I did not want my heritage to be lost and wished that my daughter also have access to, enjoy and value her Italian heritage and culture.
After searching the internet and joining numerous Facebook pages related to the matter, it became clear that this was not going to be an easy task. Even if I could qualify for citizenship, the process of obtaining the necessary paperwork was going to be very time-consuming.
It was then I came across ICA, and I arranged to interview them to see if they would be a good fit in helping me fulfill my journey. At first, I was a bit hesitant to put my faith and trust in an agency that I found on the internet. However, after seeing an article on CNN Travel regarding how ICA had helped many people become Italian citizens, I decided to give them a call.
Not only was I impressed with the professionalism and honesty ICA displayed during the call, but I was also pleased when they informed me they could evaluate my case to determine if citizenship was even possible for me, and they could do this for free. Thankfully, after a providing ICA with some basic information about myself and my family, they were able to establish that I, and my family, were eligible to apply for Italian dual citizenship.
While the journey of being recognized as a citizens, and subsequently obtaining Italian passports for my family, was a long one, it was completely worth it in the end. During the process I discovered some interesting and surprising details about my great-grandparents that I never knew existed, such as passenger lists for the boat that my great-grandparents traveled to the US on, WWII draft cards, and oaths of allegiance that they had to take.
I obtained Italian citizenship for myself and my daughter via the Italian Consulate in San Francisco, and we are recognized as an Italian citizens, which is wonderful as it means my daughter can now study abroad and stay in Italy and other EU countries with greater ease than a non-citizen.
Finally, it means that I now have a reason to further my knowledge of the Italian language (which is currently intermediate-level) by studying and living in Italy.
My original goal in the whole process was to keep the Italian culture strong in my family, and I feel confident that my daughter, as well as numerous other members in my family will be carrying on and building upon the traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation before us.
Throughout the entire process, the ICA team were professional, responsive, easy to deal with, and simply got the job done.
And while the process requires locating and retrieving the required documents, and dealing with the necessary paperwork, ICA made the process as straightforward as possible.
I am thoroughly impressed! And it is with this testimonial that I give ICA my full endorsement.
Matt has agreed to serve as a subject of this success story and has granted ICA the right to use his name and image.
