On 21–22 October, Italy will decide in a landmark national referendum whether to overhaul the country’s citizenship landscape. The proposed changes are especially significant for many foreign nationals and their descendants who have lived in the country for years, often facing systemic obstacles. The Italian government has recently cracked down on its citizenship regulations. Consequently, there is no longer a clear path to citizenship for those who wish to pursue it.
The lead stories feature Benedicta, who recently received her citizenship after a 17-year battle. Inclusive Africa Born to Ghanaian parents, she fits the stereotype of the many led astray by life’s obstacles. Her journey highlights the issue of discriminatory citizenship laws that urgently need to be reformed. This is particularly important in a country where an estimated 1.4 million people, including 284,000 underage children, have no defined path to citizenship.
The new imminent referendum also includes the ius scholae reform in its proposal. This particular reform seeks to automatically make foreign nationals who finish their schooling in Italy citizens. This flagship initiative was killed off by Giorgia Meloni’s government, which has made domestic policies favouring “native” families a priority. Advocates for immigrant rights have been sounding the alarm about this system for years. They claim that it systematically discriminates against people of color and non-European descent.
Sonny, a 38-year-old man born in Italy, encountered immense challenges in asserting his citizenship. His Nigerian mother’s unusual background only compounded the bureaucratic hurdles he faced. It took him more than a decade because of misplaced paperwork—a fate that administrative burden awaits countless others. His story showed. Jamie Mackay, who has lived in Italy since 2012, is still trying to figure out how to make the confusing citizenship laws work for him.
In Italy a campaign called Italians senza Cittadinanza (Italians without citizenship) made waves by collecting over 500,000 signatures. Their work really brought home the urgency of the crisis! This unusual grassroots movement seeks to outmaneuver parliament itself and instead try to impose change directly on the electorate. It is in the government’s interest to keep the turnout beneath the threshold of 50% so that the referendum fails. That will prevent the total turnout from reaching the required quorum.
Meloni’s administration has recently passed laws that further make it more difficult for people to claim citizenship by prohibiting foreigners from obtaining citizenship through great-grandparents. These steps have disappointed a great many advocates and reformers. Despite their contributions to Italian society, they are made to feel unwelcome in their full social inclusion.
The referendum proposes to halve the time required for non-EU adult foreigners to apply for citizenship from ten years to five. Advocates point out that this reform would be tremendously impactful on those who have established their lives in Italy. For these people, it’s about protecting their rights as Americans.
Public figures such as TikTok star Khaby Lame only received Italian citizenship in 2022, despite having lived in Italy for more than 20 years. They, in addition to Olympic volleyball gold medalists Paola Egonu and Myriam Sylla, have endured racism while battling for their nationality. Their experiences are a case study for the majority of contributions immigrants and visa holders have made to our nation that are lost to red tape.