Italian Dual Citizenship Update and the "no-appointment case"

[@TheJonnyP54]

My mother was going to go for a No Appointment case with the help of Smart Move Italy after the Philadelphia Consulate cancelled her 2021 appointment due to COVID (she booked it in 2019!). Miraculously, she got an email in March 2023 from the Consulate after we just started getting the ball rolling with SMI saying that they've reinstated her appointment for April 20 2023. All of her documents were already in Italy with the Italian lawyer SMI was partnered with but Terry (the SMI citizenship senior researcher) wasted no time in retrieving the documents and having them DHL'd back to us in time. The Consulate fast-tracked her application and within 48 hours of her presenting all her documents she was a confirmed Italian citizen. A little over a year later, I'm now piggybacking off of her as Philadelphia has a "first-generation" citizenship by descent option which is only available to the children of a recognized Italian citizen registered in AIRE. Had my appointment in June and waiting patiently for a response. To say this has been a wild ride would be a gross understatement! Definitely recommend Smart Move Italy though based on the interaction we had with them! Best of luck!!

[@halfitalian24]

Thank you for sharing your story and your mom's experience with Smart Move Italy. It's a great feeling knowing that we are in good hands! We appreciate your encouragement as we keep going. Ciao!

[@LanaALaBonte]

I’m wanting to do the same for Portuguese citizenship as I have been unable to locate my great grandmother’s birth certificate. I believe she snuck in but her husband came from Cape Verde which was a Portuguese territory back then. I’ve lived & worked in Italy 🇮🇹 and want to go back using the Portuguese citizenship if possible. There are so many benefits to tracing your heritage.

[@mikealetti68]

Wonderful story! All the videos of when you go back to Italia to visit your long distance relatives are really moving! My wife (from Genova) asks for more videos about food and your recepies! (It was fun to see you cook and even in Italy when you make gnocchi and gnocco fritto with salumi) Ciao ciao! Brava e bravo!

[@halfitalian24]

We are so grateful that you are following our story! Grazie!

[@deannaolivieri1791]

I'm full Italian on both sides, and I applied in Italy in 2017 when I moved to Italy. I had wanted it for ages but it was hard to do until I finally just decided to do it, I only had 6 documents as it was my 4 grandparents who were Italian.I went through my Italian maternal grandfather. I moved to Italy and I have worked there since I moved and It's been hard but worth it.I had a cone as well but it only took 30 days to come back in 2017. In bocca al lupo ragazzi!

[@halfitalian24]

Thanks Deanna! Appreciate you telling a little about your story. So awesome that you’ve been living there. What part?

[@deannaolivieri1791]

@@halfitalian24 Hi there! Yes, it's been one heck of a ride! I first lived in my grandma's town in Avellino ( it's not far from Naples). I got 'stuck' in Italy during lockdown in that small town, it was awful. Once the pandemic was over I moved to LA BELLA NAPOLI! ( Naples) and I love it. I still go back to the little town for the annual chestnut festival and I get to see old students. I taught English there. I learned Italian fluently by living there and studying. I learned so much from my students too! I am now living 9 months in Naples and 3 months in New York. My parents are getting older and my daughter has 2 kids, and a third oneon the wayl. It's perfect because as a teacher I am off for the summer and I can come back to NY to spend time with my family. I have second cousins in Italy but my immediate family is all in New York City, I am from Staten Island.

[@randygulleyjr2180]

I have been trying for an appointment in Chicago for months. And I am hoping to get the CONE from USCIS soon as I submitted it last August. I have seen where it has taken people 5 years to get everything done. Don't give up and keep working. Some companies can be scams in some ways. Research in groups on FB. FB has groups about applying in Italy and the Dual Citizenship process here in the US. I hope everything works out for you both.

[@halfitalian24]

@@randygulleyjr2180 Thanks for the encouragement Randy! We’re going to keep working on it!

[@lovehappyadventures]

I've been watching your story and following along and hoping to hear you get your Italian citizenship recognition soon! We started collecting my husband's ancestors viral records in Feb and still waiting for the CONE. We also have adult children and are considering moving to Italy to get this done quicker. It is a huge gift for our kids to be able to live, work & go to school anywhere in the EU. Please keep sharing your journey!

[@davidk6006]

This is actually a scripted advertisement for that service mentioned at 3:00. Be aware.

[@halfitalian24]

It’s not… we’re just keeping people informed along our way of the different people/companies we’ve reached out to.

[@SteveGrin]

It took me 3 months to get my appointment in Miami, but it's nearly 3 years out...

[@halfitalian24]

Yes, the wait through the consulates are intense! I hope all moves ahead without any trouble! Best of luck! - In Bocca al Lupo!

[@chillywit]

Are you going to Italian court because you’ve been waiting two years and still can’t get a consulate appointment?

[@halfitalian24]

Yes. Because we can not get an appointment, they are taking our case before a court in Italy.

[@chuckinterrante4986]

After a visit to our ancestral town in Sicily (2019) I was able to get my grandfather's Alien Case file from NARA but because of Covid it took over 18 months. My dad was born in 1937 and the first clue I had that I could be eligible was the code "AL" on the 1940 census for my grandfather (AL = Alien). I have had all of my documents for over a year now and like you I have been trying to get an appointment but unlike you I wasn't smart enough to take screenshots of my attempts...so I have no proof... For me it's probably Italy or nothing.

[@eviesyres2009]

Fantastico

[@lovehappyadventures]

How did you request your ancestors info from the National Archives? I did some google searching but I'm not finding where I can request info? Thanks!

[@halfitalian24]

Hello! I put in a contact request on the National Archives website, asking for naturalization records for my great grandfather. You select 'ordering copies of records' and then in the 'please tell us more' box, I wrote all of his details - name, birth and death dates, etc. www.archives.gov/contact Hope that helps! Sarah

[@jamescarone9553]

I got my parents immigration docs using a free 15 day trial of ancestry.com. be sure to read the canc3llation policy

[@lovehappyadventures]

@@halfitalian24thank you so much! We requested the CONE in Feb and are still just waiting. I love that the Archives sent you so much personal info. That's really special.

[@janetlombardi2314]

How much do they charge once you have your documents? Thank you

[@halfitalian24]

We are still in the process of reviewing our file - and each case (depending on the number of people in your family) is different. We paid them $500 to do a full review of all of our documents. So far, it has been worth it - there were discrepancies which we wouldn't have seen! I'd recommend a free consult call with them if you are interested. They've been very helpful.

[@janetlombardi2314]

Thank you for your reply