NYC Consulate advice

[lisahickey]

I'm wondering if anyone who has been successful at the NYC consulate might have any tips - my husband has his 3rd appointment in a few weeks. He is going GGF-GF-M-himself and his mother and sister and brother have all already received passports via LA and Boston. There are two major areas of discrepancy, one to do with a last name that was spelled originally with one "p" and at some point was changed to have 2 "p"s, and a birth date discrepancy on the petition for naturalization. After the first appointment we received a list of changes to make, which we did. (Although the docs are all from CT so we cannot get a court order or any letter of one and the same - they just will not do it.) Our second appointment was with a different person, and she gave us a new list of things to do - some of which directly contradicted what we were told in our first appointment (she asked for notarized letters of auto certification, while at the first appointment Tony told us he didn't need them). We have done everything asked for at the second appointment (short of getting one and the same letter, again), and I am worried that we will go back and see yet another officer who will give us yet another list of things to do (although I cannot imagine what that would be at this point). Any thoughts about how to avoid this, especially given that 3 other family members have already been recognized? Any words of wisdom for dealing with NYC? Thanks in advance!

[johnnyonthespot]

I think you are attacking this all wrong.

Your husband's mother has already been recognized as an Italian citizen. She is registered in her consulate's AIRE database, her birth has been registered at the ancestral comune.

Your husband should not need to do anything other than obtain a copy of his mother's Italian birth certificate and file a jure sanguinis application based on the very short lineage M -> self, instead of GGF -> GF -> M -> self.

A second possibility is that his mother can simply register your husband's birth just as she would if he were a newborn; some consulates permit this. I registered my then 22 year-old son's birth that way with the New York consulate some 18 months after my own citizenship was recognized. The LA consulate site describes the process here http://www.conslosangeles.esteri.it/Con ... to_civile/

Boston's site doesn't have an English version of the necessary page http://www.consboston.esteri.it/Consola ... to_civile/ but you can run it through Google's translator ( http://translate.google.com/ ).

[lisahickey]

thanks Carmine - if this is the case why didn't the NYC consulate tell us this? His mother had already been recognized at our second appointment, and when i mentioned that the officer said that they had been known to get other people's citizenship rescinded when other consulates had mistakenly given it to them, which felt like a threat to not rock the boat.

[johnnyonthespot]

Consulates can be funny that way and I understand that you may not want to rock the boat.

But this is simply unfair; his mother is a recognized citizen and that should be the end of it. How old is your husband? I would suggest that you assist his mother with the birth registration process and give that a few weeks to see if it goes through; if so, problem solved.

If not, there are ways to "help" the NYC consulate be more reasonable.

I have never read of an instance where citizenship was rescinded except in cases of outright fraud.

[lisahickey]

Thanks - my husband is 41. I will try to help her with the birth registration process - how do I find out what that entails? She has her AIRE letter and passport already. I'd love to hear what the ways to "help" the consulate be more reasonable might be. His sister has her passport through Boston already and LA has recognized his brother - it is just NYC that is giving us trouble.

[johnnyonthespot]

Well, for my son's registration with the NYC consulate, I downloaded the form from the consulate website and filled it in. Attached a photocopy of my Italian passport along with my son's certified/apostiled/translated birth certificate. Mailed it in on Saturday and received my son's letter of recognition the following Friday. Could not have been easier.

Which consular district is his mother in? Call her consulate and ask for the Vital Records office (Ufficio dello Stato Civile) or send an email (Los Angeles: statocivile.losangeles@esteri.it 310-820-0622 , Boston: statocivile.boston@esteri.it 617-722 9303) and ask about registering the birth of an adult child. Give as little information as possible, do not offer any details (such as your husband resides in another consular district), but respond honestly to any questions asked.

[Tessa78]

Nice to "see" you here again, Carmine!!!

T.

[johnnyonthespot]

Nice to "see" you here again, Carmine!!!

T.

Thank you! It has been a while, I guess...

I have to say, it is nice to see that so many of you are still here and active.

[jennabet]

thanks Carmine - if this is the case why didn't the NYC consulate tell us this? His mother had already been recognized at our second appointment, and when i mentioned that the officer said that they had been known to get other people's citizenship rescinded when other consulates had mistakenly given it to them, which felt like a threat to not rock the boat.

Cocky sob's, aren't they? I wonder where they get that attitude? From the lousy government in New York state, maybe? I'd like to see them try to convince my commune in Italy to revoke my Italian citizenship after I've been living in Italy for 14 years. Bullies! You should write a letter to the Ambassador at the Italian Embassy in Washington, DC. and complain about that group in New York.

[mler]

Sounds like a petty bureaucrat who has become too accustomed to asserting his power. He can, of course, do no such thing. If I were attempting to register my grown daughter and a consular official suggested that my citizenship could be rescinded, I would strongly be tempted to tell him that it is much more likely that his job could be rescinded because I might well do as jennabet suggests and make an official complaint to the ambassador.

Welcome back from me too, Carmine.

[lisahickey]

Thanks to all who replied - I thought I would follow up and let you know that they accepted the paperwork this time - perhaps 3rd times the charm?

[jennabet]

Good work. I hope you hear from them soon.