Over 25 million Italians have emigrated between 1861 and 1960 with a migration boom between 1871 and 1915 when over 13,5 million emigrants left the country for European and overseas destinations.
Hi. I have a question I hope someone can help me with.
My parents came to the US in the late 1950 early 1960's. They were both born in 1932. My sister was born not long after they came here. Then mom got pregnant with me. A few months before I was born my father Naturalized. My mother didn't.
My question is this..I know I can't claim Italian citizenship through my father but can I through my mother? She naturalized in the late 1970's and was born in 1932. If I can then what would be my next step? If I can't, how do I go about getting dual citizenship?
I wish I could afford to do this. Two of my Italian Great Grandfathers died very young never having filed anything.
My father was born here in 1948
His father was born here in 1920
His father came from Italy in 1906 but died before even filing a petition in 1934.
My mother was born here in 1949
Her father born here in 1918
His father born in Italy, came to the US in 1911 and died tragically in 1921 never having filed a petition.
I believe I am eligible through both my mother and father.
You are indeed eligible on both sides, but although the process is time consuming, it may not be as expensive as you anticipate. The only time you will run into major expense is if your documents contain many errors that require amendments.
If you are serious about wanting to do this, you can certainly begin slowly. Ask your mom and dad what informaion they have about your great-grandparents and grandparents. Dates and places are most important. Then you can choose to follow the line that seems to be easiest.
I would suggest beginning with the Statement of non-naturalization which you can obtain from the INS. You start here because this generally takes about a year as they search for non-existent records. Once you get that statement, the rest is not too difficult. At the same time, you may want to order the Italian birth certificate of your great grandfather. You can request this directly from the commune or use a service (approximate cost $50). The cost of other documents varies according to the state but generally the cost for each certified document including apostille is less than $20.
My son just completed his own application, and the cost was approximately $300. This, however, did not include a birth certificate amendment that required a court order.
This is, of course, a time consuming process, but it also is a great way to learn about your family.
Thank you so much for that very informative reply! I could afford $300 (after I get my tax refund this year) so this is indeed great news. I believe that there were in fact name discrepancies. For example my great grandfather Diego went by John in the US. My other great grandfather Foca went by Frank. This could be difficult, but not impossible!
I'm glad you're considering doing this. Name changes for Italian immigrants were quite common since most tried to Americanize their names. You'll need to check with your consulate to determine if these name changes require amendments, but generally it's discrepancies in the surnames that cause more problems.
The name Italia, probably a Graecized form of Italic Vitelia (='calf land'), was originally restricted to the southern half of the 'toe' but was gradually extended. By 450 B.C. It meant the region subsequently inhabited by the Bruttii; by 400 it embraced Lucania as well. Campania was included after ...
