A sold-out conference on Italian citizenship brought hundreds of people to Montreal’s Leonardo Da Vinci Centre in St-Leonard this week, highlighting growing concern and confusion within the Italian diaspora over recent rule changes.
“It looks like there is a Canadian match tonight, but it’s just our citizenship seminar,” said Fortunato Mangiola, Deputy Consul General of Italy in Montreal.
The event was organized after a surge in demand for information, following significant changes to Italy’s citizenship laws last year.
“We realized that there was a demand for more information by the community here, by our users,” Mangiola said.
The reforms tightened eligibility requirements, eliminating the long-standing principle of “infinite lineage.” Citizenship is now automatic only for those with direct connections, such as Italian parents or grandparents born in Italy or current residents. New rules also require minors born abroad to complete two years of residency in Italy or meet updated registration criteria.
The changes have affected millions worldwide, including many in Montreal who had hoped to reclaim citizenship based on their ancestry.
“We noticed that there was a need. The community wants to obtain their citizenship, and this was the ideal way to do an information session at large and to allow people to know what their rights are,” said Anna Colarusso, president of Com.It.Es Montreal.
The conference aimed to clarify the new regulations, but emotions ran high among attendees, many of whom expressed frustration and disappointment.
“My husband and my children have their citizenship, but I would like to get mine. I feel like it’s important to go back to my roots. My parents are no longer with me and I want to be Italian again,” said one attendee.
“I feel like it’s very unnecessary the amount of stuff we have to do. I feel like, especially proud to be Italian, I would like to obtain it,” said another.
Others worried about the impact on future generations.
“I’m here for my son who was just born and my wife, who aren’t. I feel like I have it and it ends with me if I don’t keep it going. So obviously, I’m the end of the line and I don’t want to be the end of the line,” said Julian Cefaratti.
Mangiola acknowledged the frustration but noted that consular offices can only explain and enforce the laws as they stand.
“I would say that the number of requests has been always high and after these modifications, there was an upsurge in requests for more information,” he said.
Despite the concerns, the strong turnout underscored the importance of the issue for Montreal’s Italian community, and the deep connection many still feel to their roots.
