Immigrant housewives will be granted Italian citizenship if husbands demonstrate to possess the adequate means of maintenance. It is laid down in a circular issued by the Ministry for Home Affairs, introducing new significant aspects. For example, it enshrines that the income declared by the applicant is to be “updated” before denying citizenship due to inadequate income. Underage children adopted by an Italian can become Italian nationals if the adoption sentence was issued when they were already 18.
Rome – Italian citizenship will be granted, provided all prerequisites are present, also to immigrant housewives if husbands demonstrate to be able to adequately keep their family. It is laid down in a circular issued by the Minister for Home Affairs, Giuliano Amato, which has been sent to the prefects for the prerequisite assessment to be streamlined.
The principles of the circular draw from the recent law case on family solidarity, equal opportunities and economic value of domestic work, “to facilitate the effective integration in Italy of the foreign and to contribute to overcome the social malaise that sometimes leads to resentment towards institutions”.
Among the new aspects, there is the limit income assessment necessary for naturalisation (nearly € 8,300 per year). The assessment will be made not only with regard to the individual position of the applicant but in relation to the income of the entire household. Therefore, housewives and dependent students will be able to obtain citizenship if, for instance, husbands or any other family component possess documented means of maintenance to meet the needs of the family.
Moreover, for the procedural times to be shortened, before any possible denial of citizenship due to insufficient income, the financial situation of the applicant will be updated. This will enable the timeframe to favour the applicant if the examination procedures are excessively extended.
As far as the assessment of the continuity of legal residence (currently 10 years for non EU citizens) is concerned, possible brief trips outside Italy for personal, study and business reasons, if properly documented, will not be considered an obstacle to the concession of citizenship.
Finally, the issue of underage children adopted by Italian nationals will be handled to ease the rapid and full-status integration of the minor into the Italian community. In particular, strangers adopted by Italian nationals when the children were underage will be considered underage even if the adoption sentence was issued when they were already 18.