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.
Does anyone have suggestions about how to expedite things there? I submitted my application in August 09 but haven't heard anything. I'm assuming this is normal. . . .
Also, is there any way at all I can go to Italy to apply or is it the case that I must be a RESIDENT of Italy in order to submit my paperwork for dual citizenship? If that's the case, I suppose I must muddle through with those women over in Newark. . .
You need to establish residency in Italy in order to apply there. When I was in Newark I was told that the wait would be approximately two years, so you are well within that time period.
They will not contact you until your documents are approved by them and they receive notification that they were registered in your comune. No, there is no way to expedite the process. You wait for an appointment, you submit your documents, and then you wait again. We've all been through it, but if you want Italian citizenship, you need to be prepared for the Italian way of doing things.
BTW, there was a backlog even two years ago when they were less busy. I submitted my application in February of 2008 and retrieved them in September of that year. They had not yet begun processing when I picked them up.
So basically once you have your appointment you are just waiting on them to get back to you? Is there any way to check on your status or its just better to sit back and wait until they contact you?
They are not too happy about "checking-on-status" calls as you might expect. On the other hand, if the wait is exceptionally long, it may be a good idea to find a reason for another call.
After what I considered to be a too-long wait in NY, my husband went in with an updated amended document and the translations that were not required during our initial application. He brought with him a detailed list of the documents submitted and a succinct explanation of the line of descent. Five weeks later--citizenship.
I hate to beat a dead horse, but is it normal to wait 6 months JUST TO BE GIVEN AN APPOINTMENT? I have a receipt from their office, but have not received email, voicemail, snailmail....anything regarding APPOINTMENT DATE.
That does not seem normal. You should get an appointment date immediately. Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you had already submitted your application. Was this the number you called? 973 643 1448 ext. 238
What I did was call and left a message on voice mail and sent an email the same day figuring they would get back to me one way or the other. They never called but they did respond to my email.
No, I've never called Newark, but I suppose it's time I do. I went in August with my application and supporting paperwork. She said everything looked good and gave me a receipt. She said they'd contact me by mail for by phone with an appointment date. And so far.....nothing. I will call 973.643.1448 ext.238 between 2:30 and 4 p.m.
