What was supposed to be just a nice photo on the social media Consulate General of Italy in Rio de Janeiro This ended up generating outrage among many internet users this Tuesday (28). In the photo, actress Marina Ruy Barbosa and consul Paolo Miraglia Del Giudice pose above a caption stating that she received her Italian citizenship.
That was enough for many people to question whether she waited in line for the outcome of her citizenship process or whether she had some type of privilege because she was a celebrity.
“It would be wonderful if the Italian Consulate pay attention to all the citizens who come to him every day with the same promptness as they did for the actress. She must not have been included in the schedule that no one can ever schedule”, commented internet user Lucia Dalva.
This is just one example of dozens of questions in the photo, such as Beth Modesti Simões, who asks if the actress called herself “1.300 times to make an appointment”.
In the Facebook group “Italian Citizenship Free AreaAugusto Ornellas, the leading expert on Italian citizenship, questions whether she waited "for days on end" for an appointment and reminds her that it must be scheduled by the applicant themselves, not by a third party or agency representatives.
“Taking a photo with her is easy, I wanted to see her change her schedule so she could leave my side”, sums up Luciano Lemos, also from the group Cidadania Espaço Livre.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Marina Ruy Barbosa, 26, is an actress, model, writer, and businesswoman. According to the caption from the Italian Consulate, she obtained her Italian citizenship due to having ancestors in Calabria.
Scheduling system
The outrage among those interested in obtaining Italian citizenship can be explained by the appointment system, which does not provide for a formal queue. In other words, thousands of people remain in a questionable queue, without knowing when each person joined.
It all revolves around luck and the availability of time to try to make the appointment or pay someone to do it.
Italianismo contacted the Italian Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro to find out the date actress Marina Ruy Barbosa's application was filed and how long she waited to obtain her Italian citizenship, but there has been no response as of the publication of this article.
As soon as the consulate responds, Italianismo will publish the information.
