The Consul General of Italy in Rio Grande do Sul, Valerio Caruso, asked for patience from Italian descendants who are waiting for recognition of Italian citizenship. The statement was made this Thursday (24), during a visit to Caxias do Sul, amid the repercussions of Decree-Law 36/2025, published on March 28.
Caruso accompanied the visit of Fabio Ricci, vice-president of FederUnacoma, to Serra Gaúcha. In an interview with the newspaper Zero hourThe diplomat explained that, although the consulate continues to operate normally, citizenship-related processes have been suspended until the Italian Parliament reviews the new rules.
According to Caruso, the suspension aims to protect applicants. “If they were called now, they would have to comply with more restrictive legislation, which may not be definitive,” he said. He assured, however, that all those who submitted their documentation by March 27 will have their applications evaluated based on the previous rule.
Caruso reinforced: “All those who submitted the documentation can rest assured, as this will be analyzed without any problems.”
Fraud Alert
With the uncertainty caused by the decree, scams involving false charges to guarantee citizenship have emerged. The consul revealed that complaints have reached the consulate and asked citizens to use only official channels.
“There are people using the decree to say that they have to pay R$2 to register their child. None of this is true. They don’t have to pay anything and the Consulate is not accepting citizenship documents for now,” he said. He added that the complaints are being investigated with the support of the Federal Police.
Processing of the decree
O Decree Law 36 / 2025 is currently under debate in the Italian Senate, where 106 amendments have already been presented. The vote is scheduled to take place by May 8. If approved, the text will be sent to the Chamber of Deputies. The provisional measure is valid until May 27.
Even in the face of uncertainty, Caruso believes that the situation should not disrupt the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Italian Immigration in Rio Grande do Sul, scheduled for May.
