The demand for Italian citizenship among Britons has increased. in the years following BrexitCitizens of the United Kingdom are seeking Italian passports to maintain free movement within Europe, according to the Italian consul-general in London. Domenico Bellantone.
The Italian consulate in the British capital has become the world's leading consulate in terms of the volume of documents issued in the last four years. Last year alone, the consulate released... 40.500 passports.
Bellantone told the agency Adnkronos The increase comes from English citizens eligible to apply for citizenship through marriage and from babies born to married couples. Italian-EnglishFor the consul, the document serves as a guarantee of a future on the continent.
"Since the United Kingdom left the European Union, we have seen an increase in applications for Italian citizenship," said Bellantone.
The consul pointed out that the immigration landscape changed ten years after the Brexit vote. Before, all you had to do was pack your bags and try to make a life in London, without visas. Today, a more qualified Italian population arrives in the country, with sponsored work visas and salaries based on the British Home Office's points system.
The flow continues, but it has become more selective. In past decades, young people would go to the United Kingdom for a few months to improve their language skills and do small jobs, something the consul describes as unfeasible in the current situation.
Immediately after Brexit, consular offices became the target of a rush for legal and practical protection. The demand for passports increased because the document became a requirement for entering and leaving the country, especially for residents who previously only needed an identity card.
Marriage appears as another option. The consulate handles applications from British citizens married to Italians who have requested citizenship to move freely within Italy and the other 27 countries of the bloc.
The Italian community in the United Kingdom is young. According to Bellantone, the group has a birth rate twice as high as that of Italy. After Brexit, the number of first passports for children and newborns of mixed couples also increased.
Previously, a child born there to parents of different nationalities would immediately receive a British passport, while an Italian child could wait years. Now the application is immediate.
"It guarantees ease of movement towards Europe and stability in our country," the consul concluded. (With information from Adnkronos)
