In Brazil, whose population is 208 million, 30 million have ties to Italy; ambassador admits difficulty in the face of high demand
Almost a century after the wave of Italian immigration to Brazil, nearly 15% of the current Brazilian population, of approximately 208 million people, theoretically qualify for Italian citizenship due to origin or marital ties.
Around 30 million descendants of Italians live in Brazil and are potential candidates to acquire citizenship of the European country. The information was given by the Italian ambassador to Brazil, Antonio Bernardini, in an interview with R7. This is a population three times larger than that of Portugal. Of these Brazilians, 16 million live in São Paulo.
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Bernardini admits that Italian diplomatic representations in Brazil are having difficulty dealing with the significant demand, driven by this enormous contingent.
“The fact that there is a potential demand of 30 million people in Brazil who could apply for Italian citizenship certainly puts the embassy and the entire consular network under great pressure. Unfortunately, due to a lack of personnel in charge at the consular chancery, it is very difficult for us to cope with such high demand. We are taking some steps to improve the functioning of the diplomatic structures, however, it is clear that with such high numbers it will be very difficult to quickly meet the demands that arrive,” said the ambassador.
Not all of these approximately 30 million people are applying for citizenship, for which the application fee is 300 euros. Even so, the demand is very high. According to Istat (National Institute of Statistics) in Italy, there is a waiting list of 112 Brazilians waiting to obtain Italian citizenship. This means that around 460 people are waiting in total, since each application, on average, involves four people. Bernardini says that the number of Brazilians with Italian citizenship is about to become the third largest in the world, among all nationalities.
“Brazil is among the countries with the greatest potential demand. With 530.000 citizens with recognized Italian citizenship, Brazil is the fourth country with the most registered Italian citizens outside of Italy. However, with the accelerated growth rates of demand, Brazil is destined to soon surpass Switzerland, which currently occupies third place, after Argentina and Germany,” said the ambassador.
According to the professor of International Relations at Ibmec (Brazilian Institute of Capital Markets), Vladimir Feijó, a specialist in immigration to European Union countries, this search also occurs due to some specific facilities, such as, in theory, the possibility of obtaining citizenship with no generation limit descending from an Italian citizen, in the case of a male. In relation to women, this premise is more restricted.
Those who can prove that they have resided in the country for at least six months can also become Italian citizens. Feijó highlights that the growth in demand is related to the economic difficulties that the Brazilian population is going through at the moment. This panorama has driven a greater number of orders, as, according to him, Europe begins to recover from the last financial crisis. He highlights that the tendency is for the number of Brazilians leaving the country to increase even more, if the next government does not take initiatives to contain the public deficit.
“If nothing serious is done, the credibility crisis, which is high, will continue to increase, because Brazil's annual public deficit remains very high, with the possibility of further increasing. And our foreign exchange stock is reducing. I'm not an economist, but I see it from the perspective of an international analyst, in an environment that sees the country's credibility getting worse and worse.”
This scenario induces part of the population to envisage the possibility of living in other countries. This search for Italy, in the opinion of Leonardo Freitas, a specialist in the areas of government relations and international business development in the United States, has been another option within a range of countries in this emigration wave (leaving the country) that Brazil has been experiencing. .
“The increase in demand from Brazilian citizens for the right to Italian citizenship is nothing more than part of this intense emigration movement that we have seen in Brazil in recent years. Due to the economic, political and security crisis we see today, people are looking for viable alternatives to leave the country and head to other locations where they can seek a better future.”
The number of Brazilians residing in Italy has also grown. In 1991 it was 10.953 people. In 2011 it reached 37.567. And in 2016, it was 45.410.
Population rejuvenation
Italy has opened its borders more to legalized immigrants, or new citizens, with the aim of rejuvenating its population. Data from the “Status of World Population 2016” report by the UN (United Nations) shows that Italy has the highest percentage of elderly people in Europe, with 23% of residents in the country being 65 years of age or older.
An example of a young person who recently acquired Italian citizenship is the headhunter Débora Lima Cunha, 28 years old. Born in the city of São Paulo, she obtained her Italian passport in 2015. And, thanks to this, she was able to move to England two months ago, where she was transferred by the company she works for. Because of Brexit, she says there was no other option but to accept the company's offer, made in January. Otherwise, she would no longer be able to come.
“I didn’t have many options. I've been here for 2 months and it's been an incredible experience! In addition to 'passing ahead at the airport', which is already relieving not having to queue for an hour, I was able to come to London with my husband and my pets. I can work and have all the rights of a British citizen. Furthermore, for European students, universities are much cheaper than for a foreigner. Not to mention all the immeasurable savings – not having a car, not needing security guards and doormen at the house, having the security of coming and going, without worrying about whether someone is behind.”
She says that her Italian ancestry was decisive for the process to be successful.
“We started the process literally 12 years ago. I didn't really know what it would be for, but my brother explained that it was so 'I could go ahead at the airport'! I liked that. The process never moved forward until 5 years ago when my cousin sped things up, moved to Italy to get his citizenship faster, and from then on, everything was very quick. We already had our entire family tree and the necessary documents. We hired a company and in 1 year we had the passport in our hands, that was in 2015.”
Art: R7
Xenophobia and irregularities
There is even a suspicion that the “boom” in applications has stimulated the formation of an industry granting citizenship, with false information about residence in local cities.
Last February, for example, 1188 Brazilians had their Italian citizenship canceled due to irregularities in proving their residence in the municipality of Ospedaletto Lodigiano.
However, not even the cases of irregularities seen recently, which caused the cancellation of many citizenship grants, serve to change this upward trend in grants, according to Feijó.
“These occurrences do not prevent many people from investing in obtaining citizenship, staying in Italy for a while, whether looking for a job, working or taking a course and, in doing so, complying with the requirements of the law.”
The professor highlights that, due to a cultural and historical link between Brazil and Italy, obtaining citizenship for Brazilians is better accepted in the country, compared to the wave of African immigrants who arrive on boats across the Mediterranean and desperately seek asylum in Europe.
This situation has highlighted the xenophobic nature of part of the Italian population, which led to the victory of an extreme right-wing alliance in the last elections.
“The biggest complaint from part of the population is immigration from North Africa and possibly refugees from Syria. We have no news of persecution or attacks on Italians from Brazil.”
If until now Brazilians legal in the country tend to fit in more easily, those who are not legally registered are at the mercy of the same xenophobia. Feijó complete:
“The Italian-Brazilian community is very well recognized, these citizens are even elected to the Italian and European parliaments. Now, Brazilians who go illegally to work in the parallel market fit in like so many other immigrants who don’t fit in well.”
By Eugenio Goussinsky, from R7
