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CBS Sunday Morning: American Italians

dioxide45

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I want to know why there is an effort to try to track people down that qualify when there is already a 10 year waiting list? Aren't they just setting people up for frustration?
 

dioxide45

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I am of the mindset that you should obtain and/or keep as many citizenships as you are easily and legally able to. Someone my wife knew was from Spain and became an American citizen, because of some law where she had to let the Spanish know she wished to also retain her Spanish citizenship after she became an American and she didn't, she lost her citizenship when she attempted to renew her Spanish passport (she wasn't born in Spain). You never know what can happen in the geopolitical environment in the future. Having multiple options is a good thing.
 

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Ah . . . if everyone could just be 65 or older, and get that decent medical coverage!

;)

Might not be the best......but it's something. I don't have medicare now, have insurance through my husband but it's more or less the same 80/20.

I would have to pay for insurance since I have no plans on leaving my kids and/or grandchildren if I can help it :)
 

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I did some basic research and there are some oddball rules. I figured my wife would be a shoe-in because her dad was born in Milan. Basically, if he became an American citizen prior to her birth, she does not qualify because prior to 1992, you automatically renounced your Italian citizenship. Her dad is dead so we are uncertain what year he became a citizen without a little more research.

On the other hand, my great-grandparents were both born in Italy and settled in California in the early 1900s. I still have a path even though it's several more generations.

The rules go by your nearest Italian relative so she can't use her mom's parents ( who were also born in Italy).

Either way, it's pretty expensive to do this and we're not moving to Italy any time soon but we would still both like to pursue this some day.
 

rapmarks

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I have a grandfather born in Italy, came to United States around 1905. My grandmother was born in Chicago. She married him in 1913 and lost her citizenship because he had not yet been granted citizenship. I think it took ten years at that time. So she had to go through the whole process even though she was born here of American citizens.
Someone else told me the same thing happened to his German grandparents.
 

clifffaith

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I have a grandfather born in Italy, came to United States around 1905. My grandmother was born in Chicago. She married him in 1913 and lost her citizenship because he had not yet been granted citizenship. I think it took ten years at that time. So she had to go through the whole process even though she was born here of American citizens.
Someone else told me the same thing happened to his German grandparents.

Wow, how strange! So she became, at least in the eyes of the US, an Italian citizen because she married an Italian? I wonder when that rule changed?
 

Ken555

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I figured my wife would be a shoe-in because her dad was born in Milan.

Not all countries grant citizenship based on location of birth. From a historical perspective, this is a relatively new policy. For more info see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_soli

In most European countries, citizenship was based on blood not geography (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis). This is the case in my family, and I’m now slowly pursuing the goal of obtaining citizenship in Europe so I may work and live in the EU. In my case, there are rights for several generations to claim citizenship due to war reparations..but they don’t make it easy.



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OldGuy

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Interesting stuff, given current events.

I find it intriguing that America is not the only desirable citizenship, or place to live, for some Americans.

From the CBS story, and reading into some comments here, I sense some have a yearning for another home.
 
Last edited:

buzglyd

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Not all countries grant citizenship based on location of birth. From a historical perspective, this is a relatively new policy. For more info see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_soli

In most European countries, citizenship was based on blood not geography (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis). This is the case in my family, and I’m now slowly pursuing the goal of obtaining citizenship in Europe so I may work and live in the EU. In my case, there are rights for several generations to claim citizenship due to war reparations..but they don’t make it easy.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Her dad was very Italian and still has relatives in Milan.
 

Glynda

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Brewster Green (two weeks).
AnnaS, you are almost assuredly still an Italian citizen, and your children and maybe grandchildren probably qualify too.

One reason this is important nowadays is that the unmanageable cost of health insurance prevents retirement before age 65, and particularly in the 60-65 age band. Citizenship in any EU country permits you to live, and work if you want, in any of them. There are lots of places in the EU where living costs are no more than in the US, health care is free or cheap, and other benefits abound.

If my Irish grandmother had had the foresight to have been born in Ireland, I'd qualify. Unfortunately, she somehow managed to be born in France, and France's deal is not as good as Ireland's.

It's been awhile, but I listened to a podcast about a family who took advantage of this dual citizenship and moved to Italy. Her husband and children were able to attain citizenship based on ancestry. Don't get me wrong, they loved their time living there. However, her husband had a pretty big medical emergency and was taken to the hospital for those using Italy's health benefits. They were shocked by the difference from the US. You didn't question doctors. They didn't show you scans and reports. Very little explaining was done. They made decisions and that was what you got. Also the family was surprised to learn that they had to bring food and even cutlery into the hospital for her husband to eat. It was expected of all the families of patients. As well as other necessary supplies. There were no privacy standards in place. The whole town knew about his condition from hospital employees who either lived in the town or had family who did. Before he and his wife even had it. She learned more in the village than she did at the hospital.

Costa Rica has a very good private (you pay) medical system and then they have the public (the government pays) one. In many cases, the same doctors work in both. However, the public hospital would be shocking to us. It's also a "bring your own toilet paper" kind of place.

I know that there are top rate doctors and hospitals scattered all over the world, but give me the good ole USA's.
 

WVBaker

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It's been awhile, but I listened to a podcast about a family who took advantage of this dual citizenship and moved to Italy. Her husband and children were able to attain citizenship based on ancestry. Don't get me wrong, they loved their time living there. However, her husband had a pretty big medical emergency and was taken to the hospital for those using Italy's health benefits. They were shocked by the difference from the US. You didn't question doctors. They didn't show you scans and reports. Very little explaining was done. They made decisions and that was what you got. Also the family was surprised to learn that they had to bring food and even cutlery into the hospital for her husband to eat. It was expected of all the families of patients. As well as other necessary supplies. There were no privacy standards in place. The whole town knew about his condition from hospital employees who either lived in the town or had family who did. Before he and his wife even had it. She learned more in the village than she did at the hospital.

Costa Rica has a very good private (you pay) medical system and then they have the public (the government pays) one. In many cases, the same doctors work in both. However, the public hospital would be shocking to us. It's also a "bring your own toilet paper" kind of place.

I know that there are top rate doctors and hospitals scattered all over the world, but give me the good ole USA's.

As with the U.S., much will depend on the area you're in.

"Italy ranks among the World Health Organization’s top 10 countries for quality health services (by contrast, the U.S. only holds 37th place, despite being the highest spender). However, although medical facilities are considered to be adequate for any emergencies, some public hospitals are reportedly overcrowded and under-funded."

https://internationalliving.com/countries/italy/health-care-in-italy/
 
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