Episode 4.18 - Italian Citizenship Decision - TOTAL BS!!!!!

I am so incredibly pissed and I don’t think there is anything I can do about it.   Our citizenship was denied!  This is total BS!Four years of paperwork, legal help, and hope can evaporate in a single court decision. We share the moment we learned our Italian citizenship application was denied, and we do not hold back on how angry and stunned we feel. We filed back in 2022, built our case carefully, and expected to be evaluated under the rules that existed when we applied. Instead, the decision points to the March 2025 law change that tightened generational limits for Italian citizenship by descent, and it lands like the finish line moved while we were already running.We walk through what makes this so maddening: our documents were dated, notarized, and translated with support from lawyers in Italy before the 2025 change. We thought that timing mattered. We also talk about the real-world cost of a jure sanguinis process, from chasing down vital records to paying for certified translations and navigating a system where timelines stretch into years. When a judge applies a newer standard rather than “grandfathering” an older filing, it raises a simple question that anyone can relate to: what is the point of doing everything right if the rules can be applied retroactively?We also reflect on the personal side of dual citizenship and identity. Our family has traveled to Italy multiple times, built memories there, and felt a genuine connection that goes beyond a legal technicality. That does not guarantee a yes, but it makes a sudden no feel even more disconnected. By the end, we are left staring at the same crossroads many applicants face after an Italian court denial: do we appeal, do we start over, or do we walk away?If you have been through an Italian citizenship by descent process, we want to hear your take. Subscribe, share this with someone navigating dual citizenship, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. What would you do next in our position? Visit our YouTube channel to see dozens of our cooking episodes.Check out our website for delicious recipes, upcoming events, and more!