Italy stands at a crucial crossroads: a referendum proposing a change from 10 to 5 years of uninterrupted residency for obtaining Italian citizenship through naturalization will be held on June 8-9.

While this change could mark a step toward fairer and more inclusive policies, experts from the IDOS research center argue it is not enough.

The real challenge will be ensuring that the children of migrants born or raised in Italy are legally and in their identity recognized as true Italians. This was the focus of a report presented on March 27 in Rome, titled "Shared Horizons: Italy of Young Immigrants with a Migratory Background."

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'Invisible generation'

"The time has come to leave behind an anachronistic regulatory framework and lay the basis for a more open Italian society anchored within the multicultural fabric of the country," said Luca Di Sciullo and Antonio Ricci, IDOS president and vice president, who curated the research.

"Allowing young people with a migratory background -- either born or raised here -- the full exercise of citizenship rights means investing in human capital, strengthening the sense of belonging, and promoting social cohesion," they added.

"It is in the interest of the national community and the entire country, and therefore the duty of the political world, to remove the barriers to the full and active participation of all components of society."

IDOS describes this demographic as an "invisible generation": as of early 2024, Italy had 1.9 million residents with a migratory background, accounting for one in every 30 inhabitants. Additionally, 1.3 million minors of foreign origin -- 13 percent of all minors in the country -- live in Italy. More than a million of them lack Italian citizenship, despite being born or arriving at a young age.

Two out of every three foreign nationals in Italian schools were born in the country but are still denied full citizenship rights.

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'Current law penalizes especially the young'

The study highlights how Italy’s current citizenship law (Law No. 91 of 1992) imposes a lengthy and complex process, particularly for young people. They can either apply through naturalization, requiring 10 years of uninterrupted residency plus an average wait of 3-4 years for bureaucratic procedures, or opt for citizenship at 18, but only if their parents have already become Italian citizens and if they apply within a strict 12-month window.

The result is that the number of minors acquiring citizenship "is surprisingly low compared with their actual presence in the country," it added.

In the 2019-2023 five-year period, a total of 295,000 minors with foreign nationality got citizenship, with an average of 59,000 per year, despite over a million living in Italy.

Thus, many young people with migratory backgrounds remain legally "foreign" even as they reach adulthood.

IDOS noted that a 2023 Italian national statistics institute, ISTAT, study found that over 80 percent of young people of foreign origins feel "Italian, too", a percentage that rises to 85 percent for those born in Italy.

However, the difficulty of getting citizenship can influence their futures: only 45 percent of these young people expect to live in Italy as adults, with 34 percent preferring to move abroad.

"This is a figure that should make us stop and think a bit: a country that does not recognise the contribution, the attachment and the value of the new generations, risks jeopardising its own hopes of recovery and development," IDOS concluded.

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