Help! Italian Passport!

[Ikemi]

I need some urgent help from the PH collective! My other half was born in Canada, but her parents were born in Italy. Her parents have recently applied for and successfully received their Italian passports. My girlfriend wants to do the same and we've visited the Italian Consulate in London to scan her fingerprints, fill out the usual information etc.

However this morning we received a letter stating the application had been filled out incorrectly; more notably my girlfriend has not registered with AIRE before applying. This is not something Canadian citizens have to complete. However in order to register with AIRE, you need proof of Italian citizenship. You can see the dilemma ... Italian passport required to sign up to AIRE, but you cannot obtain a passport without signing up to AIRE.

Obviously talking to anyone at the Consulate is going to be next to impossible, hence me reaching out here. If anyone has been through similar or knows of the process (or any helplines!), it would be hugely appreciated.

[davepoth]

Does she speak Italian? it might be worth ringing the government offices in Italy. Indeed, you may have a lot more luck making the application in Rome, and it's a lovely city to visit.

[Spare tyre]

Sorry for being nosey, but is a Canadian passport a berter one than and Italian?

[Ikemi]

Spare tyre said:

Sorry for being nosey, but is a Canadian passport a berter one than and Italian?

It's a really complex situation, but essentially she obtained a 2 year work visa and came to the UK. She has an affinity with the UK, but upon meeting me, decided that she wants to stay in the UK for good. However that visa is coming to an end, and it's not easy to quickly return back to the UK. She also has a really good job at a huge corporate company.

By obtaining her Italian passport, she would no longer need to return to Canada. The deadline is March. This all should have gone through without fault, considering what both the Canadian and London Consulate have suggested. What's more infuriating is that in Canada, registering for AIRE is not required, so passports were delivered within days.

Unfortunately, she does not speak Italian well enough for a quick trip to Rome, but that's not a bad suggestion.

Annoying, the Italian Consulate aren't the quickest/efficient in terms of replying to telephone messages, e-mails ... anything.

[Spare tyre]

Ikemi said:

Spare tyre said:

Sorry for being nosey, but is a Canadian passport a berter one than and Italian?

It's a really complex situation, but essentially she obtained a 2 year work visa and came to the UK. She has an affinity with the UK, but upon meeting me, decided that she wants to stay in the UK for good. However that visa is coming to an end, and it's not easy to quickly return back to the UK. She also has a really good job at a huge corporate company.

By obtaining her Italian passport, she would no longer need to return to Canada. The deadline is March. This all should have gone through without fault, considering what both the Canadian and London Consulate have suggested. What's more infuriating is that in Canada, registering for AIRE is not required, so passports were delivered within days.

Unfortunately, she does not speak Italian well enough for a quick trip to Rome, but that's not a bad suggestion.

Annoying, the Italian Consulate aren't the quickest/efficient in terms of replying to telephone messages, e-mails ... anything.

Very stupid suggestion, but would marriage help?

Probably a bit rash

[parabolica]

Spare tyre said:

Very stupid suggestion, but would marriage help?

Probably a bit rash

No. UKBA (or whatever they are called today) are wise to this method and the amount of information you need to provide to prove it's a genuine relationship is mind-boggling. Be quicker calling the Italian embassy and requesting their assistance.

[magooagain]

Maybe a well worded letter from her huge corporate employer could help things along a bit .

[DonkeyApple]

If she has a job at a big company then first of all they will have an allocation of work visas so has she spoken to HR about them solving her problem in the first instance?

Secondly, the Italian consulate in London is actually very efficient but only if you deal with them in an Italian style not an English one. My wife can seemingly get anything done by the consulate same day by popping down to Farringdon, walking to the front of the queue and shouting at them until they do as asked!

[Vaud]

Ikemi said:

Unfortunately, she does not speak Italian well enough for a quick trip to Rome, but that's not a bad suggestion.

So pay for a local translator. Plenty around, many with a good understanding of the legal processes. I think the FCO even has a list of local advisors.

[Ikemi]

It looks as though we might have some progress on the AIRE front. A passport does not appear to be required to complete the registration process, but you are required to confirm your Italian citizenship via a simple tick box. We have no physical proof of her Italian citizenship, other than the word of the Italian Consulate in Toronto. Her parents and Brother are now Italian citizens.

Aside from this, we scanned in proof of ID and address, as well as print/sign/scan the relevant AIRE documents and submitted for confirmation - Fingers crossed! If successful, we then need to send this information along with her original passport application. However if all else fails, a combination of DavePoth and Vaud's suggestions will be our last chance to resolve this.

She has spoken to the HR department at her company (37,000 employees worldwide), but according to them, she is not senior enough to be worthy of sponsorship.

Thanks for all the replies so far - It's hugely appreciated!



... or DonkeyApple's approach! She is pretty good at shouting and waving her arms about!