Are you ready for this?

I’m here with the update I never thought I’d get to write. I honestly still can’t believe it, and I think it will be a while before the reality truly sets in. But as of Tuesday night, I am officially a recognized citizen of Italy.

To be honest, this whole process became a bit of a nightmare. I had serious doubts it would ever get done, and was sure I was years away from any progress. Then Christmas happened, and while I suddenly felt sure it would happen at SOME point, the missing middle name correction was something the LA consulate had rejected plenty of people for in the past. I expected to need another court order. Because obtaining a court order takes a lot of work, time, and money, and I figured I should at least give what I had a shot. What was a few more months in the years this has taken? I’m so happy I did! I feel like as soon as I stopped stressing about it, it happened. NOT to say that had I stopped stressing before it would have worked, because it took a LOT of determination, commitment, and belief to get to this point.

From my research on the consulate, I was expecting to hear back sometime around now. So when I got an email at 1:00 am with the subject line ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP, my heart stopped for a second. The email was so short, I had to read it multiple times to understand. Like it couldn’t possibly be official. Do you remember when I got my first email with the huge list of problems that needed correcting? I didn’t read that one carefully enough, and mistakenly believed it had gone through. But this one was different. It was maybe three lines, most of which explained how I could obtain a passport. A EUROPEAN PASSPORT.

This means I can stay in Europe as long as I want, and I can get a proper job. It means no one can force Gareth and I apart (um, until Brexit happens). It’s weird because I have very little connection to Italy. Other than my love of the food, I´ve never been there (though give me a few weeks!), I don’t know a word of the language, and even my actual genealogy isn’t very Italian. The true value of this passport is Europe. I can stay in Spain for as long as I want. I can move to France. I can live in the UK. I suddenly have 28 more countries in which I can legally work. The amount of languages I can study, cultures I can get to know, and food I can try has just increased by so much! Also a lot of places in Europe have nearly free or actually free masters programs. So, that´s also a PRETTY big plus.

I can’t believe it’s over, but WOW, am I happy to cross #1 off my list!

I know haven’t updated on this in a while, mostly because it turned into a bit of a nightmare, and I couldn’t really handle posting about it until I had something positive to update on. AND NOW I DO!

I think the last thing I posted was that my lawyer was going to get the court order in the beginning of September. Then nothing.

That’s because the order was denied. My lawyer was based in NY and the NY courts didn’t think they had jurisdiction over my entirely MA documents. Not knowing how to proceed, we decided to basically throw a Hail Mary, and try one more time under my dad’s name and hope for a different judge. If this failed I could have found (and paid for) a lawyer in MA (I looked for months during all of this and didn’t find ANYONE familiar with these types of cases), or applied directly in Italy (something that would have cost thousands more), obviously two options that were less than ideal. After a few months of back and forth about when the second court date would happen, my lawyer decided it would be best to apply under my grandmother, as we could use her maiden name and avoid the courts recognizing my last name and automatically assigning the same judge.

I waited about another month, and was promised the first week in December. Then the second week. And then I didn’t hear anything for a little while. It was two weeks of torture! I am not patient! Finally I got an email saying the case had been filed, which meant it would be heard in the next few days. This was the week before Christmas, so we were cutting it REALLY close to everything closing down. On Thursday I got an email saying to have hope – that the judge I had been assigned wasn’t familiar with these types of cases, but he wasn’t against them. He didn’t want to sign off until he talked to one other judge – one my lawyer had worked with a lot and felt very confident would be supportive. On Sunday, Christmas morning, I got an email saying it had worked! The order had been granted!

YOU GUYS. I was shocked. My case was REALLY difficult. Like Secondino changed his name to ANDREW and I was trying to prove they were the same person, even though his birthdates didn’t match and his wife was sometimes on documents as Stephanie and sometimes as Bella. None of these names match even a little! I thought after not hearing anything on Friday that I would have to wait until after the holidays, and even if this judge granted everyone else their orders, mine still might be rejected because of the NY/MA jurisdiction thing. So imagine my TOTAL joy of waking up on Christmas morning to an email saying it had worked! I cried. My mom cried. Everyone was insanely happy.

I sent it translated to the consulate, and the apostilled version should arrive there this week! Right now, the turn around has been about a month. Compared to the EIGHTEEN months I waited the first time around, that is amazing!

However. I’ve noticed a problem.

The LA consulate sent me a list of about 10 things that needed to be addressed in the court order. Only nine were. My dad’s middle name isn’t on his own birth certificate, but it is on mine. This is an issue for LA. It shouldn’t be, because it’s OBVIOUSLY THE SAME PERSON, but it is. I talked to my lawyer and apparently by filing through my grandmother, she didn’t think we could include my dad, because he is a generation below. I’ve talked to a few people and they think this is going to be a problem.

I’m really not sure what to do. I thought it was finally over, and now it feels far from it. After the email on Christmas, we decided I’d move in with Gareth this summer. Long distance could finally be over. Now, while I have hope maybe it’ll be okay, there’s a huge chance it won’t be, and that is not ideal.

That said. The court order I do have addressed the MAJOR issues with my case. I’m no longer worried I’ll never get Italian citizenship, just that it’ll take longer than I want (though it already has considering I applied back in 2014 and it’s now 2017).

The last thing I might need changed is so small, and so manageable, I know I’ll get it done. I have a plan:

1. Hope LA accepts it as is, but assume the won’t so I’ll simultaneously be doing step 2
2. Obtain my dad’s baptism and confirmation records that (hopefully) show how/when he took his middle name and this will (hopefully) be sufficient.
3. If both of those fail, I now feel educated enough to represent myself in a court local to where my dad lives, and I’ll fly home and try to do it myself.

That’s the update for the moment. I’ll keep you posted and you guys keep your fingers (and toes!) crossed for me.

Hi friends, I know it’s been too long since my last post, and while I have a huge backlog of stuff (G’s visit, I saw Kesha in Vegas!, etc), something really big/exciting happened last week that I want to talk about.

My last post about Italian Citizenship was not a happy one. I think we all deal with bad news in different ways, like I said earlier mine is to immediately get sad and feel beaten, and then get angry and SUPER motivated. My already low amount of patience ceases to exist, and I go into research overdrive until I come up with a game plan. This time was a little more difficult, because it was so dependent on other people, but when I’m determined, I’m pretty unstoppable.

I made two appointments, one with a lawyer, and one with a full service company that doesn’t charge you until they’ve successfully gotten you dual citizenship (what a deal!). I spoke with the latter first, and we went over their various packages. One of which was to apply directly in Italy, which was really appealing minus the thousands and thousands of dollar price tag.

These guys were super thorough though, and I wish I could go back in time and talk to them before ever applying. I don’t think I would be in this position if I had–I could have applied through a totally different family line, which I did NOT know. However, by the time we talked it was, of course, too late.

I could start all over, but would probably run into the same issues (Anglicization of names), and Massachusetts, where all my vital records are from, does not allow such documents to be amended. I’d need a court order, which is exactly what I need now anyway. These guys wouldn’t take me on for the apply in Italy route, even if I could afford it, because I’m definitely not a sure thing, and they didn’t want to do all the work and end up with me rejected again and them not seeing a dime. Applying myself, or through another company, would be a risk, and an expensive one I don’t feel great about taking.

So after that convo I was fairly unhappy. All my good options seemed to have disappeared, and I was pretty much stuck. The lawyer couldn’t talk to me for another few weeks, and mostly I was left to sit around and ponder how the consulate woman slept at night, being such a life ruiner.

What I need is a one and the same court order. Basically it takes all the differing, conflicting documents (Giovanni to John, incorrect birth dates, etc) and the court reviews them and orders that Giovanni born on December 10th is the same person as John born on December 11th. And that goes all the way down to me. In theory, a consulate can’t reject this, because it’s the highest certification the American government can give regarding our records. If it’s denied, the burden of proof falls on the Italian government to prove that I am not eligible, shifting from me having to prove I am.

This was stressful because I didn’t have any options when it came to hiring a lawyer, there was one woman with experience and basically no one else. (This is definitely an untapped market, lawyers looking for work!) She’s based in NY and again, all of my stuff is from MA, so we weren’t even sure she could represent me. However, we found out my great great grandparents arrived through Ellis Island, which should allow the NY courts to hear my case.

It’s all a bit scary, because there are no guarantees. What if they won’t hear my case? What if they deny me? What if the LA consulate STILL rejects me? What if it all comes to a really expensive nothing? Also WHY am I even doing it anymore, in the wake of the madness that is Brexit?! (The answer to that last one is for myself and my own European dreams, and not just for a relationship.)

There are a lot of unknowns and it’s still really expensive (just under $2,000 total). But after quite a bit of research, I realized it was pretty much my only option, and one I’m really glad exists. Without this lawyer I’d be pretty much at a dead end.

So last week I signed the contract and officially hired her. The money was sent over and we are officially in business. The ball is rolling once more! My order should come through in the first week of September. Then it gets translated and sent off to the consulate, where I’m sure it’ll get stuck in months of purgatory, but maybe not because in theory all the work is taken out of it. I’ll have definitively proven a successful claim. Please, please cross your fingers for me. I so badly want to be on the other side of this, it’s hard to even put into words. But it feels AMAZING knowing it’s back in motion. Things are happening!

Sorry I went so radio silent! A lot has happened these past few weeks, which luckily means I have a lot to catch up on. First, Gareth came!! And we went to Portland and Seattle and had super memorable (and vastly different) experiences at both. Then I heard back from Italy, which is what this post is going to be about. I also got promoted and and got another huge piece of news, but that one I’m keeping under wraps for a while longer.

So. Italy. Remember when I said I didn’t care what they said, if only I could hear back? Remember when I was innocent and oh so naive? Remember when I thought I’d be Italian by the end of May? … Do you see where this is going?

It happened in the saddest way too. It was my sister’s birthday. I got an email that basically said see the attached. It was the form you fill out to be registered on AIRE, where Italian citizens are registered. Getting on there means you are a citizen. Cut to me crying happy tears, on the phone with my mom feeling total joy. Feeling the world at my fingertips. THE WORLD WAS WIDE OPEN, you guys. Then I notice the second attachment. This one was all in Italian and was just a REALLY long list. A list of problems. Basically every document I have needs changing in some way. My dad used his middle name on his marriage license, but not on his birth certificate. This needs to be changed. My great, great grandfather changed his Italian name from Giovanni to John. Not okay. The list is long and overwhelming and seemingly full of doom. (It is also, to quote some friends who have also gotten their citizenship, unbelievable, vindictive, unwinnable, and pedantic.)

So I let it crush me for the afternoon. I cried. I decided it was hopeless. I sent SIX emails trying to bargain my way out of the reject pile. Well, not rejected. Pending. Upon completion of all of these millions of changes.

Then I got mad, and angry Kristen is usually productive. I would not let this petty consulate woman win. Because I had talked about the name discrepancies with the original woman who worked there, and she said a signed affidavit that all the people were the same would be enough. And until she left it was. Enter Luisa. Enter MUCH stricter guidelines. And no grandfather clause for this girl.

So I looked into options. One was to go and try to apply in Italy. That’s still an option, but not one I can currently pursue, what with my job (and promotion!) and such. So that’s on the back burner. However, I am incapable of letting things lie. If there’s something that CAN be done, I have to do it. So I’m also looking into actually hiring a lawyer to make all the necessary changes. The problem is that no one ever does this, except for Italian citizenship, so 99.9% of lawyers don’t know the protocol. I’ve spent two weeks looking for a lawyer and I’ve found one, MAYBE two. The one I have found has done this successfully quite a few times, and I’d feel great in her hands.

However, her hands are in New York. And getting the government to allow them into Massachusetts where she’d need to be, could cost up to $900. And that’s not even taking into account her actual fee or the $300 consult I’d have to do to even find out what her fee is. Then there’s my mother’s ex-coworker’s niece (yep, 6 degrees of separation right here), who is an immigration lawyer in Boston, and is apparently familiar with Italian citizenship claims. She’s currently looking at my list of necessary changes, and I’m HOPING I’ll hear back from her tomorrow, just to know if it’s a case she thinks she can take, and also what her rate is, because it’s been two weeks and I can’t get even a BALLPARK figure of how much this is going to cost me. And, you know, I’m vaguely curious.

Italy would probably be between $1200-4000 depending on what route I take (the $4,000 would be a last resort and probably a few years off, kill me now, but it’s 100% guaranteed), so I’ve got a few spoons in the fire.

Maybe I seem proactive and a little positive about this, but it honestly sent me into a huge tailspin for a few days. I have to drive past the consulate every day on my way from work, and I used to see it and imagine my file up there, waiting to be looked over. Knowing it was coming, could come any day. The hope, oh how I miss the hope.

Now I’m back at square one, and it’s so depressing. Back to being intensely questioned at the border every time I visit Gareth. Back to only being able to stay for three months and not being able to work while there. It’s not like I was planning on moving there any time soon, but knowing I CAN’T, knowing the only way for us to live together until this is sorted (and it’s already been 18 months, so it could go so much longer), is to get married, really sucks. Or we could just move to New Zealand and be done with it (I’m only half kidding, have you seen that place!?).

Basically, I’m sad, and a bit hopeless, but also really mad and willing to do whatever it freaking takes to get this done, because the best way to motivate me is to tell me no. So maybe it won’t be as soon (or as (relatively) cheap) as hoped, but this girl WILL be Italian. Mark my words!

I’m going to rant a bit, so please bear with me. But I’ve still not heard anything about Italian citizenship. And not just me–the December peeps haven’t heard anything as well.

We know she got up to November, because she tried to retroactively reject someone who applied then (my biggest nightmare) because in the 1.5 years since his appointment he had moved from the jurisdiction. NEVER MIND that there’s no rule whatsoever that states that post application you must remain in the area for the indiscriminate amount of time it takes for them to finally process you. Ignoring that during this time they can have NO ONE working on the applications for MONTHS at a time. No, you stay put for a few years while we sort it out. Ugh. (This was eventually contested and overruled, thank god.)

But nothing since then. No one from December has heard anything, no one from January, and definitely no one from February (where I’m at). It’s so frustrating. I have a legitimate question–when I applied back in 2014 I didn’t need my non-linear documents (the birth/death certs for the wives, basically). Which was great, mainly cause I didn’t have them. However, the new woman is requiring them, and if I’ll need them to complete my application YEARS LATER, I’d like to know now so I can start collecting them, and avoiding adding another few weeks/months to my processing time.

I emailed asking about this two weeks ago. I’ve called every day since. No reply. And the phone rings and rings until eventually a robot voice comes on suggesting I call back when they’re closed. Which I tried and that goes STRAIGHT to an automated message saying to call back when they are open.

It’s so beyond frustrating that the information is being withheld. If only someone would answer and just say yes or no. Just say, oh we’re working on it but it’s slow going so we’re still on December. ANYTHING to imply there are actual living humans working on this thing that is so incredibly important to me. Pero nada. Es horrible.

I really thought I’d have it by the end of May. That hope is QUICKLY dwindling, but it HAS to be soon. Right?!?!

I realized something kind of depressing today. Even though my citizenship appointment with the Italian consulate was at the beginning of December, because I didn’t mail in my Dad’s license until February, THAT is when I’ll be processed. Which is KIND of annoying because I was told this wasn’t the case, but it’s confirmed I’m in the with Feb crowd. Lame.

In better news, people from October are getting their passports, so progress is chugging along, and with the 2 week Christmas break in appointments, I’m really not THAT further back from where I was.

Also I went back through my saved 43things.com list and found this – posted back in 2011. Oh how far we’ve come! I just need patience for this last leg of the journey.

I apologize for the terrible formatting here, I can’t find a way to edit it!

Goal:	Get my Italian citizenship
Title:	Untitled
Date:	2011-03-22T04:54:01Z
Body:	I've always wanted/needed/planned on becoming an EU citizen at some point. However my options were always really limited, short of grad school or tricking someone into marriage. My mother is eligible for Irish citizenship, and when helping her research the requirements I realized—I'm eligible for Italian citizenship! I've only started the process this weekend, but as of now I've emailed my great-great grandparents' comune in Italy asking for their records, emailed immigration about my gggrandfather's immigration status, and am going home this week to get my (living) family member's records.

I am VERY excited and VERY nervous something will come to light that will

The last time I posted about this, it was to say that the consulate was taking a crazy long time to process applications, and I was already month past when I was supposed to receive my passport.  In August of 2015 (THREE MONTHS after I was supposed to receive my passport), someone contacted the consulate and realized something actually had gone wrong, and they had stopped processing EVERYTHING. This was definitely not ideal, and wasn’t fixed until January. However, another person called in and was told they have caught up a bit, and as of January 22nd were processing September of 2014 – only two months before me!

As sit’s now February, I’m getting closer and closer to it potentially being time to hear something. ANYTHING. And the more I realize this, the more impatient I get. It was hard knowing nothing was happening. But I knew NOTHING was happening, so it was frustrating but there was no impatience. No nerves. Now I’m terrified that the woman who was sent to replace the previous woman is going to retroactively reject my application. Also there haven’t been any updates since January 22nd! Some may say that’s only two and a half weeks, but I’d argue it’s felt more like two and a half YEARS. So I emailed in very broken, Google translated Italian asking for an update. I’d done this once before in English and never heard back, but I’m hoping the Italian will work in my favor. Also they have GOT to be close to processing me by now!

Fingers crossed it all goes quickly and smoothly from here on out. I’ve been working on this for years, and I am SO ready to be a member of the EU.