The very long process of definitive approval of the law on citizenship seems to know no end. Approved at the end of 2015 by the Chamber, the ius soli is awaiting examination by the Senate. The Democratic Party cannot find adequate support. Alfano and his family, in fact, have made themselves unwilling to vote on the law. He will talk about it again in November: Gentiloni has clearly said that he does not want to risk political incidents before the budget maneuver is approved. Pope Francis has also entered the debate, affirming the need for the "right to a nationality for all children".
The Leone Moressa Foundation, a study and research institute specializing in immigration economics, has outlined an identikit of what the new Italian citizens would be if the reform of the "ius soli temperate" were approved (a child born in Italy it automatically becomes Italian if at least one of the two parents has been legally in Italy for at least 5 years; more detailed the case in which the parent in possession of a residence permit does not come from the EU).
According to the Foundation, the foreign minors residing in Italy who would obtain the benefit of citizenship would be 800, approximately 80% of those living in our country. To this number would be added 58 potential beneficiaries each year.
To become Italians in all respects would be mainly Christians, Catholics and Orthodox. One in three is Muslim. To date, there are over 200 different nationalities among the school desks in Italy. The most represented country is Romania (about 158 Romanian pupils enrolled in Italian schools), followed by Albania, Morocco and China. It is no coincidence that the first three countries in the ranking coincide with the three most numerous communities in Italy.
Of the 800 thousand children could become Italian, around 635 thousand would benefit from the Ius Soli, while the remaining number could make use of the Ius Culturae, which passes through the Italian school system (foreign minors born in Italy or arriving within the age of 12 can apply for Italian citizenship who have attended Italian schools for at least five years and passed at least one primary or secondary school cycle).
