Italian translator is denied citizenship in Italy because she 'does not' know the language

Denied citizenship because he “does not know the Italian language”. But the applicant works as a translator to the court and to the police

A young Croatian woman who has lived in Italy for 14 years had her application for Italian citizenship by naturalization rejected by the... Ministry of the Interior, this Tuesday (26). According to the statement from the Italian agency, she did not comply with one of the requirements of the Security Decree: knowing the language.

The curious thing is that the young woman, who lives in Trieste, went to high school in Italy, is about to graduate in law and works as a translator (from English-Croatian) protocols for Court of Trieste and for the State Police.

For the member of the PD – Democratic Party, Debora Serracchiani, who opposes the current government, this is a “regrettable situation”.

This Wednesday, she made a representation to the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini. “It seems really unusual for a citizen who has lived and worked in Trieste for more than 14 years not to know our language,” said the Italian politician.

According to her, the application of the new law on the acquisition and revocation of Italian citizenship is an abnormal, disproportionate, and irrational interpretation. "I asked Minister Salvini if ​​he doesn't consider it necessary to take administrative measures to verify the applicants' actual knowledge of the Italian language."

Since December 2018, the rules for those wishing to apply for Italian naturalization have become more demanding. Through the Salvini Decree, which became law, the Italian government requires prior knowledge of the language through a proficiency test. The candidate for naturalization must reach at least level B1 — which is equivalent to intermediate — for the process to be completed. The rule applies both to those who live in Italy and to those who have initiated their Italian naturalization at Italian consulates in Brazil.

Statement issued by the Italian ministry

Associations and representatives of Italians in Brazil are trying to change the regulations so that the requirement is relaxed and the proficiency test is presented at the end of the process. Currently, the exam must be attached to the other documents at the beginning of the process.

Learn more: Italian test comes into force and stops naturalization processes