From ius soli to ius scholae, how the law could change to take Italian citizenship

The so-called ius scholae is the lowest common denominator that unites the various bills presented in Parliament, all by centre-left exponents, to revise the law on citizenship, along the lines of the text that arrived in the Chamber of Deputies at the end of the previous legislature and then foundered also due to the early dissolution of Parliament. Starting from the bill signed by the PD senator and former group leader Simona Malpezzi, which provides for the granting of Italian citizenship to foreign minors who were born in Italy or entered Italy before the age of 12, who reside legally in our country and have regularly attended for at least five years in the national territory one or more school cycles or vocational education and training courses suitable for obtaining a professional qualification. Contents that are also found in the proposal deposited by the Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra group leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Luana Zanella, and in that of M5S deputy Vittoria Baldino.

Instead, the proposals by former Chamber of Deputies President Laura Boldrini, Pd deputy Matteo Orfini and Dem senator Francesco Verducci go further, also envisaging the so-called ius soli. In the first case, citizenship is granted to those born in the territory of the Republic to foreign parents of whom at least one has been legally residing in Italy for at least one year, at the time of the child's birth, and to those born in the territory of the Republic to foreign parents of whom at least one was born in Italy.

The Orfini proposal envisages ius soli for children born in our country of foreign parents, at least one of whom has been legally residing there without interruption for no less than five years or holds a long-term residence permit. Contents similar to Verducci's text, according to which anyone born in the territory of the Republic of Italy of foreign parents, at least one of whom has the right of permanent residence or a long-term residence permit, acquires citizenship. A decisive requisite for obtaining one of these titles, it should be noted, is residence in Italy for at least five years.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the proposal presented last week in the Chamber of Deputies by the Head of Sport of the PD, Mauro Berruto, to regulate the registration of foreign minors born in Italy with sports clubs and associations and the cases of granting citizenship.