Khalid Abaker, a Sudanese citizen who has been living and working in Italy for seven years, highlights a situation common among many migrants. He has a three-year-old daughter, but neither of them has yet obtained Italian citizenship. It is important to note that the children of migrants are not undocumented. Currently, the child will have to wait until she turns 18 to apply, unless her parent has already met the conditions for citizenship, in which case the waiting period of five years still applies. A recent citizenship referendum gathered 500,000 signatures, aiming to reduce the waiting period from 10 to 5 years. This proposal is not an extreme demand but rather a reasonable adjustment to facilitate integration for those who have already built their lives in Italy. Khalid’s testimony underscores the challenges faced by migrants and their children in navigating the path to citizenship.
