On April 1, 2025, Italy announced a new immigration policy requiring citizenship applicants to demonstrate genetic ties to specific Italian goat breeds. Applicants must undergo genetic testing for markers linked to breeds such as the Girgentana, Valle del Belice, Sarda, and Cilentana goats. Alternatively, adopting overpopulated goats from Sicily can enhance an applicant's priority. The application process involves locating a secretive office in Rome, with documentation requirements and the overseeing department yet to be established. This initiative aims to preserve Italy's cultural heritage by fostering a connection between new citizens and the nation's esteemed goat breeds.

Italy has redrawn the line on citizenship by descent, and the two-generation rule is here to stay. For those who saw an Italian passport as a gateway to Europe, the window may have just closed.

We have confirmed new legal interpretations regarding Italian citizenship by descent, which affect administrative applications made through consulates and municipalities. Under the new guidelines, minors born in jus soli countries (like the U.S., Canada, or Australia) who gained foreign citizenship when their parent naturalized can only retain Italian citizenship if they formally elected to do so within one year of reaching adulthood (age 21). This new interpretation applies immediately to administrative cases, but does not impact judicial cases, such as 1948 cases, although some earlier court rulings have led to rejections in similar situations.