Citizenship referendum, possible Yes effect. In Lombardy there are 1.2 million foreign residents: 370,200 could halve the time

Milan, 7 June 2025 – There are 371,200 non-EU citizens from Lombardy who could benefit from the referendum reform on citizenship on 8 and 9 June.

The referendum concerns five issues, four on work and one on the reform of one of the requirements for requesting citizenship, namely the reduction from 10 to 5 years of continuous residence (as, moreover, happened before the 1992 law). This is certainly the most divisive issue, so much so that, precisely around the fifth question, there have also been episodes of vandalism: in Brescia, on Thursday, posters regularly posted in the electoral spaces authorized for the referendum were torn down and covered with abusive posters, containing false, misleading and racist messages with slogans against "easy citizenship".

A possible victory for the 'yes' (subject to reaching the quorum ) would allow non-EU citizens who have continuously resided in Italy for 5 years instead of 10 to submit the citizenship application (for Europeans the requirement is currently 4 years). However, all the other requirements remain: proof of knowledge of Italian, no convictions or criminal proceedings in progress and, above all, a stable and adequate income in the last three years. Calculating how many beneficiaries would be is not simple, because it is necessary to consider those who, in fact, have five years of continuous residency.

Immigrants in Milan, Central Station

The most recent data on the presence of people with non-Italian citizenship in Lombardy speak of 1.2 million, mostly between Milan, Brescia and Bergamo. In Lombardy schools, 215 thousand minors with non-Italian citizenship study , of which 74 thousand in the Milan area, almost 31 thousand in Brescia, over 25 thousand in Bergamo. How many would benefit from the shortening of the residency period from 10 to 5 years? According to the estimate calculated by the Idos Study and Research Centre in Lombardy, there would be 317,200 potential beneficiaries, practically 1 in 4; this is 26% of the beneficiaries in all of Italy. Of these, 79,600 would be minors (28% of the national total): compared to those present in schools, almost 1 in 3. The others would be excluded mainly for reasons of income and housing. According to the Leone Moressa Foundation report on the economy of immigration 2024, in Lombardy the average income of immigrants is 18,480 euros, 10,830 euros less than Italians. The largest differences are recorded in Bergamo (-14,990 euros), Monza and Lecco (-10 thousand).

In Lombardy, the referendum call is intended for approximately 8 million voters

Five questions to repeal or maintain rules, or parts of them, on work (four questions) and citizenship. In Lombardy, the call for a referendum is intended for approximately 8 million voters who on Sunday 8 and Monday 9 June will be able to express themselves with a 'yes' or a 'no' on the following issues. The first concerns illegitimate dismissals (light green ballot), that is, eliminating the rule that regulates illegitimate dismissals according to the system of contracts with increasing protections introduced by the reform of the Renzi government. The second ballot, the orange one, refers to the maximum compensation that is due to a worker unfairly dismissed within a small business. In the grey ballot, voters are called to express their opinion on fixed-term contracts of up to 12 months without a reason; the red ballot concerns safety at work with particular reference to the liability of contractors or subcontractors.

The citizenship question, however, will be present on the yellow ballot. The great unknown remains the achievement of the quorum: for the results to be valid, 50% plus one of Italians must vote in the referendum.