The President of the Manchester Comites, Cesare Ardito, took part on behalf of the body in the Rushcliffe School Summer Market, an initiative promoted by Alessia Beneventi, Head of the Italian School in Nottingham, and organized at Rushcliffe School with the involvement of numerous organizations, families, and local groups. The event was an important opportunity to listen to and engage directly with the Italian community in Nottinghamshire. At the Comites information stand, visitors could pick up up-to-date materials, ask questions about consular and administrative matters, and flag specific concerns or needs. Many people stopped by, confirming both the interest in and need for discussion on pressing topics for Italians living in the UK. Among these topics were: Italian citizenship (particularly recent regulatory changes and new application forms), passports and processing times, electronic identity cards, travel regulations (ETA and eVisa), and the role and remit of Comites, all of which generated great interest among attendees. During the event, President Ardito also spoke with local officials - including the Deputy Mayor of Rushcliffe, Richard Butler, and Councillor Hari Om - about the cultural and social contribution the Italian community makes to the local community. The Manchester Comites thanks the organizers for the invitation and all participants for their warm welcome. Remember, you can always contact the Committee via the official website, by email, or through the digital help desk on the Facebook page.

A delegation from the Manchester Comites, led by President Cesare Ardito and consisting of Secretary-Councillor Silvia Massini and Councillor Silvana Poloni, took part today in the EU Citizens Gathering  organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom at the University of Manchester. The event—built around a rich series of themed panels and interactive workshops—provided a key forum for discussing the status of EU citizens’ rights in the post-Brexit era, relations with Brussels institutions, and prospects for transnational cooperation. The institutional presence was particularly high-profile: proceedings opened with remarks from several diplomats, including Italy’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK, Riccardo Smimmo, followed by greetings from Pedro Serrano, the EU Ambassador in London. The closing address was delivered by Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who emphasized the importance of valuing migration’s contribution to both British and European society. Also in attendance were the Italian Consul in Manchester, Gabriele Magagnin, and numerous representatives of the Italian community active in the European third-sector: Giulia Canu for the EU Citizens Campaigns Network  of the3million , Hasnain Altaf of INCA UK , Claudia Dalpero of Europe Street News , and Elena Remigi of Comites London and the CGIE. The gathering was joined as well by councillors from the Consejos de Residentes Españoles  (CRE) and David Casajeros from the Consejo General de la Ciudadanía Española en el Exterior  (CGCEE)—Spanish bodies very similar to the Italian Comites and CGIE. This meeting continued a fruitful exchange of best practices between the two Mediterranean communities, laying the groundwork for future collaboration on shared concerns such as safeguarding social rights, improving access to consular services, and undertaking joint cultural promotion. “As every year, taking part in the EU Citizens Gathering,” President Cesare Ardito remarked at the close of the sessions, “gives us an important platform to bring the voice of Italians in the United Kingdom into the European debate. It is especially gratifying to see an event of this calibre held outside London—particularly for us who operate in the north of England—and to see it so well attended. Relations between the European Union and the UK are clearly improving, with significant results such as the recent change to absence rules for holders of pre-settled status; however, much work remains to ensure full and stable protections for Europeans in the UK.” The Manchester Comites intends to build on this progress by strengthening ties with local, British, and European institutions, and by promoting initiatives for dialogue, training, and networking that highlight the contribution of Italians in England within the broader European context.

What a day at Lancaster Festa Italia! The event kicked off on a rainy but well-attended Saturday evening with a musical performance, and culminated today in a sunny Lancaster city centre filled with Italian music, food, colours and traditional costumes. Comites members Cesare Ardito and Silvia Massini were present, joined briefly by one of our auditors, Rocco Abazia. Together they hosted a stand to meet the local community, gather feedback, and offer support. We spoke with dozens of people curious to learn more about our work in support of the Italian community, many of whom sought advice or assistance. Community input helps us identify priorities and critical issues on which to focus our resources and communication efforts. Most citizens we met had already received their electoral ballot, but not all: in those cases, we helped them request a duplicate from the Consulate. Congratulations to the organisers at Totally Local Lancaster, and thank you to everyone who stopped by to speak with us.L'evento è iniziato in un piovoso, ma partecipato, sabato sera con un'esibizione musicale, ed è culminato oggi in una soleggiata piazza centrale di Lancaster con musica, cibo, colori e costumi italiani.

The Manchester Comites also took part in the 135th Madonna del Rosario Procession, held last Sunday in Manchester. The procession, organised by the Manchester Italian Association, saw the participation of several Catholic parishes from the city. It began in Ancoats—once known as “Little Italy”—and passed through the city centre to St Peter’s Square, where a moment of prayer was held in front of the Central Library. The procession then returned to Ancoats for concluding remarks at the historic Halle St Michael. Numerous institutional figures and community representatives took part in the event, including the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Carmine Grimshaw, and the President of the Dante Alighieri Society in Manchester, Manuela Costanzo. A heartfelt thank you goes to the entire organising committee, and in particular to Lorraine Taurasi, Carmine Loreto Rea, and Gina Rea of the MIA for the impeccable organisation. “It is always moving to see how deeply rooted traditions continue to bring together different generations,” commented Comites President Cesare Ardito, adding, “Many compatriots who have recently arrived also participated with enthusiasm: a powerful sign that our community, despite its diverse paths and stories, remains deeply connected through shared symbols and moments like this one.” Carmine Loreto Rea (Vice President, Manchester Italian Association), Lorraine Taurasi (President, Manchester Italian Association), and Cesare Ardito (President, Manchester Comites) in front of the statue of the Madonna del Rosario.

The Plenary Assembly of the CGIE (General Council of Italians Abroad) — the advisory body to the Government and Parliament on matters concerning Italians abroad, and the representative body of the Comites, who elect its territorial councillors — concluded today. This year, a motion was unanimously approved calling for an increase in staff at the Consulate in Manchester and the creation of a task force to clear the backlog that is significantly affecting waiting times for many postal services. Those who have been following us for some years may have noticed that this is the third consecutive year the CGIE has endorsed such an appeal. As stated, the CGIE is an advisory body; it is up to the Government and Parliament to decide whether and how to translate this recommendation into concrete action. The difficulties in this consular district continue to be brought to light in every possible forum, in line with the representative role entrusted to us by our fellow citizens. A heartfelt thank you goes to the lead signatory, Councillor Luigi Billè, and to all CGIE members who endorsed the motion. Below is the text of the approved motion: Nearly three years after the reopening of the Italian Consulate in Manchester (July 2022), the state of consular services remains highly critical. Despite the extraordinary commitment of staff — which has led to exceptional results in passport issuance (ranking 14th worldwide by total volume in 2024) — service provision remains insufficient to meet users’ needs. Following two previously submitted motions, this latest motion highlights the following issues: The waiting time for processing postal passport applications now exceeds six months; The Consulate’s phone lines are only available two hours per week and are, in practice, extremely difficult to reach; The Consulate is unable to offer effective assistance in completing applications to all citizens who need it, and merely directs them to the website; The Prenot@mi platform, used to book passport and electronic ID appointments, is almost instantly saturated when new slots are released, making access extremely difficult and creating significant inequalities among users. These serious service access issues are encouraging the growth of a parallel market, in which various actors within the consular district offer paid assistance for profit or exploit the need for support for personal or political gain. The current dedication of staff, while commendable and extraordinary, cannot alone compensate for a structural lack of personnel that undermines the quality and fairness of service delivery. Furthermore, the Italian population in the consular district is continuously growing, due both to internal migration within the UK and to the young average age of AIRE-registered residents. These factors make it clear that the current issues will only worsen unless urgent action is taken to realise the full potential of the strategic investment made with the reopening of the consulate. In light of the above, we REQUEST: The immediate allocation of additional resources to permanently increase staff capacity, including through new permanent hires. The urgent deployment of a temporary task force, composed of contract staff, to clear the backlog in postal applications.

Greetings to Matteo Corradini, who today ends his mandate as Consul of Italy in Manchester, and thanks for his commitment and dedication. Corradini had the merit of completing the reopening of the Consulate of Italy in Manchester in a difficult period after the pandemic, giving back an essential point of reference to the Italian community in the North and Central of England . He has always listened and put the needs of his fellow citizens first, building relationships with Italian associations, institutions and professionals, as well as with local authorities and institutions. In a constituency where the Italian population is widely distributed, his constant presence on the territory, with numerous visits to local communities, has demonstrated attention and closeness. With the Comites and with all the councillors he has always maintained an open and constructive dialogue, actively participating in many initiatives and supporting them with conviction. Always available for discussion and transparent in his work, he has established a relationship of trust that will remain a point of reference. We thank him for his work and wish him every success in his diplomatic career.

Warning: some information in this 2022 webinar is outdated. We recommend watching, instead, the most recent webinar which is available here . On May 4th, a webinar organized by Settled in collaboration with us and with the Italian Consulate in Manchester and the Embassy of Italy in London was held on the most relevant issues for European citizens in the United Kingdom after Brexit on the subject of EU Settlement Scheme, i.e. the transition from Pre-Settled status to Settled Status, long absences and late applications. The meeting was introduced and moderated by Cristina Tegolo, Settled's service coordinator and advisor to our Comites. The Councilor Paolo Mari of the Embassy of Italy in London, the Italian Consul in Manchester Matteo Corradini and the Avv. Manuela Travaglini, consultant to the Embassy on Brexit and citizens' rights. The webinar saw good audience participation, with over 200 viewers live on Facebook, along with 60 viewers connected directly on the Zoom platform. Below you can find the complete recording of the webinar, unfortunately available only in Italian. Enjoy!

Warning: some information in this 2022 webinar is outdated. We recommend watching, instead, the most recent webinar which is available here . The Comites of London in collaboration with us and with the charity Settled organized a webinar dedicated to family reunification within the EU Settlement Scheme, with free participation. The speakers were Cesare Ardito (Settled EUSS Legal Advisor and chairman of the communication commission of the Comites of Manchester), Veronica Bortolato (Settled EUSS legal advisor) and Manuela Travaglini (solicitor, consultant to the Embassy on Brexit and citizens' rights). The meeting was moderated by Elena Remigi (Comites London councilor). The meeting started with an overview of the EUSS joining family members scheme, talking about who is entitled to obtain it, how to apply in the various cases, what evidence to attach to the application, and what to do in case of refusal. Ardito spoke of EEA citizens with a biometric document (or non-EEA with BRCs), and Bortolato focused instead on non-EEA citizens, or EEA citizens with paper documents. Subsequently, the lawyer Travaglini further investigated some particular aspects: applications for minor children, applications for durable partners (unmarried partners), and the evidence to be presented to prove dependence on one's sponsor for financial or health reasons. After that, the speakers answered questions received by Comites in London via email in the previous weeks regarding various topics. In real time, Cristina Tegolo (Settled Service coordinator and chair of the Brexit commission of the Comites of Manchester) offered useful information in written form and links to obtain more information. Here you can download the slides used during the event in Italian or in English: Below, you can watch the complete recording of the webinar. For questions relating to your personal situation regarding family reunification, please contact Settled directly. For any other questions, feel free to contact us! ‎Update ‎ ‎(July 24, 2022): Compared to what was stated during the webinar, Home Office confirmed that the guidelines for ‎ ‎ durable partners ‎ ‎ (couples that were not married nor in a civil union on December 31, 2020) can also apply to relationships that began after December 31, 2018, as long as they were already stable on December 31, 2020. ‎ ‎Below you can find ‎ ‎Settled 's press release on the subject:‎ Update (November 18th, 2024): c ompared to what was stated during the webinar, Home Office has changed the interpretation of the guidelines, requiring greater caution for those who find themselves applying for family reunification having previously visited the UK as a tourist. Here is the press release from the charity Settled on the subject: There’s a recent change to the rules for Joining Family Members (JFM) applying under the EU Settlement Scheme. Now, all JFM applications must be submitted within 3 months of the very FIRST visit to the UK after 31 December 2020. This new rule, stated in the guidance, applies whether you’re making the application from inside or outside the UK. If the joining family member visited the UK as a tourist after 31/12/2020 and did not plan to stay, they will need to explain this clearly. Home Office might reach out by email to ask why the JFM is applying late. For this reason, if the JFM visited UK prior their current application (and after 31/12/2020) it’s very important to prepare a letter with: The dates of any previous UK visits, A statement confirming these visits were for short stays, such as tourism or family visits, and that there was no intention to settle at that time. The change in circumstances that can explain the reasonable ground of the current “late” application. Please be aware: Late applications are not straightforward. Under these new rules JFM may become a Late Application. If the Home Office doesn’t find the reason for the delay acceptable, they may reject the application.

How to obtain the Fiscal Code if you are an Italian living abroad and, above all, what is the utility in requesting it and what are the related services. This was the theme of the webinar organized on November 7, 2024 by the three Comites of London, Manchester and Scotland-Ireland, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in London. The full webinar is below. After an introduction to the tax code, the webinar explained how to download it for free and quickly from the Fast-IT portal. This was followed by an overview of the Italian digital identity (SPID, CIE) and the different tax code tests that can be used to obtain it. The webinar also discussed foreign pensions and the importance of having a tax code to interface with INPS and the Italian PA in general. The webinar ended by answering questions from the public about the health card and AIRE, the green tax code card, and retirement in Italy. The speakers were: Consul Rossella Gentile representing the Consulate General of Italy in London, Marianna Nardelli and Maria Cristina Mongeluzzo of INCA London, Anna Cambiaggi of Comites London, Cesare Ardito of Comites Manchester and Beppe Ragona of Comites of Scotland and Northern Ireland. We also thank the communications office of the Comites of London for the technical support. Below we make available for download the slides shown during Cesare Ardito's speech: Useful links: Request tax code on Fast-IT . Notice no. 7 AGID on validity of certificates for SPID . Link to the webinar on the Comites London website . Tax code (Consulate of Manchester) .

Yesterday, Monday 25 November, the Comites of Manchester participated in the official presentation of the docuseries "Drops of Italy", held at the Press Room of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome. Representing the Comites were the President Cesare Ardito and the Vice-President Safiqul Islam, together with colleagues from the Comites of London and Comites Scotland and Northern Ireland. "Drops of Italy, conceived and directed by Mirko Ricci and produced by Complitaly TV, is an ambitious project realized thanks to the funding of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the synergy between the Comites of the United Kingdom. The docuseries, composed of 19 episodes, offers an authentic cross-section of the life and experiences of the Italian community in the United Kingdom, photographing the presence and contribution of Italians in British society. The event, moderated by the Hon. Simone Billi (President of the Committee Italians in the World at the Chamber of Deputies), was enriched by the presence of some of the interviewees, who reached Rome from Great Britain with great generosity and a spirit of collaboration, bringing their testimonies. The event also represented an important opportunity for dialogue and discussion between representatives of the three Comites of the United Kingdom, laying the foundations for new collaborations and shared projects for the benefit of the Italian community. A heartfelt thank you also to the Consulates of Italy in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, and to all those who made this project possible. We look forward to sharing this docuseries with all of you in 2025! Below is the recording of the event on Complitaly TV: And on the WebTV of the Chamber of Deputies:

Joint Statement by the Comites of London, the Comites of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the Comites of Manchester The annual meeting of the Intercomites United Kingdom was held remotely on July 24, 2024. The Intercomites is the coordinating body among the Committees of Italians Abroad (Comites) in the United Kingdom, aimed at information exchange and optimizing cooperation and resources to enhance support for the Italian community. In attendance were the Consul General of Italy in London, Domenico Bellantone; the Consul of Italy in London, Rossella Gentile; the Consul General of Italy in Edinburgh, Veronica Ferrucci; the Counselor of the Embassy of Italy in London, Paolo Mari; the Administrative Assistant of the Embassy of Italy in London, Lucia Zoroddu; and the Italian MP Toni Ricciardi and Simone Billi. Representing the General Council of Italians Abroad (CGIE), Elena Remigi and Giovanni D'Angelo participated. Representing the Comites were the President of the Comites of London, Alessandro Gaglione; the President of the Comites of Manchester, Cesare Ardito; and the Vice President of the Comites of Scotland and Northern Ireland, Michela Calcagni. During the meeting, the importance of information exchange and collaboration among the Comites was reiterated, considering that many of the topics discussed affect all Italians in the United Kingdom and sometimes all Italians abroad, not just those within the specific consular district. Past examples of successful collaboration among the Comites include webinars on the EU Settlement Scheme and the documentary on the Italian community by Complitaly, whose filming was recently completed. For the future, there is a shared intention to organize further seminars or webinars on topics relevant to Italian citizens in the United Kingdom, such as the Italian digital identity (SPID), and new work, family, and study visas. Additionally, collaboration will continue to provide support and guidance regarding the EU Settlement Scheme. In synergy with the Consulates, the Comites closely monitor the provision of consular services such as passports, identity cards, and AIRE registration, representing the voice of the Italians they serve to the institutions and making proposals to help improve services where possible. During the meeting, shared optimism was expressed regarding the bill proposed by Hon. Ricciardi, co-signed by all elected representatives abroad, currently under discussion in Parliament, which aims to allocate a portion of the revenue from passport issuance to consular offices. This would introduce a productivity incentive to facilitate investments to improve services and reduce waiting times. The Intercomites thanks all participants for their availability, the fruitful exchange of information, and their ongoing collaboration.

On invitation of the Consul Matteo Corradini, the Comites of Manchester attended the inauguration of the Consulate of Italy in Manchester, located on the second floor in the building "The Chancery" (58 Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 1EW) which will open to the public on 18 July. Present were Sottosegretario Della Vedova, the Director General for Italians Abroad Vignali, elected CGIE councillors D'Angelo and Billè, the Honorary Consuls of Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham and Birmingham, the parliamentarians elected for italians abroad Massimo Ungaro and Simone Billi, and many representatives of the associations and the Italian community present in the consular district of Manchester. The inauguration ceremony was followed by a meeting with Sottosegretario Della Vedova and Director General Vignali to discuss the situation of Italians in the United Kingdom, in which Comites participated with six brief interventions by the presidents of each commission. We renew our best wishes to the Consul Matteo Corradini and the Consulate staff, and we leave you to watch a vlog (in Italian) made by Gianluigi Cassandra, Vice President of this Comites, published on his Youtube channel, with interviews and interventions by some of our councillors and representatives of the institution.