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Getting Legal in Rome as a EU Citizen | Anthony Majanlahti shares his story

My experience of getting my residency is not the most difficult one I've heard of. Refugees have it worse, in fact just about everyone who isn't an EU citizen has it harder. I can only tell my own story.

I was born and raised in Canada, of an English mother and a Finnish father. I'm a historian and writer about Rome, and obviously there's no better place for me to live and do my research than here. However, for many years I lived here very hazardously, never sure if, once having left the country, the authorities would let me back in. I will draw a polite curtain over the stress of my life here as an extracomunitario. Temporary permessi di soggiorno for the purposes of study would expire, and have to be renewed, always from the Italian Consulate in Toronto, because they wouldn't do it from Italy. So back I would go. And that kind of permesso didn't give the right to work. More here
http://www.expatslivinginrome.com/GETTING-LEGAL.html