Meet the Team: Brian, Eligibility Specialist & Essentials Document Coordinator at ViaMonde

Brian after recognition of Italian dual citizenship.

There are a lot of moving parts involved in making the move abroad. The entire process can be overwhelming and frustrating. We get it. But why trust ViaMonde to help you through this life changing experience? Because we’ve lived it for ourselves.

Meet Brian, Eligibility Specialist & Essentials Document Coordinator at ViaMonde. Brian began the tedious process of collecting his ancestral vital records in 2021, a decade after he originally learned that he might be eligible for jure sanguinis (Italian citizenship by descent). Unfamiliar with the complexities of the laws that govern jure sanguinis, Brian assumed his ancestor’s naturalization disqualified him. 

It wasn’t until his career as a teacher led him to living abroad in China that he realized his mistake. Deep in conversation about their heritage, an Italian colleague explained that despite Brian’s great grandfather naturalizing in the US, his line was still viable for Italian citizenship.

When Covid hit, Brian returned to the US and started digging in to learn everything he could about Italian citizenship laws. His research led him to Jennifer Sontag, ViaMonde’s founder, and attended her four week course for DIY document collectors. Fed up with the New York Consulate’s never-ending waitlist that kept stringing him along for nearly three years, Brian turned to Jennifer; there had to be a better way.

“Come to Sicily!” She said. 

A few months later Brian arrived in a picturesque, rural mountain town where he successfully applied for Italian citizenship by descent. Since the beginning of his journey in 2011, Brian had always dreamt of moving to Italy. So, making the jump from applying at the consulate to applying through residency was a leap in the right direction.

“If I had waited any longer, I would have been disqualified by the minor issue,” Brian reminisced, “I also would have been disqualified by the decree law because my line goes back through my great grandfather.” The decision to apply in Italy helped him gain recognition before the new rules that spoiled the same dream for so many others.

Brian’s love of teaching helped him assimilate into his small Sicilian community. Teaching English in local schools was the perfect opportunity for making new friends. Eventually, his teaching skills led him back to Jennifer where he now enjoys guiding people through the document collection process and researching clients’ genealogy. Sicily captured Brian’s heart, and spurred his passion for assisting others who share the goal of making a life abroad. 

“Be willing to make mistakes,” Brian advises others seeking an expat life. “And do your research, but don’t let fear stop you. Making mistakes is part of the journey, sometimes the best part.”