As we take stock of the year 2023, the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto is glad to inform that the year has ended with a significantly positive trend for our users: thanks to new local staff hired in 2022 and internal reorganization processes, we continued the action of improving services to applicants, which began in the second half of 2022.
Among other things, the Italian AIRE-registered community in this jurisdiction grew from 74,222 people in 2022 to 75,497 resident as of December 31, 2023.
There were 5,110 passports issued in the year, a peak never even touched in the past ten years (the previous “record” was in the now distant 2014, for 3,604 passports issued) with a more than doubled issuance, compared to the 2,456 passports issued in 2022 (+108.1% of documents!).
The Consulate then performed nearly 7,000 legalizations and processed 2,566 vital records (births, marriages and civil unions, deaths) compared to 1,873 documents in 2022 (+37%).
Complex applications for recognition of Italian citizenship by descent also increased, 537 in 2023 compared to 492 in 2022. At the same time, the Consulate completed a general and demanding review of the old calendar of appointments for citizenship by descent. A new calendar of appointments, hopefully more flexible than the previous one, will be opened soon. It is worth mentioning that the potential number of applicants is enormous: just under a million Canadians of Italian origin (data from the last Canadian census) reside in Ontario alone.
The year 2023 saw not only quantitative but also qualitative progress: in addition to the modernization of the IT equipment (which allowed for more efficient and faster processes) and the website, we strengthened the telephone service for passport dedicated to Italian nationals aged 70 and over, and we were the first Italian Consulate in the North American region to enable the use of debit cards for the payment of consular fees.
The year 2023 also saw an exponential increase in cultural and economic promotion events organized or supported by the Consulate.
In 2024, the Consulate General in Toronto will focus on consolidating the positive results achieved and, with the only limitation of available staff resources, which are still not optimal, will aim wherever possible for further improvements in the level of services rendered to users. We will also continue to plan events and initiatives for economic promotion and the dissemination of Italian language and culture.
For updates and news, please visit the Consulate’s website, keep following us!
