Smartmoveitaly Arvostelua 

During the pandemic, my boss became a tyrant, and for the first time in my life I started thinking: I wonder if I could really move to Italy and get away from this nonsense?

I started lurking in every Italy-Expat Facebook group I could find and spent months reading. One name kept popping up: Samantha Wilson. Her answers were always specific and clear. When I saw she was offering a free boot camp, I figured it was a way to find out whether this crazy idea was even possible. What did I have to lose?

I joined, loved that it was live and that you could actually ask questions in real time, and came away thinking: maybe we really could do this. So my husband and I signed up for the full course. Every week we sat together around the computer, genuinely excited for the next lesson. We learned about taxes, healthcare, finding somewhere to live—all the things you forget you already know how to do in your own country.

By the end, we knew we wanted to move. Whether we could actually get the visa was another matter.

Somewhere along the way, I hired a lawyer in Florence for $6,000 to help me. Eventually he stopped answering my emails. By then I was determined, and because I was working remotely, I could spend half my day chasing paperwork. I hired Samantha and Smart Move Italy to help me put together the visa application.

Eventually, both the lawyer and Samantha reviewed my final paperwork. Samantha spotted one thing I was missing. The lawyer didn't.

When I was sitting at the counter at the Italian consulate with my beautifully organized binder, the woman reviewing my application asked me for exactly that piece of paper. It was the golden ticket.

And their help didn't end when we got the visa. Samantha and her team helped us find our first apartment in Lucca, later a one in Rome, and later still a place in a little beach town. I honestly can't enumerate all the ways they've helped us. (Imagine what it's like trying to get your utilities turned on when you don't speak the language.)

Nearly five years after that first move, I recently sent them another desperate plea for help with a permesso renewal. The whole team swarmed in to help me.

I don't know how to say it more simply than this: this whole team is the best. Moving to another country is complicated, confusing, and sometimes maddening. Smart Move Italy has been there for us from the moment Italy was just a crazy idea to helping us navigate our life here five years later. I can't thank them enough or recommend them highly enough.

I first discovered smart move Italy during late spring 2020, when we were all in lockdown and I'd just managed to get back to Canada from my latest trip to Italy.
I had commented on a Facebook post and Samantha herself answered. Not only with useful info to my question, but extra info that helped me understand what I would need to do.
After attending the FREE bootcamp that year and heading back to Italy again, I managed to get my permesso in time.
And then when I was ready to buy my house, I used their services again to make sure my interests were protected. They always answered every question and now I'm living my dream!! Couldn't have done it without Sam and her fabulous team.

Smart Move Italy made my move to Italy a reality. Their team was talented and knowledgeable about how to navigate the many tasks needed, both when I was still in California, and then when I arrived in Florence. Perhaps their greatest strength for me was that there was an entire team working on my process, not a single or couple of individuals. After a while I realized that there was not going to be anything that they couldn't make happen, because as you can imagine, the bureaucracy can be brutal here in Italy. A very positive group of people all around. I recommend them highly.

I found Smart Move Italy through their free bootcamp. It was so helpful that my husband and I decided to work with them on my family visa.

The experience was incredibly positive. Their team answered every question we had and guided us through the entire process. Immigration is stressful no matter what because so much depends on government bureaucracy, but they stayed on top of everything every step of the way. Even during the waiting, I felt confident that my case was in good hands.

Thanks to their help, my visa was approved! I'm moving to Italy in just a few days and I couldn't be happier with the experience. I would absolutely recommend Smart Move Italy to anyone planning a move to Italy.

Zero stars
They screwed me out of my citizenship by dragging their tail and not submitting required documents for several months. Then the change in law came and now I'm without thousands of dollars and without a citizenship case.
Basically stole my money and refused to respond to emails now. DO NOT USE THEM

Do not use Smart Move Italy. We paid for them to file our visa. Our visa was rejected because Smart Move Italy did not file the proper paperwork. Smart Move Italy refused to fix the issues and just said "your contract stipulates that the total fee is due regardless of the application outcome"... they uploaded the wrong/blank documents! Very bizarre and defensive behavior. No customer service. Very bad communication. Smart Move Italy just complicates everything.