Sonny Olumati was born in Rome and has lived in Italy all his life but the country he calls home does not recognise him as its own. To Italy, Sonny is Nigerian, like his passport, and the 39-year-old is only welcome as long as his latest residence permit.

The fate of millions of immigrants is at stake as Italians vote in a two-day referendum that proposes to speed up the process of acquiring citizenship for foreigners who legally entered the country. The referendum also seeks to roll back labour reforms to provide enhanced job protections.

Italians began two days of voting Sunday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labor laws, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government opposed to both and urging people to abstain.