Stateless people have no nationality or citizenship, often due to the collapse of a government or denial of citizenship to minorities. Voluntarily renouncing citizenship is rare, and expulsion can result in statelessness. Stateless people face many problems, including lack of protection and difficulty traveling or seeking assistance. Efforts are being made to prevent statelessness and help stateless individuals gain citizenship.
A stateless person is a person who has no nationality or citizenship. There are several ways someone can become stateless, but this condition is most common among refugees. Since 1954, when the United Nations held a conference to address this issue, the position of statelessness has been greatly clarified and many nations are attempting to prevent people from becoming stateless.
One of the classic ways to become stateless is the collapse of a national government. If the government is not replaced, former citizens can become stateless because they have no official residence anywhere. Ethnic, religious and cultural minorities who are denied citizenship can also be stateless. From day to day, this may not be a problem, but as soon as these people travel, their stateless status will become an issue.
It is possible to become a stateless person by voluntarily renouncing citizenship, but this is rare, because consulates usually do not allow a person to renounce their citizenship without providing proof of citizenship elsewhere. This citizenship status can also occur when someone renounces their citizenship without realizing that their citizenship in another nation has expired or has not been validated. Both of these cases are increasingly rare, thanks to efforts to reduce the number of stateless people around the world.
Citizens can also be expelled by their governments, in which case they can become stateless. People who are deported can usually apply for refugee status based on their deportation, and some countries provide programs designed to help refugees gain citizenship quickly, especially if they are stateless. A stateless person may also be issued with special travel documents which enable him or her to pass through immigration to reach a final destination, such as in the case of a stateless person trapped in England who has been granted refugee status in the Netherlands.
Stateless people face a variety of problems. They are not entitled to the protections and benefits provided to citizens, for example, and usually cannot travel abroad. In some famous cases, stateless people have been moved from place to place as they have been repeatedly refused entry by immigration authorities. Many of them are victims of violence or persecution and their stateless status makes it difficult for them to seek assistance or find lawyers.
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