BACKGROUND NOTE
STATELESSNESS
INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS
1961 UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE REDUCTION OF STATELESSNESS
1.
This Convention, ratified by the United Kingdom Government in
March 1966, places certain obligations on contracting states to grant
its nationality to persons born stateless either in or outstide its
Reins territory. The Convention allows for the grant of nationality tô bé make
subject to a number of specific conditions, including such matters as
time limits for application, a specific period of residence in the
territory concerned, and questions of national security etc.
1977 UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL RIGHTS
2.
This Covenant was ratified by the United Kingdom Government in
May 1976. Article 12 states that "No-one shall be arbitrarily deprived
of the right to enter his own country". In ratifying this Covenant
the United Kingdom Government reserved the right to continue to apply
such immigration restrictions as they deemed necessary, and their
acceptance of this Article was on that basis. This reservation extended
to the dependent territories.
DEFINITION OF STATELESSNESS
3.
There does not appear to be any internationally agreed definition
of statelessness, but we take it to mean "Having no form of citizenship For nationality of any country". If a person can show that he is not
accepted as a national of any country, then we will regard him as being
stateless for the purposes of the British Nationality Act 1981.
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Private notes are available after approval.