INTRODUCTION This report presents the findings of a Participatory Assessment on the situation of stateless persons in the United Kingdom (UK) “I am human.” These are the words of a stateless person living in the UK. For him and many stateless persons across the globe, it can be common to feel less than human and more like a ghost. UNHCR estimates that millions of people worldwide are stateless. Based on available data, UNHCR reported that there were 4.2 million stateless persons including those of undetermined nationality in 76 countries at the end of 2019.1 However, the number of stateless persons is estimated to be much higher as there is a lack of data.2 Just like the data, stateless persons across the world are often invisible. Without a nationality, they may have difficulty accessing basic rights and often they aren’t allowed to go to school, see a doctor, get a job, open a bank account, buy a house or even get married. This is the unfortunate reality for many stateless individuals. ‘People don’t realise how frustrating it is to have a life without identification. It’s really a ridiculous thing – imagine you want to get a phone contract and you can’t get a phone contract. It’s something silly nobody thinks about.’ – Khalil Providing protection for these stateless persons in the UK and around the world is a central concern for UNHCR. UNHCR has a global mandate for the identification, prevention and reduction of statelessness, and for the international protection 1 2 3 4 5 6 4 of stateless persons. In 2013, UNHCR called for the “total commitment of the international community to end statelessness”3 and developed a Global Action Plan in consultation with States, civil society and international organisations.4 UNHCR also launched its #iBelong campaign in 2014 which aims to end statelessness within 10 years. As part of this mandate, UNHCR in the UK has sought to improve the protection situation of stateless persons in the country. In 2018, UNHCR undertook the first public audit5 into the UK Home Office’s approach to decision-making on applications for leave to remain as a stateless person, known as “statelessness leave”.6 UNHCR’s audit draws attention to good practice and key concerns in decision-making for statelessness leave and makes important recommendations. However, UNHCR also wanted to highlight who the people behind these applications for statelessness leave are. Therefore, to build upon the audit and shed light on the experiences of stateless persons and those applying for statelessness leave, between December 2019 and November 2020, UNHCR interviewed 12 individuals who had been recognised as stateless by the UK Government or who had an ongoing application for statelessness leave. We asked them about their experiences applying for statelessness leave in the UK and about their everyday life. This report presents what they shared. ‘We are human…we need to study and live. We are not allowed to do anything – basically, I am living in a prison.’ – Omar UNHCR, Global Trends 2019, 2020, available from: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/statistics/unhcrstats/5ee200e37/unhcr-global-trends-2019.html Fewer than half of all countries in the world submit any data and some of the most populous countries in the world with large suspected stateless populations do not report on statelessness at all. High Commissioner’s Closing Remarks to the 64th Session of UNHCR’s Executive Committee, 4 October 2013, available from: http://unhcr.org/525539159.html UNHCR, Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2014-2024, November 2014, available from: http://www.unhcr.org/uk/protection/statelessness/54621bf49/global-action-planend-statelessness-2014-2024.html UNHCR, Statelessness Determination in the UK, December 2020, available from: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/publications/legal/5fd893304/stateless-determination-in-the-uk. html?query=statelessness%20determination Carried out under the Quality Protection Partnership, a longstanding UNHCR and UK Government collaborative endeavour aimed at improving the quality of Home Office decision-making. For further information see: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/quality-initiative-and-integration.html