Glossary (Key Words) Asylum Seeker: An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution in another country, but who hasn’t yet been legally recognised as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their claim for protection.v Citizenship: ‘Citizenship’ is the term used to describe an individual’s link to the state (or ‘country’) in the context of domestic law. vi The term ‘citizenship’ is often used interchangeably with the term ‘nationality.’ Foundling: An abandoned child whose parents cannot be identified. Human Rights: Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion or any other status.vii Immigration Detention Centres: Facilities where people are forcibly held. Since 1992, Australia has had a system of mandatory detention. Under Australian law, any non-citizen who is in Australia without a valid visa must be detained.viii Jus Sanguinis citizenship: Citizenship acquired by decent, through a person’s parents. Jus Soli citizenship: Birthright citizenship; citizenship that is acquired automatically by birth on a particular. Nationality: ‘Nationality’ is a term used to describe an individual’s link to the state (or ‘country’) in the context of international law. ix The term ‘nationality’ is often used interchangeably with the term ‘citizenship.’ Naturalisation: The legal act or process through which somebody becomes a national (or ‘citizen’) of a state (or ‘country’). Refugee: A refugee is some who has been forced to flee their home and has crossed an international border to seek safety in another country.x The term ‘refugee’ is defined in international law as ‘someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.’xi Statelessness: A stateless person is someone who does not have a nationality of any country. This means they are not recognised as ‘belonging’ to any country.xii The international legal definition of a ‘stateless person’ is ‘a person who is not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law.’xiii Statelessness Determination Procedure: A formal process for identifying a protecting stateless persons. 12