Case Study – Living Stateless in the Italy: Anita The below is a real case-study presented by the students of the Stateless Legal Clinic, Naples. Anita is a stateless mother born in Italy where she has lived her entire life. The students of the Naples Stateless Legal Clinic assisted her to navigate the statelessness determination procedure process, after which she was recognised as stateless. She will be able to apply for Italian citizenship after five years. Anita’s story demonstrates how difficult it can be for stateless people to prove their identity, with people in Anita’s position often required to essentially try and prove a negative. Anita was born in Italy where she has lived her entire life, however she does not have Italian citizenship. The only documents she had were an extract of her birth certificate stating the name of her mother, with whom she no longer has a relationship. Anita lives with her partner and their three children, who have Romanian citizenship. She sought assistance from the Stateless Legal Clinic in Naples about obtaining Italian citizenship. Students of the Clinic identified the first step as assisting Anita to be formally identified as stateless. As part of this process, Anita was required to prove not only that she did not have Italian citizenship, but also that she was unable to obtain citizenship from any other country where she may have relevant ties. The law students examined the legal systems of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Italy, contacting each representative to find as follows: Serbia: Anita’s mother is Serbia. There was no record of Anita’s birth or mention of her in the citizens’ register. As she was older than 23, Anita was unable to register on the Serbian citizenship registrar in accordance with Serbian citizenship law. Bosnia-Herzegovina: No records were found regarding Anita. Italy: Anita did not meet the requirements of Italian citizenship law. Having identified that Anita did not have Italian citizenship, nor could she obtain citizenship from other countries to where she may have ties (Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina), the students and legal partners successfully assisted Anita to navigate the judicial statelessness determination procedure. At the outcome of this process, she was granted a residence permit permitting her to obtain official identification documents and placing her on a pathway to Italian citizenship. The outcome was lifechanging for Anita, who told the students: ‘I’ve waited a long time for this moment and now it doesn’t seem real, it feels like I’m living in a dream. That’s a dream come true’. 65