Ukraine, 2009: Vadim, aged 43, moved to Ukraine from Uzbekistan in 1997. He met his wife when they worked on a farm. She has Ukrainian citizenship. Vadim did not claim Uzbek citizenship after Uzbekistan adopted its nationality law in 1992 and did not receive an exit stamp when he left Uzbekistan in 1997. Because he has been away from Uzbekistan for more than five years and because he doesn’t have the exit stamp, he is unable to claim Uzbek citizenship. In 2000, his Soviet passport expired. He’s tried for years to get Ukrainian citizenship. CITIZENSHIP Most people are citizens of a country — effectively enjoying a legal bond between that particular state and the individual. Certain political, economic, social and other rights are guaranteed to citizens and, in turn, both governments and nationals are required to respect state law and fulfill certain responsibilities. Nationality is normally granted either through descent, whereby children acquire the citizenship of their parents (jus sanguinis), or through birth on a country’s territory (jus soli). Most countries grant citizenship by a combination of both birth and descent. Individuals who have resided in a country for a certain length of time or established particular links, for example through marriage with a national, may also be eligible for citizenship through naturalization. THE WORLD’S STATELESS PEOPLE • 2011 3