Contents List of abbreviations................................................................................................................................................6 1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................7 1.1 Statelessness across the globe.......................................................................................................................8 1.1.1 Defining a “stateless person”..........................................................................................................................8 1.1.2 Causes of statelessness....................................................................................................................................9 1.1.3 Consequences of statelessness.................................................................................................................. 10 1.2 The international and regional legal framework................................................................................... 11 2. The face of statelessness in Sweden....................................................................................................... 13 2.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1 Historical background................................................................................................................................... 14 2.1.2 National legal framework............................................................................................................................. 16 2.2 A statistical overview of the stateless population in Sweden............................................................ 17 2.2.1 Specifics of the data used............................................................................................................................. 17 2.2.2 The target population................................................................................................................................... 20 2.2.2.1 Populations covered by administrative data.................................................................................. 20 2.2.2.2 Groups not covered by administrative data................................................................................... 24 2.3 Qualitative analysis of stateless persons................................................................................................. 25 2.3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................... 25 2.3.2 Profile of stateless asylum-seekers............................................................................................................ 26 2.3.3 The human face of statelessness............................................................................................................... 29 2.4 Conclusions and recommendations.......................................................................................................... 29 3. Determination of statelessness and rights attached to the status....................................... 31 3.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................................... 31 3.2 National legal framework............................................................................................................................. 32 3.3 Statelessness determination procedure or other procedures in which statelessness is determined........................................................................................................................................................... 33 3.3.1 Competent authority..................................................................................................................................... 34 3.3.2 Procedural aspects......................................................................................................................................... 34 3.3.2.1 Initiating the procedure...................................................................................................................... 34 3.3.2.2 Questions of proof................................................................................................................................ 37 3.3.2.3 Access to courts.................................................................................................................................... 42 4 M A P P I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S I N S W E D E N