Statelessness in Oman – A snapshot 23. There is no statistical information on the scope or extent of statelessness in Oman. The lack of statistical information in itself points to a deeper failure of the state to prioritise and address the issue of the right to nationality and the rights of stateless persons in the country. This is particularly so, when considering the various legal provisions which undermine the right to nationality, thereby increasing the likelihood of statelessness being generated and perpetuated. This submission addresses some of these challenges, namely: gender discrimination in Oman’s nationality law; challenges related to the child’s right to nationality and birth registration and the lack of safeguards against statelessness; and provisions which allow for the deprivation of nationality. 24. Stateless persons face wide-ranging human rights violations and hardships, including obstacles to accessing education, healthcare social services, formal employment, property rights, inheritance, freedom of movement, and identity documentation. Stateless persons are also at a greater risk of human trafficking, early and forced marriage, arbitrary detention, and lack of access to justice. 25. Noncitizen children of Omani mothers, including those born and raised in the country, are denied access to government scholarships for higher education and are forced to leave the country upon reaching the age of majority – unless an Omani company sponsors their visa – often resulting in family separation. National Law 26. Omani nationality is primarily governed by the Omani Nationality Law, which was promulgated by Royal Decree No. 38/2014 by The Sultan of Oman on 12 August 2014 and came into force on 12 March 2015 (the "Nationality Law"). 14 The Nationality Law acknowledges the idea of statelessness but fails to provide a definition for statelessness or incorporate any procedure to identify and protect stateless persons. 27. The Nationality Law provides that the Minister of Interior shall issue regulations required for the implementation of the provisions of the Nationality Law.15 The Omani Minister of Interior issued the executive regulations of the Omani Nationality Law (Ministerial decision 92/2019) on 2 June 2019 (the "Executive Regulations"). The Executive Regulations set out the detailed procedures and documents required in relation to an application to recognise, retrieve, waive or acquire Omani nationality pursuant to the Nationality Law. 28. In general, Oman does not recognise dual nationalities. An Omani will lose their Omani nationality if they acquire another nationality without obtaining authorisation by a royal decree.16 However, in practice, authorities turn a blind eye if a male citizen acquires another nationality, for instance through marriage with a foreign wife. Omani men and their children keep their Omani nationality, while Omani women cannot keep their Oman nationality upon acquisition of a foreign nationality. All citizenship applications are submitted to and reviewed by the Ministry of Interior (the "Ministry") and the Ministry reserves the right to reject any 14 The Sultanate of Oman, Submission by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – For the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' Compilation Report – Universal Period Review, 2nd Cycle, 23 rd Session ("UNHCR Oman UPR 2nd Cycle"), page 3. 15 Nationality Law, Article 2. 16 Nationality Law, Articles 19 and 8. 5