REFUGEES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION • • • UNHCR, APRIL 2023 To improve access to late birth registration for refugees. To ensure the issue of nationality documents to former Rwandan refugees living in other countries, whose refugee status was ceased by the respective asylum authority, who opted for local integration where they live, and who are entitled and willing to obtain Rwandan nationality documents. To grant or confirm Rwandan nationality of all stateless persons and their descendants living on Rwanda territory, following amendment of the nationality law and getting the number and the establishment of the profile of stateless persons in Rwanda. In line with the pledges made at the High-Level Segment and Global Refugee Forum, the Rwandan government created a National Statelessness Taskforce and developed a National Action Plan to end statelessness.223 Refugee status and identity documents Applicable law: Law N° 12/2014 of 09/05/2014 Relating to Refugees, the Prime Minister’s Order No 112/03 of 2015 determining the Organisation and Functioning of the National Refugee Status Determination Committee (NRSDC) and Benefits granted to its Members, and Ministerial Instruction No. 02-2016 of 1 06 2016 determining the management of refugees and refugee camps. The definition of refugees and protection against refoulement taken from the 1951 Refugee Convention. Under the law, the state is responsible for refugee status determination, and the process and timeline are clearly set out. Refugees in Rwanda are registered jointly by UNHCR and the Government. There is no process to register refugees as also stateless. All registered refugees on Rwandan territory receive a “proof of registration”, issued by UNHCR and the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA), which enables them to access most services. Registered asylum-seekers hold a temporary residence permit with a validity of three months. Recognised refugees above 16 years old are also entitled to a refugee ID, issued by NIDA, in the same format as the ID card for nationals. The refugee identity card provides authorization to work. These cards are issued at a low cost of RWF 500 (approximately $0.50 cents), which is covered by UNHCR. The cost of renewal is the same as for initial applications and the replacement cost in the event of loss is 1,500 RWF, or approximately $1.50, also covered by UNHCR. The ID card is valid for a period of five years and can be renewed as long as the person holding it remains a refugee in Rwanda. Around 80 percent per cent of refugees had been issued with refugee ID cards by 2022, and the Government was planning to issue documents to the 20 per cent of eligible refugees who did not yet have them. 224 Refugees are entitled to travel documents if required. 225 Permanent residence or other long-term immigration status Applicable law: Law n°57/2018 of 13/08/2018 on immigration and emigration in Rwanda, supplemented by Ministerial Order N°06/01 of 29/05/2019 relating to Immigration and Emigration. The Directorate-General of Immigration and Emigration (DGIE) is the government agency competent for all matters related to legal residence and citizenship. 223 Eugene Sibomana and Johanna Seidl, “Ending Statelessness in 2024: Rwanda establishes a clear pathway toward this goal”, UNHCR 11 Nov 2020 https://www.unhcr.org/rw/15761-ending-statelessness-in-2024-rwandaestablishes-a-clear-pathway-toward-this-goal.html. 224 Rwanda: Refugee Policy Review Framework Country Summary as at 30 June 2020 , UNHCR, March 2022 https://reliefweb.int/report/rwanda/rwanda-refugee-policy-review-framework-country-summary-30-june-2020march-2022, and figures updated by UNHCR. 225 Law No 57/2018 on immigration and emigration, art.23; Ministerial Order N° 02/01 of 31/05/2011 Establishing Regulations and Procedures Implementing Immigration and Emigration Law, art.34. 66