other states. This is due to the unique law and policy frameworks within which state’s asylum systems operate. However, by and large, the majority of states do not identify the statelessness of refugees, or do not do so in conformity with international standards and procedural safeguards that are required in statelessness determination. This is problematic as it may not be the case that stateless refugees can find solutions to their statelessness under the national legal frameworks on asylum and nationality. For example, where states require that refugees prove their identity or nationality to acquire citizenship, similar issues as found in Denmark and Sweden will likely arise. Where refugees are required to prove they have renounced their former nationality in order to acquire the nationality of the state of asylum, this would be an insurmountable barrier for a stateless applicant. Therefore, the normative claim that for stateless refugees solutions should be found under refugee law, is based on the questionable assumption that the statelessness of a refugee is either inconsequential, or will not impede to pathway to citizenship. What that Danish and Swedish examples show, is that this is not the case in these two cases, and arguably in many other states receiving stateless refugees. A combination of the lack of identification of statelessness of refugee, and the possibility of them being unable to resolve their statelessness through the acquisition of nationality, is especially troubling when we consider this is relation to state compliance with Article 1C of the 1951 Convention. Indeed, if states are to ensure that stateless refugees do not lose their refugee status in contravention of the 1951 Convention, their statelessness must initially be identified and their statelessness factored into considerations of cessation of refugee status. Given that one in ten refugees are believed to be stateless, and the lack of law, policy or knowledge about statelessness globally, there is an urgent need to assess national asylum systems of states in order to identify gaps in law, policy or practice that would see stateless refugees remain indefinitely stateless. References Bendixen, M. C., 2011. Asylum Camp Limbo: A Report About Obstacles to Deportation, Refugees Welcome, [Online], Availabale at: http://refugeeswelcome.dk/media/1085/asylumcamplimbo_web2.pdf [Accessed November 12 2016]. Bernitz, H., 2013. Naturalisation Procedures for Immigrants: Sweden. [Online] Available at: http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/29799/NPR_2013_36Sweden.pdf;sequence=1 [Accessed November 23 2016].

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