Understanding and Addressing Statelessness in Italy Compared to Australia
Issue
Ratified key international
statelessness treaties?
The 1954 Convention
relating to the Status of
Stateless Persons and the
1961 Convention on the
Reduction of Statelessness
National mapping study of
statelessness conducted?
Statelessness Determination
Procedure?
Pathway to naturalisation?
Italy
Yes: both.
Australia
Yes: both.
In progress.
In progress. One currently
UNHCR will publish mapping study being undertaken by the Peter
in late 2024.
McMullin Centre on
Statelessness, due to be
complete by late 2024.
Yes: two.
No.
Administrative produce and judicial
procedure.
Yes.
Limited to children born in
Stateless persons can apply for
Australia to parents who are
naturalisation five years after being stateless.civ No pathway for nonpositively recognised as stateless
Australian born stateless adults
through either the administrative or by virtue of their statelessness
judicial statelessness determination (i.e. no visa for stateless
procedure (provided they reside in
persons).
Italy during this period).
Administrative procedure: A person may apply to Minister of the Interior to request recognition
of their status as a stateless person if they have a birth certificate, a valid residence permit and
registered residence in Italy.cv There is no interview process so the applicant must also provide
documentation supporting their claim to be stateless (applicable nationality laws, identity
documents, consular declarations).cvi
There is no fee to apply. However, several problems have been identified with the administrative
procedure, including: cvii
Lengthy delays: the procedure usually takes between 2–3 years on average;
Success rates are not high (experts I met advised the success rate is around 6%);
Most notably, the administrative procedure is available only to applicants in possession of
a birth certiFicate who legally reside in Italy. Many stateless applicants are therefore
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