If during your research you find that there is a chance of the client acquiring citizenship if he applies, for example, for citizenship in his parents' country of origin, you must allow him to decide if this is an option he would like to pursue. You can advise him on the chances of success of such an application and the likely waiting time for a decision, advising him that during this time he will remain without immigration status in the Republic. It is also recommended that you evaluate the case on the totality of the circumstances and advise the client of the strength of his or her exemption application if it is submitted at present. For example, if you were the Minister, would you expect this person to have made an application for citizenship in their country of origin prior to launching an exemption application in South Africa? There will be cases where the chance of success is so low (due to client's lack of documentation, death of parents or discrimination towards people like the client) or the waiting period so unpredictable that it would be unreasonable to expect a person to do so. Promoting citizenship and preventing statelessness in South Africa: A practitioner’s guide Assessing citizenship and identifying a stateless person in practice requiring that they pursue and await the decision of all potential citizenship claims prior to qualifying for international protection. 55