Stateless Communities in Saudi Arabia Bidoons 16. Saudi Arabia hosts a sizable Bidoon8 population, reporting has suggested near to 250,000.9 Even with the UNHCR official statistic of 70,000, it is one of the top 20 countries in the world. This group mainly consists of descendants of nomadic tribes who failed to register for Saudi nationality in the past when the nation state was being formed. This may have been as they did not know of the registration procedure, did not understand its importance and/or were travelling during the registration period. In the country today, Bidoons are considered "illegal residents" by the Saudi government and are not eligible for Saudi citizenship. They are instead issued identity documents, known as "black cards" which the government began to issue in 2009 and indicate "five-year residency permits". The procedure for obtaining these cards is unclear and their validity is often precarious. 10 17. Although these Bidoons have no other option of obtaining nationality elsewhere in the world, the Saudi Arabian authority has made no attempts to resolve their situation of statelessness, nor ensure that their access to rights in the country are protected. This is particularly incomprehensible given that among the Saudi population, unlike other countries in the Gulf region, there is quite significant empathy towards this population and they are truly considered to belong to the Saudi citizenry. 18. It is of utmost importance to address the citizenship status of this population, as a matter of urgency. It has been noted that in 2020, the Bidoon will be asked to provide documentation establishing their origin. It is not clear what the consequences would be for those who cannot provide this documentation. Most fear they will be at risk of deportation, but they have nowhere to be removed to. Other Stateless Populations 19. Significantly, there is a large population of stateless Rohingya who reside in Saudi Arabia. The majority have been there for decades and over generations (many since the 1950s), and again there are no official statistics for this population. However, estimates place the figure in the hundreds of thousands and possibly well over half a million. Their status and protection has improved over the past few years during which Saudi Arabia has issued 190,000 free residency permits to members of this Myanmar community, which allows residency for four years.11 Under this process, applicants were also exempted from paying previous fines which resulted from non-renewal of their previous residency permits. Although this is a positive first step, it is not wholly adequate to resolve the legal status of stateless Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia. There are many reasons for this: 8 Literal translation from Arabic is ‘without’ See ESOHR, The Suffering of a Quarter of a Million Stateless and Calls for Radical and Urgent Solutions, 2016, access at http://www.esohr.org/en/?p=723 and Alwatan news article http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Local/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=242939&CategoryID=5 10 For more information on this group see Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Saudi Arabia: Situation of Bidoons, including ability to obtain a passport; whether a person born to a Saudi mother and Bidoon father can obtain Saudi citizenship, and would be issued a Saudi passport as a minor (2014-June 2016) and Alarabiya, The Bidoon of Saudi Arabia, Generations of Discrimination, 2014 access at http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2014/08/30/The-Bidoon-of-Saudi-Arabia-Generations-ofdiscrimination.html 11 Alarabiya, 190,000 Myanmar nationals get residency relief in Saudi Arabia, 2017, access at http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/01/25/Over-190-000-Myanmar-nationals-granted-Saudi-residency.html 9