2.3 Conclusions Limitations on available data sources were encountered during the research for this report. Similarly, identifying stateless persons for the purpose of interviewing was also a challenge. As there is no homogeneous group of stateless persons, nor a stable “in-situ population”, it is difficult to draw general conclusions from the individual cases analyzed. Every case of a stateless person is regarded as a separate occurrence rather than as part of a broader phenomenon. Nevertheless, some conclusions can be drawn based on the information collected. Available data61 suggests that the stateless population in Poland is relatively small and heterogeneous. The exact number of stateless persons, including those who did not approach any authority remains unknown. The introduction of a specific statelessness determination procedure would enable stateless persons whose status is not regularized to come forward and would allow the authorities to obtain an accurate picture of the size of the stateless population. The absence of a unified definition of a stateless person may lead to confusion and an incorrect determination of nationality. The Border Guard service employs three distinct definitions for the purpose of conducting relevant procedures, while the Office for Foreigners employs another definition for statistical purposes and does not verify the assessment made by the Border Guard service. This may lead to unreliable reporting of the number of stateless persons in the official data. A uniform definition of a stateless person, in line with the 1954 Convention, should be introduced and employed, both for statistical purposes as well as for the determination of statelessness as part of existing procedures. There should be a common approach towards gathering the statistical data, with a clear distinction between those whose nationality status is not yet resolved (the procedures are ongoing) and those who were determined to be stateless or of unknown nationality. 61 The data available includes only those stateless persons that approached the authorities, applied for residence permits, international protection or were subject to return proceedings. UNHCR POLAND, SEPTEMBER 2019 25