![icon presenting statelessness in the context of asylum](/sites/default/files/styles/width_150/public/2022-06/ar2022-413-statelesness-intro.png?itok=1MRw1aip)
Section 4.13. Statelessness in the context of asylum
Statelessness is a legal anomaly which affects people who are not considered a national by any state. Lacking any state’s protection means stateless persons may not be able to fully exercise their fundamental rights, including access to education, health care, housing, employment, social welfare and documentation.
The 1954 UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons defines a stateless person as someone “who is not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law”.
Stateless persons and refugees are two distinct categories in international law, but a person can be both a refugee and stateless. In the context of asylum, statelessness may be relevant to the determination process for an asylum application. It is important that both claims are assessed and both statuses addressed explicitly. In instances where refugee status ceases without the person having acquired a nationality, this may necessitate international protection as a stateless person.
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