There are less stateless persons in Lithuania
In an effort to reduce the number of stateless individuals in Lithuania, the Migration Department conducted a census of stateless persons last year. The initiative aimed to understand why these individuals hadn’t sought Lithuanian citizenship and to assist minority groups and established residents who were eligible for Lithuanian identity documents in acquiring them.
After compiling a list of stateless persons, each received an invitation from the Migration Department to consult on citizenship acquisition. Nearly all were reached via phone. However, while the initiative was well-intentioned, not all responded positively. Some expressed frustration with staff calls, demanding employees gather necessary documents and deliver new documents to their homes. Some even doubted the legitimacy of the calls and asked staff not to interfere in their affairs. However, such cases were few, as others reached out to the Migration Department, inquiring about citizenship acquisition procedures or the legality of their residency status with the assistance of migration specialists or relatives of stateless individuals.
“Evelina Gudzinskaitė, Director of the Migration Department, explains, “The United Nations has set a goal to eradicate statelessness worldwide by 2024. This is a highly ambitious goal, especially considering not everyone wishes to affiliate themselves with any state. However, the department’s past initiative demonstrated that even modest efforts can ease the lives of many.”
During the campaign, 139 individuals utilized the Migration Department’s consultation services, with 57 submitting applications for Lithuanian citizenship and 15 successfully becoming citizens. Through interactions with individuals and inquiries into their reasons for not seeking citizenship earlier or currently, it emerged that some feared the Lithuanian language and Constitution exams, while others lacked financial resources, were elderly, suffered from psychosocial disabilities and didn’t understand the need for different documentation, or didn’t meet the criteria for Lithuanian citizenship due to criminal records or imprisonment. Others simply lacked the desire.
Recognizing that lack of funds might be a barrier to citizenship acquisition, efforts were made to seek financial assistance for these individuals from international and non-governmental organizations. During the campaign, informational leaflets produced by the Lithuanian Red Cross Society were distributed to stateless persons, outlining avenues to obtain documents with the organization’s help. Additionally, 20 stateless individuals availed themselves of financial assistance provided by the Lithuanian Red Cross Society for document processing.
Despite some categorical objections, the Migration Department is pleased with the success of the stateless persons’ search campaign. In 2020, 221 stateless individuals became citizens of the Republic of Lithuania, reducing the number of stateless individuals in Lithuania to 2,683.
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