The intersection of migration and statelessness in contemporary Asia

Statelessness is a global phenomenon affecting millions of people, although it is difficult to state precisely how pervasive it is. Although statelessness is a global phenomenon, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that approximately 56 percent of the known stateless population live in the Asia-Pacific region. The geopolitical contexts of these places provide insight into how locally produced or state-manufactured statelessness intersects with forced displacement and other forms of migration. This intersectionality between statelessness and migratory mobility is the focus of this article. To identify some of the root causes and contextual elements that shape the conditions of statelessness, this article first provides an overview of the international, regional, and national law frameworks relating to statelessness, evaluating how each of these planes has been constructed and how they interact with one another in instances of statelessness. Then, this article discusses the intersection of statelessness with different forms of movement of people across geographical spaces. In addition to paying renewed attention to forced migration, voluntary migration, and mixed migration, this article also shines a spotlight on the lesser-associated issue of statelessness without migration (i.e., in situ statelessness). These perspectives highlight the multifaceted problems associated with statelessness, as well as the challenges arising from how governments regulate and administer access to citizenship. The study of in situ statelessness also contributes to understanding how statelessness can be both a cause and a driver of migration.