A legal pathway to citizenship for stateless children

Momentum is proposing a clear legal pathway to Maltese citizenship for children who have grown up in Malta but are stateless or at risk of becoming stateless. A child is considered stateless when they are not recognised as a citizen by any country. This is the situation faced by tens of children who have grown up and been educated here but cannot acquire the nationality of their parents or another nationality.

Stateless children can face significant difficulties accessing basic rights and services and may grow up without a secure legal status or a clear pathway to citizenship.

In Malta, the issue affects a relatively small number of people. The 2021 Census recorded 171 stateless people, almost half of whom were children.

Momentum’s proposal concerns children who have a genuine and long-standing connection with Malta because they have been raised and educated here. A child who was born in Malta or arrived here at a very young age, has successfully completed the full cycle of compulsory primary and secondary education in Malta, and has not had any serious brushes with the law should have a clear legal pathway to Maltese citizenship at the age of 18.

Mark Camilleri Gambin, General Secretary at Momentum, said: “Someone who has spent their childhood in Malta, attended our schools, learned our language and culture, and respected the law should have a clear pathway to citizenship. We are not proposing citizenship simply because someone is born here. We are proposing citizenship based on a genuine connection to Malta, education and integration. Obviously, this is all conditional to the fact that one has not had any serious brushes with the law”

Camilleri Gambin added: “We are talking about a very small number of young people who have grown up in Malta and know no other home. We should be able to address this human and legal issue without confusing it with the much broader debate on migration policy, as these are two completely different issues.”

Momentum believes that clear and objective citizenship rules would give these young people certainty about their future, thus motivating them to pursue their studies and education, while encouraging integration and respect for the law.

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