Stateless persons / ministerial discretion

Example scenarios

• Only a discretionary ministerial route exists — naturalisation of a 'stateless person' of good character under SRO 6/1978 reg 2 (special circumstances). There is no automatic statelessness entitlement.

  Grenada is NOT a party in its own right to the 1954 or 1961 statelessness conventions (the UK's pre-independence extension lapsed at independence under the clean-slate doctrine and Grenada never acceded). The only domestic safeguard for a stateless adult is discretionary: the Minister may naturalise a 'political refugee or stateless person' of good character under the Aliens (Naturalisation)(Special Circumstances) Regulations SRO 6/1978 reg 2(1)(c). Plus the Cap 54 s.2(3) foundling presumption (for infants). It is discretionary, not an entitlement.

• No treaty obligation — Grenada is a non-party to the 1954/1961 conventions, so there is no treaty-based statelessness entitlement to invoke; only the discretionary SRO 6/1978 route applies.

  GD-SPC-01 confirms Grenada's non-party status (UK 1961 extension of 29 Mar 1966 lapsed at independence 7 Feb 1974; never acceded; UNHCR's UPR recommendation to ratify confirms non-party). There is therefore no treaty safeguard to invoke. The applicant's only avenue is the discretionary ministerial grant under SRO 6/1978 reg 2; there is also no anti-statelessness guard on deprivation (s.9).

• Potentially eligible for discretionary naturalisation as a 'political refugee' of good character under SRO 6/1978 reg 2 — discretionary, not guaranteed.

  SRO 6/1978 (Aliens (Naturalisation)(Special Circumstances) Regulations) reg 2 lets the Minister naturalise a 'political refugee or stateless person' of good character in special circumstances. A bona fide political refugee of good character can be considered under this discretionary mechanism, which dispenses with the ordinary s.7 residence build-up; but it is entirely at ministerial discretion.