
Stateless advocates around the world are celebrating as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Director Ur Jaddou are implementing a new policy this week to consider statelessness for immigration purposes.
The policy changes include information on how to submit forms and offer much-needed clarity and recognition for the over 200,000 stateless people living in the U.S. Stateless people are those who are not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law. Critically, USCIS will consider statelessness as a factor in discretionary decisions about immigration relief, including parole in place.
D.C. Screening of Citizens of Nowhere, November 7

Our film about statelessness, Citizens of Nowhere, directed and produced by film production company WTYSL, has now been nominated for inclusion in 10 film festivals! We're running out of room on the poster to put the festival laurels! If you're in D.C. on November 7 then join us at Busboys and Poets on 14th Street for a screening at 5:30 p.m. — our Executive Director Karina Ambartsoumian-Clough and Founding Member Miliyon Ethiopia will be on the panel discussion hosted by our friends at Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area. The event will be moderated by Joanne Kelsey, a producer of the film and longtime friend of United Stateless.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to host a screening and discussion of your own, here's how to do it! Keep in touch and let us know more about your plans so that we can help with promotion.
Understanding Statelessness and Mental Health, Nov 10

Our upcoming training in partnership with the Center for Victims of Torture and UNHCR will focus on understanding statelessness and mental health.
To be deprived of citizenship touches almost all aspects of daily life and leaves those who experience statelessness in a limbo that impacts their sense of identity, family, and basic safety. This training for social workers and mental health practitioners will provide essential information about statelessness and the experience of stateless people living in the US. It will introduce core mental health theories, such as systemic trauma, ambiguous loss and socioecological models of wellbeing to understand the experience of stateless people. The training will also touch on community and peer support networks, and highlight the resilience of the stateless community in the US. The goal of this training is to prepare mental health providers with the information and background necessary to understand how to begin working with stateless individuals and families.
Join Our LinkedIn Live Event With Playwright Christina Masciotti, Nov 13

Playwright Christina Masciotti staged a reading over the summer of her play, "Liberty Scrap", working with United Stateless members (pictured above), on a script which includes statelessness. We're discussing the play live on LinkedIn with Christina on November 13. You can be part of bringing these important stories to light!