The Bahamas

In The Bahamas, citizenship applications for children born to non-citizens have long wait times, with many people left stateless and in legal limbo even if they have Bahamian birth certificates. Children of non-citizens are left stateless until they can apply for Bahamian citizenship at 18 and have their applications processed. In two known cases, individuals who were born in The Bahamas to non-Bahamians had been waiting for a decision more than 20 years after having submitted their applications. People of Haitian descent, the largest ethnic minority in The Bahamas, are particularly affected. Many parents of Haitian descent lack the documentation to register their children as Haitian citizens at birth and cannot be registered as Bahamian citizens, as The Bahamas lacks a procedure to prevent statelessness. This leaves children of many Haitian parents stateless and at risk of deportation, even if registered at birth.