Ethiopia: Information on the citizenship status of a child born in Ethiopia in 1994 of Somali nationals
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH17623.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Information on the citizenship status of a child born in Ethiopia in 1994 of Somali nationals, 1 June 1994, ETH17623.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac7d57.html [accessed 23 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a representative of the Embassy of Ethiopia in Ottawa, unless one of the parents of the child is an Ethiopian citizen, the child is not automatically granted Ethiopian citizenship even if she or he was born in Ethiopia (9 June 1994). However, the child can acquire Ethiopian citizenship through an application for citizenship, as would any other foreign national (ibid.). The representative did not have detailed information on the requirements for acquiring Ethiopian citizenship, but stated that the 1987 Ethiopian citizenship law has not changed. For further information, please refer to the attachment.
Information on the status of the children from a Somali government source is currently unavailable to the DIRB in Ottawa. An official of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ottawa stated that his or her status will depend on the current residence status acquired by the parents (10 June 1994). If the parents are in Ethiopia as mandate refugees, the status of a child in Ethiopia will be the same (ibid.).
According to a representative of Somali Immigrant Aid, a community-based organization in Toronto, if the parents are not mandate refugees and must leave Ethiopia for Somalia, they will need to provide Somali authorities with documents verifying their Somali citizenship (13 June 1994). The representative added that since there is currently no administrative authority in operation in Somalia, the family may need to have their status as Somali citizens confirmed by community elders. If confirmed, the children will also be considered as Somali citizens (ibid.).
A representative of the Somali-Canadian Association of Etobicoke corroborated the information provided by the Somali Immigrant Aid representative (13 June 1994). However, the source added that the family may not need to prove their identity in Somalia, as their "identity as Somalis will be obvious to Somalis in Somalia" (ibid.). The representative stated that since the parents are Somalis, the child will also be considered a Somali.
An official of the Somali Islamic Society in Toronto corroborated the above information (13 June 1994). The official added that the parents may have to prove their Somali citizenship in order for the child to be considered a Somali. However, since there is no administrative authority in the country at the moment, it may not be possible to fulfil this requirement.
According to an official with the Southern Somali Community Organization of Ontario in North York, based on the old constitution of Somalia, the child of Somali nationals born anywhere in the world is considered a Somali (14 June 1994). The official stated that the parents do not have to prove their identity in Somalia because, like all other Somalis, the clan links of the parents will identify them as Somalis or not.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Embassy of Ethiopia, Ottawa. 9 June 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Somali Islamic Society, Toronto. 13 June 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Somali-Canadian Association of Etobicoke. 13 June 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Somali Immigrant Aid, Toronto. 13 June 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Southern Somali Community Organization of Ontario, North York. 14 June 1994. Telephone interview with official.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ottawa. 10 June 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Attachment
Ethiopia. 1987. The Constitution of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. (UNHCR REFLEG)
