Nauru’s Program Office says it has approved a stateless applicant under the country’s Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program, presenting the case as an example of how citizenship-by-investment can provide legal recognition as well as mobility.
The applicant is identified as Siimo Kaasik, a man born in the former Soviet Union who later lived in the United States under an order of supervision. That status applies to people who have been ordered removed but cannot be deported because no country will receive them.
According to a May 10 media release, Kaasik described decades of provisional status and said the Nauru contribution gave him a concrete outcome to point to, including infrastructure, energy projects, and water security.
Program CEO Edward Clark said the case showed the program was intended to be about more than travel access. The Program Office says applicants must pass extensive due diligence checks and a personal interview before approval.
Statelessness and the Program’s Narrative
Nauru has previously used statelessness as part of the program’s public framing. In September 2025, the Program Office said it approved its first stateless applicant, a Kuwaiti resident, and described that case as a milestone.
The recognition argument is tied to the broader issue of statelessness. The United Nations refugee agency counted at least 4.5 million stateless people worldwide at the end of 2025, while warning that the real number is likely higher because about half of countries report no data.
For stateless people, a recognized nationality can affect basic practical matters such as banking, travel, documentation, and proof of legal identity.
Program Status and Cost
Nauru launched the citizenship program at the 2024 United Nations climate conference in Baku. Its first new citizens were approved in August 2025: a German family of four.
The program is currently offered at a discounted contribution level:
- US$90,000 for a single applicant until June 30, 2026
- US$115,000 standard contribution after that date
- No extension of the discounted rate has been announced
The program is designed to raise funds for climate resilience in a country described by the Program Office as climate vulnerable.
Passport Limits and External Scrutiny
The program faces significant external constraints. On December 9, 2025, the United Kingdom removed Nauru from visa-free access, describing investment-based citizenship as inherently high-risk. The Program Office rejected that assessment.
Nauru’s passport does not offer visa-free entry to Europe, North America, or the United Kingdom.
That limits the program’s appeal for applicants seeking major travel privileges. For stateless applicants, however, the main value may be documentation, legal nationality, and an answer to the question of where they belong rather than broad visa-free mobility.
Source article: www.imidaily.com
