Case study: Fadi
Fadi was born in Lebanon to a Lebanese Christian mother and Syrian Muslim father. His parents’ interfaith marriage took place in a Christian church because his father had promised to convert, but never did. The marriage was never registered in Syria.
Within 12 months of Fadi’s birth, his parents’ relationship unfortunately broke down and his father disappeared, leaving Fadi and his mother stuck in Lebanon without a way to prove his father’s identity or register Fadi’s birth with any legal authority. To this day Fadi does not know if his father is alive.
Due to discriminatory nationality laws in Lebanon, mothers cannot pass their citizenship down to their children. As a result Fadi is stateless.
Fadi was not legally allowed to register for school, but his mother negotiated with nuns at the local Catholic school where she worked as a cleaner to allow him to attend classes unofficially. He was a gifted student and sat the entrance exam to study at the Lebanese University in Tripoli. His high scores earned him a scholarship to study at the university even though he did not have Lebanese nationality. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and then a Masters Degree in Financial Engineering. However he graduated without an official identity - on his graduation certificate he is ‘Fadi X’.
After graduation, Fadi was not legally allowed to work. But he found a company owner who was willing to take the risk of employing him without papers, paying him in cash. For six years, he worked as a business analyst.
Every aspect of Fadi’s life in Lebanon was frustrated by not having ID. He was arrested on several occasions and held by police because he could not prove his identity. He was prohibited from opening a bank account or getting a driver's license. He couldn’t own property, get married or register the birth of a child in Lebanon. When Fadi’s mother passed away in 2016, her assets - including their home - could not be legally inherited by Fadi.
Fadi heard about Talent Beyond Boundaries through a friend, and added his CV to the Talent Catalogue in July 2017. TBB immediately recognised Fadi as an exceptional candidate. (In addition to his academic record and business achievements, Fadi is fluent in French, English and Arabic). Over the next eight months, TBB helped Fadi refine his CV, undertake mock interviews with professional mentors, prepare for official English language testing, and record a ‘one-way interview’ to help attract potential employers. In the meantime, TBB put Fadi forward to potential employers in Australia, Canada and the UK.
Accenture expressed interest in Fadi’s CV, and he took part in a rigorous recruitment process. In March 2018, after five rounds of interviews, Fadi was offered a Management Consultant role with Accenture in Sydney, Australia.
Once he signed his employment contract with Accenture, TBB helped Fadi secure a travel document from the Lebanese authorities. This travel document (a ‘laissez-passer’ - similar to a passport but not the same) was granted in June 2018. It was the first piece of official ID Fadi had ever had. Fadi arrived at Sydney airport on 7 March 2019 to a small welcoming party, including the team at TBB and some of his new colleagues from Accenture.
Fadi is now settled in Sydney, working hard at Accenture to support a range of top-tier clients, making new friends, and exploring his local community. While Fadi remains technically stateless, he now has opportunities previously denied him. He plans to apply for Permanent Residence in Australia and will seek Citizenship as soon as possible.