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Fewer people naturalized

A total of 1,465 foreigners were naturalized as citizens last year, down 4.44 percent from the 2002 level, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday.

Ministry officials attributed the decline mainly to a significant decrease in the number of voluntarily naturalized citizens. Last year only 85 foreigners were voluntarily naturalized, marking a 59 percent drop from the year-earlier level.

Since the Nationality Law (國籍法) was revised in 2000, the conditions for naturalization have become more stringent. As a result, the officials said, the number of naturalized citizens has been dwindling steadily. Last year 54 foreign men were naturalized, accounting for a mere 3.69 percent of the total, while female naturalized citizens made up 96.91 percent or 1,411.

The ministry tallies also showed that foreign wives of Taiwanese men formed the bulk of naturalized citizens last year, accounting for more than 80 percent or 1,340. The figure marked a 7.63 percent rise from the 2002 level.

Among those who were naturalized last year, 408 hailed from Vietnam, 317 from Cambodia, 264 from Indonesia, 193 from the Philippines, 135 from Myanmar, and 93 from Thailand. Meanwhile, 869 Taiwanese lost their nationality last year, up 6.76 percent from the year-earlier level.
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