A flaw in lineage citizenship
Taiwan continues to review and debate immigration reform, including as noted in “Lawmakers question eased migrant domestic worker rules” (April 2, page 4) which identified the concern of “shift[ing] the care burden from the state onto families.” However, overlooked is the significant burden already placed on Taiwanese families through a legislative gap that has no reasonable basis: The status in Taiwan of children born before 1980.
Taiwan only recognized a mother’s right to pass citizenship to her children in 1980. I was born in Taipei in the 1970s to a Taiwanese mother and an American father, but I remain a legal foreigner in my place of birth, despite my fluency in Mandarin and deep family ties. Taiwan offers me no path to obtain citizenship, unless I undergo the extreme step of renouncing my US nationality, nor a predictable way to reside here beyond relying on my husband’s employment.
This is not an abstract legal issue; it is a barrier to my responsibilities as the primary caregiver for my aging parents and, soon, my aunts. My “foreign” status creates a precarious foundation for essential support. I spend hours a day managing my parents’ daily needs, including correcting life-threatening errors on pharmacy instructions, and advocating for them during medical visits when their symptoms are overlooked. Existing law treats the people willing to shoulder these burdens as temporary guests.
This current system is also hypocritical. My foreign-born cousins obtained Republic of China (ROC) passports through patriarchal lineage with ease; friends born outside of Taiwan now have greater rights than I do through updated maternal lineage laws inapplicable to me. Germans were recently granted greater access to become Taiwanese over those born to Taiwanese mothers on Taiwanese soil. A nation that rightfully prides itself on gender equality cannot leave the pre-1980 generation behind.
The mother-child bond does not expire at age 18 (the cutoff for the “minor children” naturalization path), nor should it be invalidated by a 1970’s birth certificate. We are not “foreigners.” We are a family seeking to return home and undertake our filial obligations.
Taiwan devalued our mother’s lineage in the past. This ongoing sting can end by recognizing their children as Taiwanese, and allowing us unrestricted access to establish a full life in Taiwan.
As our mothers enter the latter stages of their lives, who would support them if not their children?
Shi Qi
Taipei
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