The time it would take holders of Taiwan’s Plum Blossom Card to become Republic of China (ROC) citizens has been reduced by four or five months, the Ministry of the Interior said on Thursday.
The decision to expedite the process was made earlier in the day during a ministry meeting, based on an amendment to the Standards for Defining High-Level Professionals for Naturalization (歸化國籍之高級專業人才認定標準).
Effective immediately, holders of the Plum Blossom Card can apply for ROC citizenship without having to obtain a recommendation letter from the government agency in charge of their line of business, even if they have lived in Taiwan for less than five years, the ministry said.
This would help shorten the naturalization process by four or five months, it said.
Previously, Plum Blossom Card holders applying for citizenship were required to undergo a review by the ministry that was similar to the one carried out by the National Immigration Agency to grant the Plum Blossom Card, a special type of Alien Permanent Residence Card.
Highly qualified foreign nationals who have made a great contribution to Taiwan or those who have made an investment of at least US$200,000 in the country are eligible to apply for the Plum Blossom Card.
The card is currently held by 90 foreign nationals, agency data showed.
Since October last year, the government has been working to streamline the process for Plum Blossom Card holders wanting to obtain ROC citizenship.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
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The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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