A bill that would shorten the time required for foreign “high-level professionals” to apply for naturalization passed committee review at the legislature yesterday.
The Internal Administration Committee approved the amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) after hearing reports from the Ministry of the Interior.
Fierce global competition for talent requires Taiwan to relax its immigration rules, the proposal says.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Under current law, high-level professionals invited by the ministry can apply for citizenship without giving up their nationality.
However, they must have resided in Taiwan for at least 183 days annually for three consecutive years.
Under the changes, the requirement would be shortened to two years, or the applicant must have legally resided in Taiwan for at least five years if they do not meet the 183-day requirement. Special or stateless applicants would be exempt from paying the fee required when applying for naturalization.
The changes also include a provision that would allow social welfare agencies to apply for naturalization on behalf of stateless children who are residents.
Athletes would fall under the category of “high-level professionals,” Department of Household Registration Acting Director Chen Tzu-ho (陳子和) said, when asked whether they would be included.
The ministry earlier said that the changes would aid in recruiting foreign basketball players for the national team.
The Cabinet approved the changes on Feb. 29, sending them to the legislature for deliberation.
They had already been approved by the Cabinet in September last year, but had to be resubmitted because of the new legislative term that began on Feb. 1.
The amendments have been finalized and do not require cross-party negotiations before they are deliberated by the full chamber, committee chair Legislator Wu Chi-ming (吳琪銘) said.
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) has been investigating nine shell companies working with Prince Holding Group, and the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is seeking further prosecution of alleged criminals, a source said yesterday. The nine companies and three Taiwanese nationals were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Oct. 14 as Specially Designated Nationals as a result of a US federal court indictment. Prince Holding founder Chen Zhi (陳志) has been charged with fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding’s suspected forced-labor camps in Cambodia, the indictment says. Intelligence shared between Taiwan,
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
RSS