The National Immigration Agency (NIA) yesterday said it has notified a “minority” of Chinese immigrants in Taiwan to renounce their citizenship.
The agency’s statement came hours after the Chinese-language United Daily News reported that the notifications have sparked panic among Chinese immigrants married to Taiwanese nationals.
In a news release, the agency said that a majority of naturalized citizens from China had submitted proof that they had renounced their Chinese citizenship.
Photo: Taipei Times
However, a small number have failed to do so, the agency said, adding that in most cases, they were unable to travel to China due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other issues.
Chinese residents must provide officials with proof that they have canceled their household registration in China within three months of the receipt of a notice from the agency or the government would cancel their household registration in Taiwan, the agency said.
However, they can apply for long-term residency in Taiwan again based on regulations governing Chinese nationals seeking permanent residency based on family relations, it said.
In the same way, the government bans Taiwanese from concurrently holding household registrations in China, based on the 2004 amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), it said.
Those who encounter difficulties obtaining the required documents renouncing Chinese citizenship or who might have lost their records can seek the assistance of the immigration agency, which would liaise with the Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation to deal with these issues, it said.
The government is fully committed to protecting the rights and privileges of foreign-born citizens who are loyal and abide by the law, the agency said.
Recipients of the immigration agency notices have little to worry about if their problems stem from paperwork or red tape, so long as they follow the process, it added.
Separately, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said on the sidelines of a legislative session that Taiwanese law requires Chinese to give up their citizenship and household registration in China to become Taiwanese nationals.
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