Some immigrants no longer need to give up citizenship

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3126263

Some immigrants no longer need to give up citizenship

By Chen Yu-fu and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Catholic priest and long-term resident of Taiwan Yves Moal yesterday expresses his delight at the chance to have dual citizenship as new rules take effect today.

Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times

The regulation concerning the criteria for foreigners with professional skills to obtain Republic of China citizenship, without being required to renounce their original citizenship, is to be promulgated today, the Ministry of the Interior announced.

The ministry is to promulgate today the regulation, which is in accordance with and supplementing an amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) passed by the legislature in December last year that states foreign nationals may be exempted from submitting a certificate of loss of original nationality if “they are high-level professionals in the technological, economic, educational, cultural, art, sports, or other domains who have been recommended by the central competent authority.”

Foreigners with five years of residency and specific professional qualifications in six specified categories can be granted citizenship without renouncing their prior citizenship, it said.

The amendment does not apply to Chinese citizens or residents of Hong Kong or Macau, as their naturalization falls under the purview of 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.

The professional categories included in the regulation are technology, economics, arts and culture, education, sports and “special,” the ministry said.

The technology category includes experts in high-value technical fields such as nanotechnology, optoelectronics, information technology, biotechnology, military science and technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and other cutting-edge technologies.

The economics category includes those with technical skills or knowledge of subjects that could contribute to the upgrading of industry, such as those involving semiconductors, biomedical technology, “green” energy, cultural industries and tourism.

The arts and culture category includes those who received recognition from distinguished institutions or major media outlets; have served on the panels of major arts and cultural prizes; accomplished preservers or restorers; or outstanding performers.

The educational category includes foreigners who are employed at a Taiwanese academic institution with a rank of assistant professor or above and those who have published in internationally renowned academic journals.

The sports category includes athletes who have finished in the top three places in international competition, national team coaches, international referees and distinguished players.

The special category includes distinguished democratic, human rights and religious advocates; those who have authored major works of literature; those who have received international honors or distinctions; and those with a recognized contribution to finance, medicine, transportation, telecommunications, aviation and navigation, meteorology, earthquake studies and popular culture.

French Catholic priest Yves Moal — also known as Liu Yi-feng (劉一峰) — yesterday said he is heartened to be able to be a citizen of both Taiwan and France.

Moal, 76, said he has served the Catholic Church in Taiwan for the past 51 years and has since 1986 managed a Hualien-based charity for mentally challenged children, works that have earned him a Presidential Office commendation.

“Taiwan has been my home for a long time. I spend almost twice as much time in Taiwan as in France, and I will be more than happy to live out my old age in Taiwan,” Moal said, adding that he expects to receive his national identification card next week.

Additional reporting by Hua Meng-ching

DPP unveils new immigrant committee

By Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

President Tsai Ing-wen, third right, yesterday presents a certificate to TV star Tran Thi Hoang Phuon, third left, a lecturer in Vietnamese at National Chengchi University, for serving as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party’s new immigrant committee.

Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

Members of a new Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) committee on immigrants were inaugurated yesterday to advise the party on immigration issues amid rapid growth in the number of immigrants living in Taiwan.

The committee was established to address the needs of new immigrants, which make up the fifth-largest ethnic group in the nation, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at a ceremony held at DPP headquarters in Taipei.

The DPP was the first party to commit itself to issues relating to Aborigines and the party’s new immigrant committee is another step forward, said Tsai, who doubles as DPP chair.

“The number of immigrants has reached nearly 500,000 and the number of their children is more than 350,000. As a party responsive to public opinion and emphasizing ethnic pluralism, the DPP has to address the needs and opinions of new immigrants,” Tsai said.

The committee would help the nation become more multicultural and tolerant, as well as promoting exchanges with other cultures, she said.

Twelve committee members were announced yesterday, including TV star Tran Thi Hoang Phuong; Changhua County New Immigrants Association director Lee Meng-han (李孟涵); Indonesian lecturer Hung Ching-ching (洪晶晶); Thai dancer Hsu Chen-ni (許珍妮); Chang Yi-hui (張義惠), a member of a women’s group who supported Tsai’s presidential campaign; and Hualien County New Immigrant Association director Hung Yu (洪玉).

Chinese immigrant Ning Jiarong (寧家榮), the founder of a cosmetics company; and National Chi Nan University professor Ho Ching-jung (何景榮), an Indonesian-Taiwanese, were also named.

The other committee members are experts on immigration issues — DPP Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青); women’s rights campaigner Tsai Shun-jou (蔡順柔); National Cheng Kung University professor Tan Le-kun (陳麗君); and National Kaohsiung University professor Ho Ching-jung (何青蓉).

Tran, who is to be chairwoman, said the establishment of the committee shows that the nation’s leadership has attached great importance to issues concerning immigrants.

A wider participation of immigrants in the nation’s decisionmaking process would harness the creativity of immigrants, Tran said.

Ning, a former member of the Chinese Communist Party, said she had withdrawn from the party and obtained Republic of China citizenship.

Her work on the committee would see her address issues that concern Chinese spouses living in Taiwan, such as the relatively longer process for Chinese spouses to obtain citizenship compared with immigrants from other nations.

There are 330,000 Chinese spouses in Taiwan and their rights have improved over the years, and she would seek further improvements, despite the “historical factors,” Ning said.

Immigrate to Canada

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Suspend Visa-Free EU Travel For U.S. Citizens, Lawmakers Say

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/eu-travel-via-us-citizens_us_58b83187e4b0a8ded67aceea

A Love Too Good For America

If I told you about all the unqualified ex-pats teaching ESL here in Taiwan, you would realize that you, and everyone of my friends, would do much better than them at a profession that brings in $15-20 an hour. The non-English speaking world is in need of progressive people to guide them through the exploitation they experience from imperialism. Many Latin American nations need such activists willing to cut American and NATO domination off at the pass. There is no advantage I have, my so called "economic means," that would disable you from taking the exodus like millions of ex-pats have done. It is far cheaper to fly to Cuba or Venezuela, if you speak Spanish, where the cost of living is low. For example, here in Taiwan, you can rent a studio in Taipei for $400 a month, eat well for $5 a day, transportation at 75 cents a trip, work under the table, as most do, leave to renew a visa, or, in your case, well-qualified as you are, have a sponsor get you a work permit and Alien Resident Card, not to mention full Universal Health Care. My second language is Mandarin so I live here or China. It is true that the U.S. needs activists to fight capitalism, as it always has, but how long can you struggle without giving the front line to the younger generation who must, in the millions, get out in the streets, organize their communities, join grassroot organizations, or go underground? Most importantly, as in my case, you can participate in the struggle overseas by communicatng via the internet, donating, and enlightening your neighbors who are barraged with propaganda we in the movement know to be false. As FDR said,"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." You and other activists, who may emigrate with only the shirts on their backs, will soon find a wardrobe of possibilities overseas. You have a love too good for America.

Taiwan Ministry clarifies rules for children of foreigners

Ministry clarifies rules for children of foreigners

Staff writer, with CNA

Children of foreign professionals in Taiwan can apply to stay in the nation after turning 20, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday, dispelling rumors that such people would be forced to leave.

Speaking at a regular news briefing, National Immigration Agency deputy head Jeff Yang (楊家駿) said that those aged under 20 can apply to remain in Taiwan with their parents who are working in the nation if they meet certain requirements, citing amendments to the Regulations Governing Visiting, Residency and Permanent Residency of Aliens (外國人停留居留及永久居留辦法), which took effect in April 2014.

The agency sends letters to those who are nearing the age of 20 to remind them that they can apply to remain in Taiwan, Yang said.

However, there have been only a few such applications in the past few years, he said.

His remarks came in response to Internet rumors that children of foreign professionals in Taiwan cannot remain after they reach the age of 20, forcing them to part with their families and affecting their career plans.

Foreign nationals permitted to reside in Taiwan who reach the age of 20 with at least one parent holding an Alien Resident Certificate or Alien Permanent Resident Certificate can apply for an extension of residency if they qualify, according to the regulations.

To qualify, an applicant must have “stayed in Taiwan for an accumulated 10 years in total and resid[ed] for over 270 days each year; [have] entered Taiwan under the age of 16 and stayed over 270 days each year;” or been “born in Taiwan, having resided in Taiwan for a minimum accumulated period of at least 10 years in total and having stayed over 183 days each year,” according to Article 8 of the regulations.

If their applications are approved, they will be granted a three-year extension to stay in Taiwan, the regulations say.

A second extension of three years is possible, meaning they could remain for up to six years, the regulations say.

The ministry said that the amendments were made as an incentive to attract more foreign professionals to work in Taiwan on a long-term basis.

The U.S. goes fascist. How do you escape?

October 21, 2016

Dear Cecil:

Any guidance for those who fear a fascist takeover of the United States and think they may need to get out in a hurry? What countries will accept political refugees from the U.S. on short notice? What’s the easiest way to get your money out of the country in advance? Are there people who will arrange to ship one's art collection overseas, no questions asked?

— Albert Ettinger

Cecil replies:

I’m happy to note, Al, that the odds of a fascist takeover look somewhat slimmer than they did when your question arrived a few weeks back. Even so, one has to deal with the tension somehow as this debilitating campaign enters its final stretch: for some, that may mean constantly re-refreshing poll-tracking sites; for others, evidently, it means packing the bags and setting ’em by the door. The bad news for blue-state types ready to scram on November 9 is that things will have to get really scary before any old American citizen can pass as a political refugee. The good news? That leaves more time to plan your exciting new life abroad and find a safe harbor for you and your money. Well, most of your money.

A refugee, you see, has to persuade some kindly foreign government that she has, per UN convention, a “well-founded fear” of persecution because of “race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” The election of an unqualified bully as chief exec won’t in itself do the trick, and even if President Trump concluded his inaugural address with a declaration of martial law, you’d still have to demonstrate you’re a likely target of government oppression. Finding yourself on a national database of Muslim Americans might not even be enough until federal goons actually start rounding up the registrants.

Where to flee to? If you’re concerned about Trump, I can’t imagine you’re a big Putin fan, so following Edward Snowden to Russia is probably a no-go. Closer to home, Canada’s liberal refugee policy doesn’t mean they’ve been overly sympathetic to putatively oppressed Americans. A black American, Kyle Canty, who’d argued he was endangered by racially motivated police violence in the U.S. lost his Canadian asylum bid in January. But you never know. In 2014 Canadian immigration officials ruled that a Florida court’s 30-year prison sentence for having sex with a 16-year-old boy was excessive and let U.S. citizen Denise Harvey stay up north.

Assuming a long, slow slide into totalitarian hell for the U.S. rather than a sudden putsch, consider less urgent forms of emigration. Line up employment in Canada beforehand, for instance — they’re much more welcoming to foreigners seeking a work visa than we are, and if you’ve got the right skills (plus enough cash savings to ensure that you won’t beeline onto the dole) they might open their doors even before you score a job offer. Then again, if you’ve really got some extra bucks in the bank, invest in a business overseas — most countries just love deep-pocketed foreign entrepreneurs.

Staying in your new nation is potentially trickier than getting in — one pink slip and it could be back to the U.S. with you, freeloader. If you plan on marrying into citizenship, choose your destination wisely: wedding your Saskatchewanian sweetie, for instance, doesn’t put you on the fast track to becoming a naturalized Canadian. Most European nations are more accommodating to foreign-born spouses, though, and if you tie the knot with an obliging Brazilian, full citizenship can be yours within a year. Some countries might grant you citizenship based on descent: the Law of Return permits Jews to relocate in Israel, and if one of your grandparents was born in Ireland there’s a process for repatriation to the auld sod.

With enough assets at your disposal, even if you’re on the lam, you don’t have to live like a refugee. But you may find foreign banks increasingly more reluctant to take your cash — following the passage of a 2010 U.S. law demanding stricter reporting on the financial doings of Americans living abroad, many overseas institutions have decided we aren’t worth the effort. If you’re the particularly suspicious sort, you could get more creative — buy a foreign gold certificate, or dive into the murky world of Bitcoin.

As for your art collection — for a displaced person, Al, you certainly are a high roller — some governments will indeed demand a sizable chunk of its value. Sweden might otherwise be a dream relocation site, but you’d have to cough up a 25 percent value-added tax. Certainly there are shady professionals who can assist, but immigration officials prefer their admittees with clean hands, and a smuggling racket is a good way to make a bad (read: extraditable) first impression.

Though we hear the same talk about moving to Canada or Europe every four years, evidence suggests few Americans actually skedaddle after the wrong candidate gets elected. This year the big difference is that the people most likely endangered by a Trump victory are the ones who really want to stick around. It’d be cruelly ironic if the subjects of mass deportation were to find a mess of American expats waiting for them in Mexico.

— Cecil Adams