Episode Details

Did you know that there is a campaign underway in Taiwan that is calling for foreign permanent residents to be able to apply for dual nationality, effectively allowing them to obtain Taiwanese citizenship after 5 years without giving up their original passport?

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dual-nationality-for-long-term-permanent-residents-of-taiwan-discussion-with-michael-fahey-ep-293/

An online petition for this proposal was launched on August 19th and they are trying to collect 5,000 signatures to support it by October 19th: https://join.gov.tw/idea/detail/951c745d-4484-4923-953f-4cdaefe7f344

I recently spoke with Michael Fahey, about this campaign which was initiated by Crossroads and Forward Taiwan. We talked about many of the most common concerns raised by a proposal like this, given the sensitive position that Taiwan is in due to the threats it faces from the PRC (People's Republic of China).

Michael is an American lawyer and resident of Taipei since 1988. He is foreign counsel at Formosa Transnational (萬國) and also founder of Forward Taiwan.

If you'd like to sign the online petition to expand access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan, please note a few things:

1) In order to be able to sign the petition you must be a citizen of Taiwan or holder of an A(P)RC (Alien Permanent Resident Certificate) and have a Taiwan mobile number.

2) When filling out the petition form it's best to use a computer not a smart phone but have your phone nearby and have patience when going through the process.

3) Whether or not you are personally able to sign the petition, please consider also sharing this with friends, family or colleagues who would and are able to support it.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

· How the proposal to expand access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan came about

· The case of Michael Boyden, a British citizen and permanent resident of Taiwan

· How Taiwan's nationality law was drafted in the 1920s and how it compares with other countries laws on nationality

· How Taiwan's nationality law is not symmetrical for native-born Taiwanese and naturalizing foreign citizens

· How expanding access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan could make Taiwan more resilient

· How immigration could be a way to deal with Taiwan becoming a super-aged society

· Concerns about whether this proposal will make it easier PRC (People's Republic of China) citizens to immigrate to Taiwan and become citizens

· PRC (People's Republic of China) citizens are governed by a different law; the act for the relations between peoples of the mainland and the Taiwan region

· The proposal is to change the nationality law not the act for the relations between peoples of the mainland and the Taiwan region

· How to hand