Hi all, I did try searching and didn’t find anything that really answered my questions, so if it is here and I didn’t see it sorry.
Anyway my questions are regarding duel nationality and getting Taiwanese citizenship.
Firstly, I have heard (but do not know anyone personally who has done it) that foreign nationals can get their Taiwanese citizenship. As I understand it, after being married for three years or living here on a working ARC for 5 years one is eligible to apply for their ROC passport. But in order to do that, you must renounce your current citizenship. I have heard that Australian and New Zealander's can give up their passports and then just get them back no problem. Does anyone know How it works for Canadian citizens? Has anyone done it, or knows for sure how it's done? I love Taiwan and would like to stay, but I also love Canada and let's face it, having a Canadian/American/(pick your western country) passport certainly has it's advantages.
Also, You need to spend a year being nation less, is that correct? What does that mean really? You can;t travel out of the country, but is that for the full year, is it actually just a year or does the red tape make it a year and bit? I guess my questions on this are a little disoriented because, my main concern would be keeping or getting my Canadian citizenship back.
I would really like to have both and the impression that I have gotten, is that it is possible to give up your passport and then get it back. If anyone can help me obtain the information on how to do this, or point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Please Pm me, or reply here if you have any information that could help me.
Thanks DR Z, I have already been there and read that link. It didn’t really answer my question though, What I was hoping for was more specifically someone who had done it. I know it is possible to get your citizenship back, but what I would really like to know is is there any chance of not getting it back. I should probably contact the Canadian gov’t folks about it, but i suspect they will give me the run around. I know the American Gov’t get right uppity about you giving your citizenship up, but I have heard the Commonwealth countries are more understanding about these things… ?
Quibble are you young and male? If you are, then mandatory military service is something you should consider carefully before contemplating ROC nationality.
You can get a list of Canadian that have done it. There was a list published here on the forum of how many foreigners and what their nationalities are that have become ROC Nationals.
Some countries such as Australia are not on the list. Probably as there are so few Aussies to have become ROC Nationals. In anycase not many Aussies living in Taiwan anyways
Quibble: what I would do if I were you is this; get a copy of canadian immigration law - it should be available on the internet pages of your ministry of the interior or home office website; then there are 2 ways you should check to get it back.
Does the canadian govt allow its natioanls to renounce one time only (like the UK) and re-instate your citizenship?. If so, the process will be fairly straight forward.
If your country does not allow re-instatement after renounciation, there is still (a higher) probability that you can get it back using the “I’ve become stateless” clause - check this also with immigration law.
In the UK, if you do not receive the citizenship of another country 6 months after renouncing your nationality “you are deemed to have remained a British Citizen”. I woudl be willing to bet this safeguard would be more palatable to the immigration authorities than simply giving you your citizenship back on a one time basis.
Because once you have renounced, in Taiwan it is 100% certain you will spend more than 6 months in a period of statelessness.
In fact, I think all you US citizens shoudl check this clause out - it may be the only way to get your US citizenship back. Of course, if you’ve already got your ID, you’ve missed the window of opportunity.
From my understanding, you can regain your citizenship, but you will need to reside in the country for one year to get it back. This differs from the British people in Taiwan who can renounce and immediately obtain their citizenship back.
Dayan - I feel obliged to point out you are in error, in the interests of helping Quibble.
The reclaiming nationalty route is not available to Canadians - they are not
allowing you to reclaim if they have already renounced (I have checked this since my last port).
However, the other route is the “nullification of renunciation” method.
Many comonwealth countries - regardless of whether they allow you to reclaim your citizenship or not - stipulate that you can renounce, provided that you attain citizenship of another country within 6 months (impossible in Taiwan). If you do not attain anohter citizenship, you may be “deemed to have remained a (Canadian) citizen”.
Check this out with canadian law. As I stated in my previous post, this loop-hole has been created by taiwan’s ludicrously xenophobic immigration law - c’mon everybody - let’s exploit it!
[quote=“govt-attache”]The reclaiming nationalty route is not available to Canadians - they are not
allowing you to reclaim if they have already renounced (I have checked this since my last port).[/quote]
Link, please. This information contradicts what I have previously uncovered on the web.
wow, govt-attache, your answers are really good, I’m interested in this subject myself (mostly curious but if what you are saying is possible more than curious now). I am thinking about contacting imigration Canada to try to get a straight answer about this stateless business, but does anyone know if there is (and how) a way to look it up and confirm it on my own on the off chance they are rather tight lipped on the matter?
Maoman: the link is in Dr. Zoidberg’s post (the second reply in thie forum). The relevant bit is "To be eligible to resume your Canadian citizenship, you must:
have lost your Canadian citizenship by means other than revocation
… meaning they don’t allow you to resume…
Delieadalish: how to look it up? - now there’s a challenge… my advice would be that you need to comb through Canadain immigration law, and what they publish on the web will not be the entire immigration act, its far too extensive.
No single Canadaian has tried this route yet, so someone needs to go first. I was the first brit to do it - ironically NOT through my right to resume (which Brits can) but because I proved I had failed to gain taiwanese citizenship BEFORE the paperwork on my resumption came through - so I was “deemed to have remained a british citizen”.
So as a pioneer to be the 1st canadian to get Taiwanese citizenship AND retain your original citizenship, this is what I would do (just a suggesiton, and not totally wihtout risk, I’d add);
check out immigration law to verify that if you fail to secure citizenship of a second country after remouncing, you are deemd to remain a canadian citizen (my gut feeling is this must be enshrined in canadian law).
renouce your citizenship, and use the certificate to kick-start your taiwan naturalisation process - this will take at least 14 - 15 months at fastest - and you can slow it down if you like!
Provide proof to the canadian authorities that you have failed to gain taiwanese citizenship (the ID card, basically). I did this by getting a letter from a local lawyer and the from the ministry of interior who accepted my certificate of renounciation (I have a copy if anyone needs it).
…as I say, you would be boldly going where no man (or woman) has gone before, but it worked for me… (and NOT because brits are allowed to resume, albeit only once) but because I had failed to get a Taiwan ID…
[quote=“govt-attache”]Maoman: the link is in Dr. Zoidberg’s post (the second reply in thie forum). The relevant bit is "To be eligible to resume your Canadian citizenship, you must:
have lost your Canadian citizenship by means other than revocation
… meaning they don’t allow you to resume…[/quote]
Thanks for that - I don’t know how I could have missed it! You are right, and I stand corrected. It’ll be a cold day in hell (equal to a warm winter day in Saskatchewan) before I give up my Canadian citizenship now! :loco:
You mean its easier for a US draft dodger to become a Canadian citizen than it is for a former citizen in good standing to get his/her Canadian citizenship back?
“after renouncing, if the subject fails to gain citizenship of a third country witin 6 months, he/she shall be deemed to have remained a Canadian citizen”
(its in there somewhere)
then you can have dual nationality, because it takes at least 14 months to get Taiwanese Citizenship after renouncing.
I’d love one of you Canadians to go ahead and do it! I’ll buy you a beer or 2 if you do…
Thanks DR Z, I have already been there and read that link. It didn’t really answer my question though, What I was hoping for was more specifically someone who had done it. I know it is possible to get your citizenship back, but what I would really like to know is is there any chance of not getting it back. I should probably contact the Canadian gov’t folks about it, but i suspect they will give me the run around. I know the American Gov’t get right uppity about you giving your citizenship up, but I have heard the Commonwealth countries are more understanding about these things… ?
?
chance they are rather tight lipped on the matter?