First and foremost, I am a Filipino National whose Father is a Taiwanese National (at my birth), and Mother is a Filipino National. I grew up in the Philippines and holds and uses Filipino Passport for my international travels. Currently, my Father has his Household Registration in Taiwan.
Next, I am aspiring to obtain a Master’s degree and subsequently learn Mandarin in Taiwan. With that in mind, I am also planning to apply for the MOE scholarship.
Under Taiwan Scholarship Program Directions Article IV section (ii.1), R.O.C. Nationals are ineligible to apply for the scholarship. Furthermore, under Taiwan’s Nationality Act Article 2, I think that with this act the state recognizes me as an R.O.C. National by default (whether I’m an NWOHR or not).
I would be really glad if someone can help me with the following questions:
Does Taiwan’s Nationality act work that way? that I am an R.O.C. National through my father’s Nationality.
a. If yes, does it mean I cannot apply for scholarships aimed for aspiring international students in Taiwan?
b. If not, means I am eligible for the scholarship, does pursuing for an R.O.C. nationality through NWOHR + TARC after I graduated Masters through Taiwan’s Scholarship, would be a violation as described in Taiwan Scholarship Program Directions Article 14 Section (i.9)? and if not, does it make a difference if I apply for an R.O.C. Passport before I start the degree?
Other information that might be helpful; I was an exchange student at Taiwan for a year, during my stay there, I never in any way identify myself as Taiwanese in documents needed for Visas, Insurance, and alike. I always identified myself as a Filipino
this is tricky and you should ask the relevant ppl, but you are indeed considered a NWOHR. you don’t need to be in the system to have this status, as by virtue of your birth you are a taiwan NWOHR. but w/o being ‘registered’ so to speak, taiwan has no idea that this is your true status. so a cursory reading of this suggests that you aren’t qualified for the scholarships. that said, if you went ahead and applied, you could very well get an award since they wouldn’t know your real status (however, if you have to for example submit your dad’s documents, and they see that he’s a taiwan national w/ hhr, then they might realize you don’t qualify).
as for the other question, if by some strange logic you are eligible (they don’t consider you a national until you submit the paper work to register as one), then obtaining ROC hhr would almost certainly not be a violation since you wouldn’t have falsified your application or your documents at the time of application.
in summary you should ask, but i would be very very surprised if you are eligible.
You should write your parents’ nationality on the application form as well as your nationality, and there printed in red ink that “*Note: If one or both of your parents was an ROC national at the time of your birth, you are an ROC national as well and therefore not eligible to apply.”