Taipei, June 26 (CNA) The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) approved applications Tuesday by 18 foreign professionals to become naturalized Taiwanese, including well-known radio and TV broadcaster Jeffrey Mindich.
They are among 50 foreign professionals in six fields that include science and technology, education and economics to have been granted Republic of China citizenship after five rounds of screening meetings, according to a MOI statement.
Under the Nationality Act, which was last amended in 2016, certain categories of foreigners seeking Taiwanese citizenship are not required to renounce their original nationalities and are eligible to participate in part of Taiwan's political process and various welfare benefits once they have earned Taiwanese citizenship.
Taiwan welcomes foreigners highly skilled in sports, arts and culture and other areas, such as religion, democracy and human rights, to become naturalized citizens.
Chang Wan-yi, director of the MOI's Department of Household Registration Affairs, said she hopes more foreign professionals will submit similar applications.
Among the latest group of successful applicants are former ICRT (International Community Radio Taipei) host Mindich, who has been awarded a Golden Bell award for his achievements in introducing Taiwanese culture to foreign audiences.
Others in the group include a Thai woman specialized in helping select tour guides, an Australian man in the wireless telecommunication industry, and an Indonesian whose language ability in Chinese, English and Indonesian makes him an important contributor to the government's New Southbound Policy.
Also on the list of newly approved citizenship applications are a German professor whose works on Kant have been translated into Chinese and Korean, a South African artist who has helped with arts education, and an American who is a senior editor and publisher.
Those interested in becoming Taiwanese are welcome to visit the MOI's website for regulations regarding how foreign professionals can become ROC citizens: http://www.ris.gov.tw/763
