A total of 149 foreigners have been granted ROC (Taiwan) citizenship since the government amended the Nationality Act in 2016 to attract and retain top talent from around the world, the Ministry of the Interior said Aug. 2.
According to statistics released by the MOI, the professionals hail from five continents, with 65 specializing in education, 24 in economics and 24 in medical science.
In terms of nationality, Americans and Malaysians top the list, totaling 38 and 37 naturalized citizens, respectively.
The data shows the average age of the experts is 50, while the most common age range is 40 to 44 at 28 people.
Among the naturalized professionals are French medical professional Thierry Burnouf, former adviser to the World Health Organization specializing in plasma for fractionation and blood product safety, and German wind power expert Karl-Eugen Feifel, who has helped advance the country’s renewable energy sector.
U.S. investment expert Peter Kurz, chief strategy officer at Quantum International Corp., is also on the list, as is French businessman Gildas Kernaleguen, who founded a harvesting machinery business that brings in an annual revenue of NT$1.67 billion (UD$60 million).
Amended in December 2016, the Nationality Act enables highly specialized foreign professionals with expertise spanning areas of art, culture, economy, education, sports and technology to obtain ROC (Taiwan) citizenship while retaining their original nationality. (YCH-E)
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