The number of people from Hong Kong applying for residency in Taiwan last year rose 41 percent from a year earlier to 5,858, National Immigration Agency statistics showed.
The statistics also showed that 600 applications were filed by Hong Kong residents in the first quarter of this year — three times the number filed in the same period last year — with applicants apparently not deterred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just one day after it was reported that the Chinese government plans to enact new national security laws in Hong Kong, inquiries regarding immigration to Taiwan grew 10-fold, a Hong Kong-based immigration consultant was quoted as saying in a Hong Kong media report on Saturday.
Photo: AFP
Separately, a Taiwan-based immigration consultant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a series of information sessions they held in Hong Kong in June last year were all filled to capacity.
There was a wave of immigration to Taiwan in 1997 when Hong Kong was handed over to China, followed by a second wave during the 2014 “Umbrella movement,” the Taiwanese consultant said, adding that a third wave occurred last year, around the time of the protests against a proposed extradition bill.
In 2018, there were 4,148 residency applicants and 1,090 permanent residency applicants, agency statistics showed.
Last year, the figures rose to 5,858 and 1,474, respectively.
Of those applying for residency last year, 1,243 people applied in October alone.
Of the reasons given in the residency applications, the top three were “study,” “marriage” and “investment,” in that order.
Sixteen possible ways of applying for residency are stipulated in the Regulations Governing Residency or Permanent Residency for People of the Hong Kong Area and the Macau Area (香港澳門居民進入臺灣地區及居留定居許可辦法). These include applying as a blood relative or spouse of a Taiwanese, as a skilled person holding a Hong Kong Government-issued certificate in a specialized field, as a person of extraordinary accomplishment in a specific field, or as a businessperson investing NT$6 million (US$199,940) or more in Taiwan.
People from other countries immigrating to Taiwan through investment must invest a minimum of NT$30 million, but those from Hong Kong can immigrate with a significantly lower investment, making Taiwan an appealing option, the Taiwanese consultant said.
Those applying as entrepreneurs can come on an even lower investment of only NT$2 million, but they must reside in Taiwan for at least 183 days per year for five years in a row before they are eligible for citizenship, the consultant said.
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing
CHINESE INCURSIONS, SORTIES: President William Lai thanked military officers for shouldering the responsibility of defending the survival and development of Taiwan President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that aggression would inevitably fail, pointing — on the day before a mass military parade in Beijing — to the lessons from World War II and key victories Taiwan claims against Chinese forces in 1958. Taiwan has over the past five years repeatedly complained about heightened Chinese military activity including war games around the nation as Beijing steps up pressure to enforce territorial claims that Taipei rejects. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, are to oversee a military parade in Beijing today to mark the
RSS