1. Reported Stateless Persons
a. Reported Stateless Persons
UNHCR and other government sources do not hold official data on the exact number of stateless individuals in Taiwan. In 2020, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) assisted 729 stateless children in obtaining citizenship. However, sources indicate that the actual number of stateless children in the country could be as high as 10,000. Research indicates that children born to undocumented migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to statelessness. This vulnerability stems from cases where childbirth occurs at home to evade the NIA and fear of deportation. Consequently, undocumented parents fail to complete household registration for their children, rendering them stateless. Statelessness is also prevalent among marriage migrants from Southeast Asia who are required to renounce their birth citizenship.
b. Persons at Risk of Statelessness
Taiwan serves as a significant destination for migrant workers in the region seeking economic prospects. However, many of these workers are undocumented, ensnared in debt bondage, and fall victim to exploitative recruitment fees. These fees create a cycle of debt that is unsustainable given their salaries, often leading them to flee exploitative employers and resort to illegal jobs with harsh conditions. Such “Unaccounted-For Migrant Workers” and their children face severe challenges in accessing basic rights associated with citizenship, such as healthcare. For workers in marine jobs, home assistants, and the construction industry, obtaining residency is nearly impossible due to the limited validity of their employment visas under Article 52 of the Employment Service Act, which caps visas at 12 years. Consequently, children born to these workers may be at risk of statelessness. Officially, there are approximately 50,000 undocumented migrant workers with unknown whereabouts, and around 800 undocumented children have been identified.
c. Other Populations of Note
Statelessness remains a significant issue in Taiwan, particularly among marriage migrants from Southeast Asia who are often compelled to relinquish their birth citizenship. These migrants face numerous challenges, including a lack of social support due to language barriers, with many not proficient in Mandarin, the predominant language in Taiwan. This linguistic divide can lead to everyday conflicts that are difficult to resolve without proper support networks. Moreover, marriage migrants often encounter discrimination and severe xenophobia. They are sometimes labeled as a “social problem” and blamed for allegedly degrading the quality of future Taiwanese generations. This xenophobia is rooted in a national self-perception among some Taiwanese people of being of “superior quality.” While Taiwan’s 2016 amendments to the nationality law offer a path to citizenship for foreign spouses through naturalization, engaging in fraudulent marriages or adoptions can render individuals vulnerable to statelessness. These complexities highlight the multifaceted challenges faced by marriage migrants in Taiwan and the risks associated with legal status and citizenship.
