Taipei: A Catholic priest originally from China, who is now a U.S. citizen, has successfully become a Taiwanese citizen after navigating complex bureaucratic processes related to his birthplace. Father Xu Jingshan, 67, who has been serving in Taiwan for two decades, shared with reporters that he migrated from China to the United States 33 years ago and subsequently became a U.S. citizen, renouncing his household registration in China at that time.
According to Focus Taiwan, Father Xu was assigned by the Catholic Church to serve in Taiwan 20 years ago. During his time in Taiwan, he experienced numerous practical difficulties due to the absence of a national ID card, such as challenges in obtaining a cellphone and a senior citizen card. Upon discovering the government's "Mackay Project" last year, which allows for naturalization based on "special contributions," he applied for Taiwanese citizenship, and his application was approved by the Ministry of the Interior.
However, the process was complicated by the requirement from the National Immigration Agency (NIA) for documentation proving the cancellation of his Chinese household registration. Xu managed to obtain the necessary documents with the help of relatives in China, but further complications arose as the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) demanded these documents be authenticated by Chinese notary offices, not local police stations. A temporary halt in the authentication service of a Chinese notary office delayed his application, but once the service resumed in July, Xu was able to secure his Taiwan ID card.
During this challenging process, Xu received assistance from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Yunlin County Councilor Tsai Yueh-ju, who sought additional support from DPP lawmaker Liu Chien-kuo. His case was also presented to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office. Councilor Tsai highlighted Xu's previous service in Yunlin County, where he committed himself to grassroots education and established a day care center for seniors at a Catholic church in Lunbei Township. Since his transfer to the Church of the Good Shepherd six years ago, Xu has continued to make meaningful contributions to rural communities and support disadvantaged residents.