Old immigration rules for Taiwanese misrepresented as new Trump policy

"New regulations from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services: On the certificate of citizenship issued by the United States, for individuals born in Taiwan, the country will only be listed as 'Taiwan'," says a traditional Chinese Facebook post shared February 9, 2024.

"There will be no phrases such as 'Taiwan, China', 'Taiwan, Republic of China', or even 'Taiwan, People’s Republic of China'."

The post includes a screenshot featuring a header with the logo for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), followed by instructions saying Taiwanese applicants for US citizenship may indicate Taiwan as their birth country. It adds that subsequent certificates will also reflect the selection.

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Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post captured March 10, 2025

The United States is Taiwan's most important backer and biggest arms supplier, but Trump's recent warnings of chip taxes and criticisms of Taipei have raised concerns about his commitment to the island's security (archived link). 

Trump has previously accused Taiwan of stealing the US chip industry and suggested it should pay the United States for its defence. Taiwan lives under the constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims the island as part of its territory.

Similar claims about Trump changing immigration rules spread elsewhere on X, Facebook and Threads, misleading users.

"A moment of history, the United States recognizes us using Taiwan as the country's name," one comment says.

"Trump takes office with big changes. Taiwanese nationality is only accepted as Taiwan when entering the US," another reads.

However, the policy has existed since at least 2008.

Old policy memo

A keyword search on Google led to a USCIS policy memo issued December 1, 2008 (archived link). 

The subject line reads: "'Taiwan' as Country of Former Nationality on Certificates of Naturalization or as Country of Birth on Certificates of Citizenship".

The memo says that while the United States recognises China as the government of Taiwan, it considers the island a separate country for immigration purposes (archived link).

It adds that USCIS should be consistent with passport policies from the State Department, which accepts the use of "Taiwan" as a birthplace depending on an applicant's preference and supporting documentation (archived link).

As of March 10, Trump had not issued any new immigration rules for Taiwanese people since his return to office in January (archived links here and here).

A keyword search on the USCIS website found no recent announcement of a new rule for Taiwanese applicants (archived link). The agency's policy manual says: "An applicant who was born in Taiwan may indicate Taiwan as the country of birth on their Form N-400 if he or she shows supporting evidence" (archived link).

The United States does not diplomatically recognise Taiwan. However, on February 13 it removed a line from a State Department fact sheet that said: "We do not support Taiwan independence" (archived link).

Taipei hailed the move as "positive and friendly" while Washington's de facto embassy on the island described it as "routine" -- even though the language used to describe US-Taiwan relations is highly sensitive and has provoked an angry response in China.

AFP debunked another claim about the Trump administration's view on Taiwan here.