New Immigrant Group Opposes Demands on Chinese Spouses in Taiwan

TaiwanPlus News

A civic group formed by the second generation of so-called new immigrants in Taiwan has spoken out against the government's recent demand for over 10,000 Chinese spouses in Taiwan to provide proof that they have renounced their household registration in China.

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00:00Untimely, unfair and unrealistic, a civic group representing the second generation of

00:07Taiwan's so-called new immigrants is speaking out against the government's recent request

00:13for additional documentation.

00:26Last week, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which governs relations between Taiwan and

00:31China, revealed it had requested over 10,000 Chinese spouses and their children who have

00:38settled in the country to provide proof that they had given up their household registration

00:42in China in order to keep their legal status in Taiwan.

00:56At the heart of this issue is household registration.

01:04Household registration and citizenship are two different things.

01:08In Taiwan, people need to register a local address to enjoy full civil and political rights,

01:14like voting.

01:16Finally, foreign nationals must renounce their original citizenship and become naturalized

01:21before they can do this.

01:23Chinese nationals, however, are subject to a different process as they are not treated as

01:28foreigners under the Constitution.

01:31They only need to cancel their household registration in China before they can be issued a Taiwanese

01:36ID card and enjoy those rights.

01:39The government said it found no such records for over 10,000 Chinese spouses and their children

01:46living in Taiwan.

01:48Though the requirement is not new and was put in place in 2004, they said these cases

01:54have admittedly slipped through the cracks.

01:57The government is now giving those 10,000 people three months to submit the required documents

02:02though certain people have been granted exemptions, including those who are unable to return

02:07to China.

02:08The government is now giving those 10,000 people three months to submit the required documents,

02:13though certain people have been granted exemptions, including those who are unable to return

02:18to China for political or health reasons and those who have not gone back for more than 10 years.

02:37However, the youth group says that the three-month timeframe is unacceptable and that the request itself is unreasonable.

02:44Taiwan Plus reached out to the Mainland Affairs Council for comment, and it said that many people have already gone back to China.

02:51China to apply for documentation, it's still collecting information on exceptional cases that may require extension,

02:58and it said that many people have already gone back to China to apply for documentation.

03:01It's still collecting information on exceptional cases that may require extensions, and will adjust the policy as needed.

03:24Some of the affected people have been living in Taiwan for decades.

03:29They've set up lives here and settled down, but now the clock is ticking for them to find a way to cement their legal status in Taiwan.

03:37Justin Wu and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.

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