10,000 Chinese spouses face loss of residency in Taiwan over missing proof

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) Among the 140,000 Chinese spouses granted "settlement residency" in Taiwan, about 10,000 risk losing that status for failing to submit proof they renounced their Chinese household registration, according to the National Immigration Agency (NIA).

NIA Deputy Director-General Chen Chieh-cheng (陳建成) said at a legislative session Wednesday that most Chinese spouses have already provided the required documentation.

Only around 10,000 have yet to do so and have been notified by the NIA, Chen said, adding that the reasons cited for the delay by those individuals include health issues and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Settlement residency" is an intermediate status granted to Chinese spouses in Taiwan, allowing them to apply for household registration in Taiwan within a 30-day window and thereby obtain Taiwanese citizenship.

To obtain such status, they are required to go through stages including "family-based residency" and "long-term residency," and submit proof of having renounced their household registration in China to the NIA.

Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (Cross-Strait Act) stipulates that "the people of the Taiwan Area may not have household registrations in the Mainland Area," and those who violate this provision "shall be deprived of its status as the people of the Taiwan Area and its rights."

In addition, Chinese spouses who obtained "status as the people of the Taiwan Area" before the article came into effect on March 1, 2004, were required to renounce their household registration in China and submit the relevant proof to Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior within six months of the article's enforcement.

Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), deputy head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), said the authorities are conducting a comprehensive review of those who did not submit the required proof, with the legal basis for such a review derived from the Cross-Strait Act.

Before the recent comprehensive review, the NIA would take action when an individual was reported for failing to submit the required documents, Liang said according to his understanding.

As of Wednesday, 676 individuals have had their "status as people of the Taiwan Area" revoked, according to Chen.

He said that for the 10,000 individuals who have not submitted the required proof, if they face difficulties obtaining it, the NIA will coordinate with the MAC and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) -- a semi-official organization tasked by Taiwan's government with handling technical matters involving China -- to find a viable solution for them.

Liang said that both the NIA and the MAC have received calls from affected Chinese spouses, with some offering reasonable explanations and others giving a wide range of less persuasive reasons.

A source familiar with the matter told CNA on Tuesday that those who receive the notice for failing to provide the required proof must submit the document within three months.

Failure to do so may result in the revocation of their "settlement residency" and a notification to the household registration office to cancel their Taiwanese household registration, which could lead to the loss of citizenship if the individual already holds Taiwanese citizenship, the source said.

The NIA told CNA that if a Chinese spouse's "settlement residency" and household registration are revoked, but their original reason for residing in Taiwan -- such as marriage to a Taiwanese citizen -- remains valid, they may reapply for "long-term residency" with the agency.

The NIA's move has drawn criticism from opposition parties, with the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) arguing that laws should not be applied retroactively and that the government should not shift the blame for years of inaction onto the people.

The TPP also said those notices listed SEF and NIA service contacts, but calls went unanswered, and officials later admitted to the party's legislators that the mass issuance of notices caused panic and was "poorly thought out."

The Kuomintang (KMT) -- the opposition party with the most seats in the Legislature -- said some of its lawmakers had received reports from constituents who received the notices and will explore ways to offer necessary assistance.

The KMT said it would examine the practical challenges faced by those Chinese spouses and whether any cases involved unreasonable treatment.