Editorial: Fixing immigration a challenge

Will the new National Immigration Agency -- upgraded from the former Bureau of Immigration -- serve as an impetus to better immigration policies and their implementation in Taiwan? We can hope so, but such hopes might be overly optimistic.

After all, regardless of how much effort the government puts into upgrading the authority and the legal status of the agency and allocating more resources and personnel to the agency, this country still needs a better set of immigration policies before the agency can achieve real success. Sadly, no such policies appear to be forthcoming.

One the principal tasks of the immigration system in the past few years has been to keep out foreigners who tried to enter illegally. No one denies the urgent need for effective mechanisms.

One used means by which people have entered the country was by faking marriage to a Taiwanese. The immigration body has therefore put a lot of effort into expanding the list of questions asked to a spouse upon entering the country.

Many these questions touch on personal matters and consequently it is not surprising that many individuals have voiced their discontent.

In other countries, such as the US, where illegal immigration is also a serious problem, a similar approach has been adopted.

US, immigration officials even make sporadic visits to households to ascertain the veracity of marriages.

Now, if this approach worked, perhaps the complaints would taper off. Unfortunately, in spite of these measures, news stories about how crime syndicates and prostitution rings have brought in illegal immigrants through fake marriages continue to make the headlines.

Expanding list of tough and intrusive questions is not going to solve the problems on its own. In fact, it could very well keep out people who have legitimate reasons for wanting to enter the country.

Beyond allegations of officials being corrupt and accepting bribes, the authorities need to go to the bottom of the problem and identify the causes of the deficiencies. This should be the agency's top priority.

The nation's opening its doors to foreign spouses was much more the result of demand than a comprehensive review of immigration policies. When, two decades ago, the laws on tourism to China were relaxed, many Taiwanese men -- many of whom were economically and socially disadvantaged -- began to marry Chinese women and needed a channel to bring their families over to Taiwan. Soon thereafter, foreign spouses from other countries -- primarily South East Asia -- began arriving as well.

Similarly, large numbers of foreign workers came as a result of a shortage in cheap labor. In the post World War II era, Taiwan had virtually no real blueprint for immigration -- despite the fact that it historically had been an immigrant society.

It is probably fair to say that even before Taiwan had consciously decided to become an immigrant society, it had already turned into one.

Seen this angle, it is easier to explain why the government had yet to have developed a clear strategy to deal with immigration.

The new National Immigration Agency claims that one of its policy goals is to diversify the types of immigrants coming to the country, with emphasis on individuals with high levels of education or special skills -- a good idea, once it has dealt with the problems it has been handed by the past.