In a bid to crack down on illegal immigrants and the smuggling of mainland Chinese to the US, authorities are set to increase rewards for reporting illegal immigrants and people-smuggling rings, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday.
Under a new bill, the interior ministry will offer NT$1,000 to NT$5,000 to anyone who turns in a foreign worker who has overstayed his or her visa.
The reward for reporting an illegal immigrant is from NT$5,000 to NT$20,000, ministry spokesman Ho Jung-tsun said.
Anyone who reports a people-smuggling ring can receive NT$20,000 to NT$100,000, he said.
The bill will become effective on Jan. 1, 2001, after being passed through the legislature.
Lured by its wealth, a growing number of migrants from China are sneaking into Taiwan to find work. Many foreign workers go into hiding after their three-year contract has expired.
Some mainlanders who enter Taiwan to visit sick relatives also overstay their visas and work illegally, in order to earn money to send home.
Taiwan denies entry to mainlanders unless they are invited by civic groups or come here to attend family funerals or to visit sick relatives.
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