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Stricter naturalization tests mooted

Foreign spouses would have to pass a language test before being granted naturalization, and the Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Education are studying the possibility of introducing more stringent tests for this purpose.

According to the Ministry of Education's Department of Social Education, there is an increasing number of foreign spouses in Taiwan, but many of them do not have any Chinese language capability or sufficient education, which may present the country with serious social problems.

The ministry suggests that the Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council change the criteria for naturalization of foreign brides and spouses from China, which would include passing a Chinese literacy as well as a naturalization test.

The ministry suggests that foreign spouses be tested on the most commonly-used 1,680 Chinese characters. A certain amount of Chinese studies targeting different nationalities would also be required to pass the test.

Foreign spouses' knowledge about Taiwan would be tested in the naturalization test, which may cover history, geography, culture, and other matters.

During a seminar held by the ministry earlier this year, many attendees recommended that foreign spouses receive compulsory education in Taiwan.

However, this is not enforceable by law as compulsory education only applies to nationals between the ages of six and 15. This is why the new measures to include language and knowledge tests in the naturalization criteria are being considered.

The ministry originally planned to require foreign spouses to have attained a level of education roughly equivalent to elementary school. But considering that there is no such precedent in other countries' naturalization requirements and it may cause controversy over human-rights issues, the ministry tended to adopt screening tests similar to that of the US.

Once the new legislation takes effect, foreign spouses who have already been granted Republic of China identity cards would not be required to take the tests.

Hsieh Wen-ho (謝文和) of the Department of Social Education said that literacy is one of the indicators of a country's international competitiveness.

Taiwan's illiteracy rate above the age of fifteen is 3.9 percent, which is higher than in most developed countries. But as more illiterate foreign brides from Southeast Asia are naturalized, the percentage will increase and Taiwan would appear less competitive.
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