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Chinese spouses face new procedure for interviews

"If a fake marriage is discovered ... the Taiwanese spouse will also face legal charges."

A statement by the Ministry of the Interior

The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) announced that a new set of interview procedures took effect yesterday for Chinese spouses entering the country.

According to the ministry, several changes have been made to the process.

"First, when a Taiwanese spouse submits a visa application for his or her spouse in China, the spouse in Taiwan will be interviewed before a visa can be issued," the ministry said.

"If the official who conducts the interview feels skeptical about the true relationship of the couple, the visa application will be rejected and the Chinese spouse will not be allowed to enter Taiwan," it said.

Furthermore, the ministry's immigration police will interview Chinese spouses who try to enter Taiwan without proper visas at points of entry.

"If there is a clear discrepancy between the information provided by the Chinese spouse and his or her Taiwanese spouse, the Chinese spouse will be deported," the ministry said.

The MOI stated that Chinese spouses who are able to enter Taiwan but are suspected of marriage fraud will be able to stay in the country for only a month.

"During this one-month stay, neighborhood police will be responsible for visiting the household in question and forwarding a report to the administration, which will then conduct a second interview with the couple," the ministry said.

"If a fake marriage is discovered, not only will the Chinese spouse's visa be revoked, but the Taiwanese spouse will also face legal charges," the ministry said.

To implement the new interview procedures, the immigration office has set up 23 interview locations nationwide. Each interview room is equipped with a video camera and an audio recorder. The National Police Administration (NPA) has also appointed 124 staff members to enforce the new interview policy.

The NPA also urged the public to report any agencies that engage in marriage fraud.
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