After a US missionary had his application for permanent residency turned down, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) issued a reminder to clergy members in Taiwan who wish to become permanent residents saying that they cannot hold another job without express permission to do so.
“The permanent residency application submitted by Wong Haw Ran (黃浩然), who has worked as a clergyman in Taiwan for 15 years and is currently working at St Mary’s Hospital in Luodong Township (羅東), Yilan County, was turned down by the agency’s county office,” the agency said in a press statement released on Sunday.
“He resides in the country as a full-time missionary, but we discovered that he holds other paying jobs concurrently,” the statement added.
As part of Wong’s application, agency officers said they discovered that since he works as a preacher at St Mary’s Hospital, he is registered on the hospital’s payroll.
“We believe that Wong submitted salary slips from that post to fulfill the proof of income residency requirement,” the agency’s statement said.
“However, as a missionary, the only document needed to apply for permanent resident status is a letter from the church proving that it will support the missionary’s expenses during his or her stay in Taiwan,” it added.
The agency said it has asked Wong to resubmit his application as a missionary only.
“We would like to remind anyone who wishes to apply for permanent residency as a missionary that, according to the law, a person residing in Taiwan as a missionary must be a full-time clergy member with no other jobs or sources of income, unless otherwise approved by the Ministry of Labor or other government agencies,” the statement said.
“Violators of this rule face having their residency status voided and expulsion from the country,” the statement added.
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