Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday panned the Cabinet’s efforts on immigration policy as too slow, urging the government not to treat immigration laws as measures to prevent crime.
KMT Legislator Lin Li-chan (林麗蟬), at a news conference with KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), said she has proposed a draft immigrants’ basic act, while Chiang proposed to amend Article 19 of the Nationality Act (國籍法).
Lin, a naturalized immigrant from Cambodia, said new immigrants still face great challenges in everyday life and when looking for jobs.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
New immigrants often feel they are scrutinized by the Taiwanese public, Lin said, adding that the government has failed to take concrete action, through policy or legislation, to facilitate their integration into Taiwanese society, she said.
The strength, or weakness, of a nation rests on its population policies and there has been none since the population policy whitepaper issued by former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration in 2015, Lin said.
That 90 percent of all immigrants are here by marriage is evidence of the oversight, Lin said.
Lin’s draft would not only take into account people who immigrate through marriage, but also people who are attracted to Taiwan for professional or other reasons, she said, adding that she hoped it would help maintain social harmony while respecting foreign cultures.
The government should not seek to block immigration or see immigrants as potential criminals and there should be a separate law to give immigrants a friendly welcome and encourage them to help Taiwan grow, Lin said.
Under current regulations, immigrants marrying into Taiwanese citizenship are required to give up their original citizenship, Chiang said, adding that if a marriage is voided by the court, immigrants risk losing Taiwanese citizenship and becoming stateless.
Chiang’s proposed amendment would allow immigrants to reclaim their original citizenship through proper channels before authorities revoke their Taiwanese citizenship, he said.
While the government’s attitude towards new immigrants has improved, it has failed to develop clear policy guidelines, National Chengchi University professor Liao Yuan-hao (廖元豪) said.
If the Cabinet wants to attract skilled foreign nationals, it first needs to consider how it is treating its own people, he said, adding that the government’s stinginess toward its own people is not conducive to attracting foreigners.
A dedicated immigration law is necessary to prevent different policies across government departments, Liao said.
The government must follow through on its slogans with concrete action, or its claims will be considered nothing but words, Taiwanese New Immigrant Parent-Child-Caring Association Director Chen Ying-chun (陳英俊) said.
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