The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposed new resident rights protection act (新住民權益保障法), expanding the definition of “new residents” to include foreign professionals residing in Taiwan.
The draft bill, proposed by the Ministry of the Interior and passed during a Cabinet meeting yesterday, states that the term “new resident” includes foreigners who are granted residence in Taiwan, dependent residence, long-term residence or permanent residence, or stateless people, residents from China, Hong Kong or Macau whose spouse is a Taiwanese national residing in the nation with a registered household.
The draft proposes to extend legal protection to new residents’ children and regards professional residents, technical immigrants and investment immigrants as new residents as well.
Photo: CNA
It proposes to expand the definition of new residents to include professional residents, technical immigrants and investment immigrants who have had Taiwanese nationality for no more than three years, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said.
Under the draft act, the Executive Yuan’s coordination meetings on immigration affairs would be institutionalized, following the examples of the South Korean Foreign Workforce Policy Committee and the Japanese Office for the Coordination of Policies on Foreign Residents, Liu said.
Units would also be established as part of the Ministry of the Interior to facilitate campaigns and activities for new residents, which are expected to benefit more than 1 million people, she added.
Meanwhile, the New Residents Development Fund would continue to finance local governments at all levels to promote new resident care services, including adaptation, childbearing and healthcare, employment protection and personal safety, as well as providing subsidies for those in need, she said.
Taiwan has more than 600,000 immigrant spouses, who have enriched the nation’s culture and contributed to their families, the society and the economy along with their children, Liu said, adding that the draft would realize President William Lai’s (賴清德) pledge to protect new residents’ rights and welfare.
The bill is to be sent to the Legislative Yuan for approval.
Additional reporting by CNA
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