Despite differing views on Taiwan's relationship with China, a multiparty committee of legislators yesterday pushed through a draft law governing the residency of mainland spouses, which proposes to double the existing annual quota.
For many Taiwanese awaiting permission for their mainland spouses to reside here, the increase to 3,600 individuals per year is welcome news.
Currently there is a backlog of around 36,000 applications for residence, and many of the applicants originally expected they would have to wait more than ten years before their spouses were granted residency.
"With the new quota, a couple who apply this month would have to wait a little over seven years to receive residence," said Su Chi (
The strongest opposition to elements of the draft bill -- reviewed in a Home and Border Affairs Committee meeting yesterday -- stemmed from ideological opposition by the New Party and the DPP.
The New Party -- which actively advocates unification with China -- proposed loosening the current quota to allow 7,200 couples residence a year.
"The new quota may be an improvement over the past but it still doesn't meet the needs and interests of most people," said New Party legislator Cheng Lung-shui (
"If you raised the quota further and loosened regulations even more, then there wouldn't be such a problem with snake-head groups [smugglers of illegal immigrants]."
While one DPP legislator referred to Cheng as a mouthpiece for China president Jiang Zemin (
"You can't open the door too wide because there will always be those who run away. You need to keep a constant check on these people," Tai Chen-yao (?振耀) said. "It's a matter of Taiwan's security."
Some spouses from China run away from their Taiwanese husbands or wives shortly after arriving in Taiwan. In many cases, they are caught later working illegally, sometimes as prostitutes.
Government statistics show that since cross-Strait marriages were approved in 1993, there have been 231 spouses caught working in the sex industry, 501 working illegally in other capacities and 1,054 overstaying their visas.
Earlier this year, two mainland workers were caught working illegally on an air force base in Hualien. Some believe the two were spying for China.
Su Chi said the government, in addition to relaxing requirements, would need to set up a more rigid system of checking up on couples to guarantee that their marriages are legitimate.
However, unlike other countries, Taiwan does not have its own immigration bureau to monitor such problems.
Under the current legislation, only those who married for two years or have a child are eligible. Since 1993, 7,900 couples have been granted residence.
In addition to granting more couples residence each year, the draft law seeks to provide couples with children coverage under the National Health Insurance program and open up a "limited sector of work to mainland Chinese."
Spouses from China are currently prohibited from working, are not covered by National Health Insurance for childbirth, sickness, or accidents and are required to leave and re-enter the country every six months.
The bill, if passed, will also loosen immigration requirements, requiring that spouses leave and re-enter the country just once a year.
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