The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) yesterday tweaked rules for foreign spouses trying to meet residency requirements to apply for citizenship.
The Nationality Act (國籍法) stipulates that a foreign resident must stay in the country continuously for three or five years to apply for citizenship.
However, a person’s accumulated time of residency resets to zero if he or she fails to extend his or her Alien Residency Certificate (ARC) before the expiration date.
Under the new rules, the period of residency will not be reset as long as the applicant extends his or her ARC up to 30 days after the expiration date.
FAMILY MATTERS
“The accumulated residency period of a foreigner or stateless resident prior to becoming naturalized will not be affected if the [person] fails to extend his or her Alien Residency Certificate, as long as the overstay is less than 30 days,” the MOI said in a statement.
The ministry said it was relaxing the rules because many foreign residents are very busy — notably spouses who are unable to extend their ARCs in time because they are too busy taking care of their children or other family members.
Meanwhile, the agency charged with issuing naturalization documents for prospective citizens to present to their country of origin in renouncing their previous citizenship will be changed from local governments to the MOI.
POLICE DOCUMENTS
The MOI also said it would drop the requirement that applicants for naturalization provide police documentation.
“The MOI’s Department of Household Registration will check from our end,” the statement said.
The new measures take effect tomorrow, the MOI said.
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