New immigration rules would bar people who have committed sexual offenses against children from becoming citizens, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said yesterday.
It is seeking to amend articles 2 and 3 of the Regulations for the Assessment Criteria of No Illicit or Illegal Behavior (歸化國籍無不良素行認定辦法), the ministry said.
The update would be based on the Nationality Act (國籍法), which stipulates that foreigners applying for citizenship must “have no bad conduct and have no criminal records as certified by the police clearance certificate,” it said, adding that this would bar offenders, including those who have committed sexual offenses against children, from naturalization until the criminal record entry expires.
Photo: Huang Hsin-po, Taipei Times
That usually happens when the offender has served their sentence, paid the imposed fine, or their deferred prosecution or suspended sentence expired, it said.
In January, the ministry promulgated changes to residence permit regulations, imposing more stringent curbs on applicants who have been found guilty of spousal or child abuse, it said.
The requirements for naturalization would be changed considering that they should be more rigorous than those for residency, it said.
Articles 2 and 3 would be amended to contain a clause that bars citizenship applicants who were found guilty of child abuse by a court or other agencies, it said.
The amendments would define child abuse as sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, stalking of a minor and other contraventions of regulations governing child welfare, it said.
Such entries would remain on the criminal record until at least three years after the offender is released from prison or has paid their fine provided that they do not commit any new offenses in the meantime, it said.
The amendments would be promulgated in due course, it added.
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