The government is not considering giving an extension to Chinese spouses who fail to submit proof of renouncing their household registration in China by the prescribed deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, adding that they should not test the government’s resolve to enforce the policy.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) has since last month issued more than 12,000 notices asking Chinese spouses and their children to submit proof within three months that they had renounced their household registration in China.
However, many people have reported difficulties in obtaining such a document.
Photo: CNA
The council on April 16 announced that Chinese spouses might apply to substitute this requirement with a written affidavit or request a postponement.
The deadline for filing such applications is June 30.
Of the 12,000 people notified, 1,784 had submitted proof of renouncement, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 880 signed a written affidavit, while 352 sought a postponement, Chiu said.
There are also 485 Chinese spouses requesting special assistance and counseling from the council, he said.
Data showed that more than 8,000 of the notified people had yet to take any action, which could cause their household registration to be revoked.
MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) confirmed that the NIA has yet to receive anything from many of the notified people.
However, the council is not considering extending the deadline, he said.
“We understand it might take some time for the NIA to receive all the documents. After applying for the document in China, Chinese spouses would have to have it notarized in China. They would have to mail the notarized documents to the Straits Exchange Foundation in Taiwan, which must verify the authenticity of the documents before turning them over to the NIA,” Liang said.
“We understand some of the documents are still at the foundation, and others are on their way to Taiwan. Many more people are still in the process of applying for documents in China,” Liang said.
Nevertheless, the council does not exclude the possibility of deliberate inaction by some spouses.
“They are probably thinking about doing nothing to test the government’s resolve in this matter... If they choose to do nothing, or fail to show the evidence that they have indeed gone to China and applied for the documents, it would be difficult for us to make an exception for them,” Liang said.
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