There are still about 2,000 Chinese spouses in Taiwan who have not provided proof of having renounced their household registration in China, immigration officials said, adding that hundreds want to retain their Chinese citizenship and are willing to give up their Taiwanese IDs.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a directive in April requiring Chinese spouses in Taiwan to submit proof that they had renounced their household registration in China, or provide an affidavit declaring they had done so, with the deadline having passed on Monday.
About 140,000 Chinese spouses reside in Taiwan, although about 10,000 of them had not completed the Chinese household deregistration process and submitted the required documents to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) shortly prior to the deadline, an agency official said in an interview.
Photo: Liu Ching-hou, Taipei Times
“The NIA sent official letters on the directive to 12,146 Chinese spouses. At the end of last week, the MAC had processed more than 8,000 submitted documents ahead of the deadline,” the official said.
MAC officials have listed six alternative ways to submit an affidavit or proof of deregistration, and three situations eligible for exemption or deferral. About 2,000 have submitted alternative documents, or applied for exemption or deferral, the official said, adding that the agency was unable to contact about 2,000 of them, as they reside in China or other countries.
“From our understanding, it is true that among these are hundreds of Chinese spouses not willing to renounce their household registration in China and who do not want to give up their Chinese citizenship,” the official said.
Some Chinese spouses have to travel between Taiwan and China for work or family matters, and some have said that due to China’s one-child policy, they would be unable to inherit property in China if they renounce their citizenship, the official said.
Others have said they are paying the mortgage of their parents’ homes in China, which would require payment in full if they renounce their residency, the official added.
Some Chinese spouses have applied for extensions to raise the money to pay off mortgages and complete the deregistration process, but the agency has rejected those applications, the official said.
“The rejection is because it is not fair to all citizens, as some Chinese spouses want to have residency in Taiwan and China to take advantage of both sides for economic gains and benefits,” the official added.
Taiwan of course cannot agree to this, as they have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), which stipulates that people in Taiwan cannot have household registration in China, the official added.
“Many of them chose to retain their Chinese residency, and in doing so give up their Taiwanese IDs by not submitting proof of deregistration,” the official said.
“For those who have completed the process, most have obtained proof of deregistration from China, and submitted it to the MAC,” the official said.
The MAC has been unable to contact about 2,000 Chinese spouses, mostly residing in other countries and about 100 living in Taiwan, the official said, adding that some hold Taiwanese passports, but have not returned in more than two years and could lose their Taiwanese IDs.
“We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representative offices in other countries to contact them,” the official added.
The NIA would try to communicate with those who are in Taiwan, the official said, adding that some could be from low-income families or living in remote places, do not have younger children, or live off the grid and without a phone connection.
“We would attempt all possible means to contact them, including getting assistance from local social affairs departments and social workers to contact and locate them,” the official added.
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