Naturalization waiting period said still too long for Chinese spouses

The Legislative Yuan passed amendments on June 9 that shortened the time Chinese spouses of local citizens need to wait before they can obtain citizenship from the current eight years to six years and greatly eased work restrictions.

But Chung Chin-ming, chairman of the Chinese Cross-Strait Marriage Consultation and Promotion Association, contended Friday that six years is still too long for a Chinese spouse who needs to work in Taiwan to wait for citizenship and an ID card.

"Without ID cards, the Chinese spouses have often been discriminated against and employers are afraid to hire them, " Chung said.

Liao Yuan-hao, an associate professor at National Chengchi University, argued that it was unreasonable to have to wait six years to get an ID card.

Overseas studies on immigration have found that five years is enough for new immigrants to assimilate into their new surroundings, and Chinese spouses have the advantage of not facing language barriers when settling in Taiwan, Liao said.

"There is no reason for the government to enact rules requiring Chinese spouses to wait six years to get an ID card, which is longer than the waiting period for foreign spouses from other countries," he contended.

The amendments to the Statute Governing Relations between the People of Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area passed earlier this month -- and which took affect on July 1 -- also allow the Chinese spouses to work soon after they enter Taiwan to live with their Taiwanese husbands or wives.

Before the statute was amended, Chinese spouses could not work until after they obtained long-term residency status.

The revisions also eliminate an NT$2 million cap on inheritances or gifts that Chinese spouses are allowed to accept and allow Chinese spouses who have obtained long-term residency status to be eligible to inherit real estate in Taiwan.

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