Economy

CEPD proposes Immigration Act amendments

• Publication Date：01/20/2011
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  June Tsai

The Council for Economic Planning and Development is proposing to amend Taiwan’s Immigration Act in an effort to entice more overseas-born ROC nationals to return home and minimize the effect of stagnant population growth.

“We plan to make it easier to obtain citizenship and work in Taiwan,” CEPD Minister Christina Y. Liu said Jan. 19. “This will also help attract more talented people to the workforce.”

Under the CEPD proposal, ROC nationals of all ages will be able to apply in Taiwan for household registration and a national identification card without residence requirements.

Current regulations stipulate that overseas-born Taiwanese under 20 can apply in Taiwan for household registration with a five-to-seven day waiting period. For those over this age, the process is more complicated.

According to Article 10 of the Immigration Act, ROC nationals aged 20 and above without household registration can only qualify for an identification card if they have resided in Taiwan consecutively for 365 days, 270 days over two years, or 180 days over five years.

Liu said the council would discuss the proposal changes with the Ministry of the Interior at an upcoming meeting. (JSM)