The Cabinet has passed new changes to Taiwan’s immigration law. The new amendments will seek to make family reunification easier, attract foreign talent, and further punish individuals who break immigration regulations. The new rules were published in an Interior Ministry press release on Thursday.
The new amendments will make it easier for foreign professionals applying for permanent residence in Taiwan to obtain permanent status for their minor children, spouses, and children with disabilities. Current rules only allow family members of foreign talent to apply for permanent residency after living in the country for three years.
The new amendments will also make it easier for foreign spouses married to Taiwanese nationals to bring their children to Taiwan. That includes allowing foreign spouses who get divorced to obtain residence for their children.
But the rule changes will also increase penalties on individuals who stay in Taiwan without proper documentation. These are mostly migrant workers who leave their employers but do not want to return home as required by Taiwanese law. The changes would raise the maximum penalty against these people from US$330 to US$5,000.
Last year Taiwan’s population declined for the third year in a row. The country is looking to attract foreign talent to help improve its workforce. The new amendments still need approval from the legislature.