DPP legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) is proposing a bill to add two more requirements to Chinese spouses’ citizenship application, including an oath of allegiance and a citizenship test. This comes after opposition KMT lawmakers submitted a bill seeking to cut the required residential time from six to four years.
On Tuesday, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) told reporters that the issue requires comprehensive consideration by lawmakers. He says that the contrasting foundations between mainland and foreign spouses make it challenging to reach a fair assessment.
Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) also responded to the bill and said that currently there is no oath-taking procedure for the naturalization of foreign spouses. However, countries like the United States and Canada do have naturalization oaths of allegiance. If Taiwan intends to adopt such a procedure, it would require amendments to the Nationality Act.