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Cabinet approves bills on foreign talent, national security
The cabinet has passed a series of draft amendments aimed at attracting foreign professionals to Taiwan, while also better protecting family reunification rights and increasing penalties for immigration-related offenses.
The Ministry of the Interior says the proposed changes fall into three main categories - the first of which involves enhancing protections for the spouses and children of foreign nationals.
Under those amendments, foreign nationals who divorce or are widowed by their Taiwanese spouse and need to come to Taiwan to care for or visit their minor Taiwan national children would be eligible to apply for an alien resident certificate.
The provisions to attract and retain "high-quality" foreign talent extend permanent residence rights to the spouses, minor children, or adult children with disabilities of foreign nationals who are "high-level professionals" or hold an investment visa while the third category involves increased penalties for immigration-related crimes.
The penalty for overstaying a visa will be raised to a maximum of NT$150,000 and the ban on returning to Taiwan after overstaying will be set at 10 years.
The 52 draft amendments to the Immigration Act are now pending Legislative review.
The cabinet has also approved a set of draft amendments to the Political Parties Act that seek to ban those convicted of national security offenses from leading political parties in Taiwan.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the amendments are aimed at preventing foreign forces from infiltrating local political parties and interfering in Taiwan's politics.
The 16 draft revisions will affect those found guilty of breaching the National Security Act, the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, and the National Intelligence Services Act.
One of the draft amendments seeks to hold both political parties and their chiefs accountable if the parties are found guilty of financial reporting irregularities. The interior ministry says that change will plug a loophole in which political parties can avoid paying fines by having no listed assets in the party's name. The proposals will now be sent to the Legislature for review.
