TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Demonstrators gathered outside the Mainland Affairs Council (陸委會), Taiwan's government agency handling cross-strait relations, on Thursday (July 3) to protest what they describe as discriminatory immigration policies targeting Chinese spouses. The Taiwan International Family Association (TIFA, 台灣國際家庭互助協會), an advocacy group for international families, joined forces with the People's Democratic Party (人民民主黨), a minor political party, to voice opposition against the National Immigration Agency's (NIA, 移民署) recent mandate requiring Chinese spouses to provide documentation proving they have relinquished their original citizenship by the end of June or face potential penalties.
The controversial directive, first enacted by the NIA in early April, established a three-month deadline for Chinese nationals married to Taiwanese citizens to furnish official documentation. TIFA representatives characterized the policy as a form of political intimidation that disproportionately impacts approximately 12,000 Chinese spouses residing in Taiwan. During the demonstration, a spokesperson for the association accused authorities of inconsistent enforcement, pointing out that the father of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) and the husband of Jean Kuo (郭昱晴), Lin Hsuan-ting (林宣廷), who reportedly maintains business interests in China, have not faced similar requirements to demonstrate they do not hold dual citizenship.
Representatives from the advocacy group delivered sharp criticism of the immigration authority's requirements, arguing that the policy specifically targets a legally vulnerable population of Chinese nationals married to Taiwanese citizens. The protesters emphasized that many affected individuals must interrupt their employment and travel to China to secure the required documentation, creating significant hardship. TIFA formally urged the Mainland Affairs Council to suspend the ongoing investigation immediately, preserve the residency status of individuals who have not yet provided documentation, and issue an official government apology for implementing what they characterized as an unnecessarily burdensome administrative policy. ◼