TAIPEI, Taiwan — The clock is ticking for roughly 12,000 Chinese immigrants in Taiwan, who have until Monday to prove they've given up their household registration in China. Failure to meet the deadline could mean losing residency rights, according to Taiwan's government — and possible deportation.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council announced the June 30 deadline in April amid a wave of national security measures after President Lai Ching-te labeled China a "hostile foreign force." Lai's administration wants to strengthen defenses against Chinese influence, but many immigrants worry it could come at a personal cost.
Chang Chih-yuan, a 34-year-old footwear designer, was born in China to a Chinese mother and Taiwanese father, and arrived in Taiwan when he was four years old. He has lived in Taiwan ever since, serving five years in the military.
On April 8, Chang's mother received a letter from Taiwan's National Immigration Agency asking her to prove she had given up her household registration in China. After contacting the immigration agency, Chang says he learned he faced the same requirement. In both Taiwan and China, a person's household registration ties their legal identity and access to public services to a specific place.
According to the Mainland Affairs Council, most affected immigrants are women like Chang's mother, who were born in China and married Taiwanese men. Some, like Chang, immigrated as children.
The National Immigration Agency estimates about 140,000 Chinese spouses hold permanent residency in Taiwan, a democratic, self-governing island which China claims as its territory.
After receiving the letter, Chang's mother, who wanted to be identified by her surname Liang, said, "I cried for two days. After living in Taiwan for three decades, if my Taiwanese household registration was canceled now… Wouldn't I be a person without a country?" Even though she met the deadline set by Taiwan, she asked NPR not to use her full name because she fears that either Taiwan or China could deny her residency rights in the future.
She took a month off work to travel to China and obtain proof that she and her son no longer held household registration in Guangdong province. This required submitting sensitive documents like their Taiwanese IDs and home addresses to Chinese authorities — a risky but necessary step, she said.
In late May, they received confirmation from the immigration agency their documents were accepted as proof of having given up residency in China.
As of June 23, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said nearly 5,200 of the roughly 12,000 affected immigrants had submitted proof of no longer having Chinese residency. Around 2,400 requested extensions or reported difficulties.
Lin Xuan-yue, a graphic designer living in Taipei, is the daughter of a woman from Jiangxi, in southern China, who married a Taiwanese man she met in Shenzhen, China, before moving to Taiwan in the late 1990s. In April, Lin's mother received a similar letter from the immigration agency requesting proof that she gave up her Chinese household registration. Having lived for so long in Taiwan, she didn't know what to do. The family is still discussing their options.
"I understand the government's intent — to protect national security," Lin told NPR in a text message. "But the way this policy is being implemented feels rushed and deeply unfair to immigrants. My mom still hasn't submitted the documents. She may even be deregistered as a resident. What does that mean? That her past 20-something years here don't count? That raising children, paying taxes and living her life on this island still isn't enough — because now she has to be reevaluated to see if she 'deserves' to stay?"
Legal scholar Fan Hsiu-yu of National Taiwan University notes that some immigrants may have lost important documents years ago — or see the prospect of returning to China and dealing with authorities there as a personal risk.
Following public outcry, the day after its initial announcement, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council announced some immigrants unable to supply the documents could submit an affidavit declaring they do not hold Chinese household registration. But this option only applies to those unwilling to return to China, Fan explains, as such affidavits lose force if an immigrant ever re-enters China. She also notes the restriction on holding Chinese household registration applies to native-born Taiwanese citizens as well.
The Mainland Affairs Council has not clarified whether it will deport those who fail to meet the June 30 deadline. But Fan and other legal experts say deportation is a possibility for immigrants who lose residency rights in Taiwan. In a statement, the Mainland Affairs Council "calls on the parties concerned not to test the government's determination." Last week, it also stated that as long as immigrants who miss the June deadline "show a positive attitude and submit relevant needs and explanations as soon as possible," the government won't immediately revoke their right to live in Taiwan.
Ruling party legislator Huang Jie, whose committee oversees the Mainland Affairs Council, says removing immigrants' residency "should be used only as a last resort."
Fellow Democratic Progressive Party legislator Puma Shen explains that most naturalized citizens in Taiwan must give up their original citizenship. But under Taiwan's constitution, mainland China is not treated as a fully separate country. The constitution was first adopted in 1947 by the Republic of China government, which retreated to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war, and has been amended several times since.
"Under the law, we can't ask Chinese immigrants to give up their nationality. So the closest thing we can do is ask them to give up their Chinese household registration," Shen said. "It's about risk management. I know many love our country. But a small number are involved in espionage or other activities on behalf of the [Chinese Communist Party]. Our job is to draw a red line between those two groups."
Shen added that the requirement was based on a law that has been on the books since 2004, but wasn't universally enforced.
Taiwan's opposition parties hold a combined majority in the legislature, and have voted to reduce defense spending.
"Without a majority in the legislature, it's difficult for us to pass new laws. So enforcing existing laws is the only way we can further protect our national security," Shen said.
William Yang, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, says the policy likely responds to a wave of high-level espionage cases uncovered in March. But the cases show China's infiltration "has already reached very deep into Taiwan's civil society," he says, beyond Chinese immigrants to many native-born Taiwanese at the highest levels of government and the military.
"If they continue to publicize this campaign, that is going to stigmatize these people," he says, referring to Chinese immigrants, "and unfortunately deepen existing divisions in Taiwan."
Recently, Taiwan deported three Chinese immigrants for posting videos promoting "armed unification" with China.
Liu Jun-liang, director of the Taipei-based Immigrant Youth Advocacy Front, has been helping dozens of Chinese immigrants with the deadline by helping them find documents and understand the government's regulations. He calls the new policy unfair and lacking transparency, and says it has heightened existing mistrust towards Chinese immigrants, "making them victims of cross-strait tensions."
Opposition KMT lawmaker Chen Yu-zhen represents Kinmen, an island just a few miles from China and home to many Chinese immigrants. Chen calls the new policy unconstitutional and illegal, and has received many complaints from her constituents. Unlike Taiwan's ruling party, the KMT favors closer ties with China.
Chen says many immigrants have lived in Taiwan for decades, and some now refuse to comply with the policy despite government warnings to not test its determination. "Many of them want to see who's the last one standing," she said. "They are furious."
Chen warns that targeting Chinese immigrants would undermine Taiwan's reputation for human rights in the eyes of Chinese citizens. "If people in China see Taiwan no longer upholds these values, they may question whether democracy is a good thing after all."
Sharon Lin contributed to this report from Taipei.
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