divorce looming

[jazzbass2]

Hi all - basically my situation is - divorce looming - I'm a british citizen and my wife is Taiwanese and holds a british passport having married in the UK - my kids have dual nationality (born in UK).
I hold an ARC through marriage.
We are currently buying property in Taiwan in her name - mortgage paid for the last 4 years (joint payments).
My question is where do i stand if the shit hits the fan, right now she is trying to get me to sign a uncontested divorce document, which i refuse to do - the consequences of not signing being a lawyer and a contested battle.
I do not want to leave Taiwan having built a life here but have no solid info on the outcome of divorce over here - any information appreciated

[Okami]

From what I understand, just refuse to sign. As long as you haven't beat her or cheated on her, then there isn't a lot she can do. A contested divorce is almost impossible for her to get as long as you refuse to be divorced.

Better qualified people will weigh in and give you better advice.

I'd personally say I'd do it for cash, but want the cash first then refuse to sign after I had hid the cash.

[bismarck]

I see three problems for you:
1. Residency after divorce.
2. Custody of the kids.
3. Money invested in the property you've paid jointly but which is in her name.

I suggest you find out what you can regarding residency after divorce. I know you can still retain your JFRV after divorce if you have dependents, but not to sure on the details.
As to custody and the property, I suggest you go see your own lawyer who can then draw up a similar uncontested divorce settlement, but with your terms regarding custody and a financial settlement regarding the property.

With regards to the first issue, this is something that really pisses me off. It's way too easy for Tw citizens to attain citizenship of a spouses country AND keep their original citizenship. Meanwhile us married to Taiwanese folk are left at the mercy of unfair laws and the wims of sometimes crazy women.
To be honest, this was probably the biggest deciding factor for me to apply for naturalization. I was almost in the same boat a while back and I was mortified that if I had been on a JFRV I could very well have found myself in the situation where I may have had to leave the country and have my son raised by people I wouldn't trust with...
Anyway, I would suggest you make that a priority. Even use it as leverage that she needs to help you with that or else you wont sign anything.

Best of luck.