WISHLIST for legal rights in Taiwan

[tigsie]

Absolutely, jlick. Becoming a citizen is a complete no-starter for me, if you have to give up your original citizenship.

And, london boy, the situation becomes even crazier when you factor in that the rules seem to be different depending on which part of the island you are working--either that or not everyone in the foreign section of the police offices knows all the rules concerning all the different types of visa and foreign situation...

[jlick]

And, london boy, the situation becomes even crazier when you factor in that the rules seem to be different depending on which part of the island you are working--either that or not everyone in the foreign section of the police offices knows all the rules concerning all the different types of visa and foreign situation...

The one good thing about the National Immigration Agency taking over responsibilities for this kind of thing is that the local police departments will no longer be in charge of these things. Hopefully this means there will be more consistency as a result.

[tigsie]

Let's hope so and it's about time too!

[llary]

I guess the thinking is 'use it, lose it, or just become a citizen'.

And on that note, if they take away the requirement to renounce your current citizenship then more people would go for that instead of griping about the restriction.

The military conscription is a much bigger issue for me than renouncing my original citizenship. They do have alternative military service now though so I have a few friends looking into how it works before I become eligible for naturalization and have to decide either way.

To be honest - and this might be a controversial viewpoint - I think many countries are too lax when it comes to citizenship requirements. Why shouldn't you have to make some kind of sacrifice to receive the benefits of citizenship? I know a lot of mainland Chinese in the UK who carry British passports (illegally according to Chinese law, I might add) yet speak quite openly about how much they despise the UK and everything it stands for. Somehow I feel like citizenship should represent more than just a matter of convenience, especially when an ARC/APRC allows for a pretty much unhindered life in Taiwan. One thing I respect about Satellite TV is that he never expected to be handed all these benefits on a plate and accepted that there was going to be give and take in the whole situation.

When it comes to things that need changing re: immigration in Taiwan, my only gripes are with arbitrary and often silly decisions that result from poor training and lack of communication. Let's see if this starts to improve now things have shifted around. I do think the point about being expected to leave on the day your ARC expires is a very good one and this is one thing which needs to be fixed.

[tommy525]

Great thread. Taiwan needs to learn more from the USA and Western Euro countries about civil rights and all that. There is room for major improvement. I definitely feel the need to renounce your original citizenship should be abolished, at least on a reciprocal basis.

MOre human rights too, and not based on chineseness either .