Chapter 2 Literature Review
2.3 International and Domestic Research on Marriage Migration
2.3.6 The Development and Amendment of Migration Policies and Service
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across policy domains (such as human resources, trade and tax) and among investors, producers, consumers and workers. Those effects, if managed improperly and unwell, may lead to apparent division of victor and loser and bring negative political reactions into migration. Albeit, not only the government but the private sectors offer assistance service for the new immigrants; nonetheless, what a pity is that despite all the commitments made to satisfy and assist the marriage immigrants or something around them, the marriage immigrants still fight for their rights and welfare they deserved via various channels. As Freeman and Kessler conceded that the supply of immigration policy does not always match demand (Hollifield, 2000). As a result, immigrants are no longer a chat topic or a concern but an issue be concentrated and managed in Taiwan
2.3.6 The Development and Amendment of Migration Policies and Service Measures
For many migrants, citizenship becomes an issue as their periods of stay in the new country of residence grow longer, especially if they have children (Piper, 2003).
Many countries including the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Germany require a two-year waiting period before applying for naturalization and during this time. Therefore, marriage migrant women’s legal status is dependent on the goodwill of their husbands and on the survival of their marriages for several years, leaving migrant wives extremely vulnerable in their relationship with their husbands.
However, women’s sense of inclusion and exclusion does not solely rely on her acquisition of legal citizenship, and her social or substantive citizenship should be taken into consideration as well (Kim, 2008).
As Shuck (2000) reinforced that the political dimension in the form of immigration law and policy is particularly relevant for international migration.
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However, few migrants know much about law and even fewer would point to law as a major factor in their migration decision. Nonetheless, law defines individuals’ rights to property and economic activity, political participation, physical security, religious and cultural identity, and family relationships. All states seek to limit immigration and to enforce those limits through legal and extra-legal techniques.
Taiwan’s government, through the Caring and Consulting system, has been engaged in finding solutions to the pressures of employment of women migrants with a view to maximizing its benefits while minimizing its negative consequences.
In recent years, the government executes pre-interview mechanism ahead of foreign spouses’ entry to Taiwan so as to block illegal immigrants and bogus marriages.19 Moreover, the government also set a financial proof requirement for residence and neutralization application as a credit for sustaining their life expenses in Taiwan.20
Besides, the government and the private sectors such as some NGO and NPO endeavor to revise relative migration regulation as well as offer support and assistance programs for the marriage immigrants, the marriage immigrants themselves and some social welfare organizations still continue calling for what they deserve like more access to information and job offers.21 This phenomenon may reflect a fact that the gap between the ideal and the reality which the marriage immigrants search for and the government determines to achieve.
Women’s acquisition of a stable legal status requires the husband’s involvement, so the process often is associated with the relationship between a wife and her
19 Interview mechanism on foreign spouses from Mainland China and other foreign countries has took effect in December, 2003 and in April, 2005, which are respectively executed by Ministry of the Interior (the former) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the latter).
20 The original minimum of the Certificate of Property required for residence and neutralization application for mainland china and foreign spouses is 380 thousand; and raised to 410 thousand since July, 2007 along with the increase of minimum wage.
21 The Life Adaptation and Guidance and Assistance Project for Foreign Spouses was promulgated and put into effect in December, 1999 by means of the trans-sector and cross-department cooperation with abundant fiscal budgets.
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husband (Kim, 2008). Therefore, while look back to the essence of marriage itself, husband and wife are meant to be eternal partners sharing, supporting, loving, advising and etc. Thus, husband of a transnational marriage are responsible for helping their spouse to adapt and integrate into the receiving society.
In order to comply with the shifting roles or statuses of migrant women and foreign wives, the relative regulations associated with migrant residence, citizenship, right and obligation are necessary to review and make amendment in government department.
BEVT has insisted on “the disadvantaged first” to serve the purpose of assisting spouses from foreign countries and China and has tackled this issue with best effort each year, such as “Employment Project for Spouses from Foreign Countries and China” and vocational training centers and employment centers that support career development of spouses from foreign countries and China.22
“Employment Project for Spouses from Foreign Countries and China”
integrates current employment service and vocational training measures including employment consulting services, seminars for improving employment, employment referral information and services, latest employment opportunities and vocational training information, vocational training courses and vocational training, and
“allowance for odd jobs” and “employment incentives” to assist the development of small business of foreign culture and to provide employment consulting services, business loan allowance, and business-starting seminars.
In addition public employment services centers visited civil groups to illustrate the “Employment Project for Spouses from Foreign Countries and China” and to invite them to refer potential employees who are foreign spouses to employment services institutions. The purpose is to provide better understanding of employment
22 The contemporarily executed service programs for the migrants employment, http://www.ejob.gov.
tw /special/foreignbride/index.html.
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and vocational training channels through closely working with civil groups.
It is hoped to assist foreign spouses in understanding employment rights and how to find employment services and vocational training to get familiar with channels for employment opportunities and vocational training. The foreign spouses may have better chances of seeking employment opportunities.
Moreover, the related resources for assisting foreign spouses by BEVT are as follows:
1. Caring for foreign spouses hotline 0800-088-885 offers:
(1) services: Toll free numbers provides counsel to foreign spouses in terms of life adjustment, education and culture, employment services, medical hygiene, personal safety, offspring’s education, and regulations regarding alien residence.
(2) services hours: Mandarin and Vietnamese languages are available 9 am~5 pm Monday through Friday; Indonesian, Thai, English and Cambodian languages are available during 1 pm~5 pm.
2. Line 113 for women and children protection hotline provides counsel and assistance in terms of personal safety:
(1) Provide foreign spouses protection, counsel and reporting channel (against domestic violence and sexual assault).
(2) 24/7 hotline is available in languages like Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, English and Cambodian.
3. Local city and county foreign spouse family services centers in Taipei city, Chiayi county, Pingtung county, Taipei county, Ilan county, Tainan county, Nantou county, Kaohsiung county, Kaohsiung city, Chiayi city and Keelung county are to serve foreign spouses in terms of care and counseling.
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