Fingerprint record may be required of Pinoys applying for Taiwan visas

Filipino applicants planning to stay in Taiwan for six months or more may be required to submit a fingerprint record in applying for a visa starting next year. Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported Taiwan will impose a similar requirement on applicants from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. CNA said the move, expected to affect thousands of nationals from the four countries, is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) efforts to curb identity fraud. "Our main concern is that the issue of identity cards is not a scrupulous process in these countries," it quoted Thomas Chen, director general of the MOFA's Bureau of Consular Affairs, as saying. The CNA report noted many nationals from the four Southeast Asian nations, who are either looking to work in Taiwan or are married to Taiwanese citizens. On the other hand, Chen said the new requirement will apply only to workers and spouses from the four Southeast Asian countries who are seeking resident visas, which allow stays of six months or longer. Identity fraud Chen cited cases where nationals of the four countries have re-applied under a different name when their Taiwan visas expired. He noted that a laborer could fly back to his country, change his name, and apply again under a different ID. "We have difficulty tracking down such cases because the passport would still be valid, but the identity would have been changed," he said. He added that 15 to 30 percent of spouses from these countries have been denied visas because of “problems detected during interviews.” Rights groups When asked if the MOFA had consulted any human rights group about the new policy, Chen said it is a matter of "national sovereignty." He added that in the near future, the requirement might be extended to nationals of other countries. Chen also said that labor brokers have been informed about the measure, which will be announced once authorities decide when exactly it will take effect. Discriminatory   Civic groups branded the looming new requirement for workers and spouses from four Southeast Asian countries as discriminatory.   Hsiao Hsiu-ling, CEO of the Pearl S. Buck Foundation in Taipei, said her foundation is not against fingerprinting to combat human trafficking, prevent fake marriages or protect law-abiding workers.    Hsiao Hsiu-ling, CEO of the Pearl S. Buck Foundation in Taipei, said her organization is not against using fingerprint record to prevent human trafficking and fake marriages, but she asked “why single out these four countries?”   "That is a kind of profiling and a possible human rights infringement," said Hsiao, whose foundation provides services to foreign spouses and their children in Taiwan.   Wang Chuan-ping, CEO of the New Immigrants Labor Rights Association, said the new requirement is "discriminatory,” adding that her group will “take action” if the government pushes through with the plan.   "If the government wants to fingerprint people, everyone should be fingerprinted, regardless of where they're from," Wang said.   Statistics from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) show that more than 36,800 Filipino workers were deployed to Taiwan in 2010.  - RJMD, GMA News