The New Immigrant Basic Law has passed with the combined majority of the opposition parties. It expands the definition of new immigrants and establishes a new bureau to handle the group's affairs.
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00:00A law protecting new immigrants in Taiwan has been passed with the combined majority
00:04of the opposition parties. It expands the definition of new immigrants.
00:08Our reporter Tiffany Wong has been following the story with us in Taipei.
00:12Tiffany, what does this law entail?
00:17Well, this new law is expected to affect one million people living here in Taiwan
00:22as it expands the definition of what a new immigrant is.
00:26Currently, that stands as marriage migrants, the foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens.
00:31But that will now include their children, also known as second-generation immigrants,
00:36as well as white-collar professionals. That will also establish a new government
00:41agency to advocate on their behalf, especially for those marriage migrants and their children.
00:48They face a lot of discrimination in Taiwan. And so this new agency will try to help with
00:53planning programs such as language programs and family services to help them integrate
00:59in Taiwanese society. Now, this is all meant to help make Taiwan a more multicultural society
01:05and more inclusive of its immigrant populations, which many of those immigrants are from Southeast
01:11Asia. Taiwan also has a lot of Southeast Asian
01:16migrant workers. Does this law help them?
01:23Well, actually, it doesn't. For the most part, the law excludes blue-collar workers. And many
01:30of Taiwan's 700,000 migrant workers fall under that type of job category. That causes them to
01:36face difficulties in gaining residency because of their special job status. And advocacy rights
01:44groups say that all migrant workers should be included under these new protections,
01:49regardless of their type of work.