China loosens up marriage rules
Under the new rules in China, people can get married without permission from their employers and without a medical check. Couples only need to produce their identity cards and residents’ permits. Compulsory medical checks before marriage have also been abolished, and divorce has also been made easier. Chinese citizens can apply for passports without permission from their bosses. People can also visit Hong Kong and Macao as individuals.
Until now Chinese citizens were under the control of the government, the new regulations came into force last month as President Hu Jintao celebrated China National Day. The president called efforts to guarantee the people’s rights part of his promotion of “democratic election and decision -making”. It seems as if the Chinese government is willing to great people i individual freedoms. I hope these things go well for the people.
On the other hand, Taiwan’s government is concerned about fake marriages between Taiwanese and Chinese citizens. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chang Chin-fang said, “Those who sought legal residency through faking marriage and came Taiwan to engage in illegal activities, like prostitution, had succeeded in staying here after entering into false marriage. Deciding on whether the waiting period for naturalization should be eight or eleven years after lodging an application would not make any difference to them living in this country”. He added that nothing would deter these deceitful immigrants unless the government was able to catch them and carry out repatriation immediately.
Japan also has the same problem of fake marriage with Chinese women. Usually Chinese young women marry old Japanese men. I read in the news how the system works: young Chinese women pay money to Chinese brokers, who introduce them to Japanese men. They never meet and their relationship is only on paper. The advantage for the Japanese man is he gets paid money. Usually such men are living on the street or he has some debt from loan companies. The advantage for the women is she gets legal status, which enables her to stay in Japan and work. Also, the woman calls her family and relative in China, which is illegal, but some people can sneak out of Japanese immigration. . Marriage is an easy way to acquire nationality for people from countries which have troubles.
In Japan, marriage is extremely easy just fill in form, and take or send it to city hall-that’s all. They also need a family register, but it is not difficult.
This website has information about Illinois marriage regulations. America’s law is little bit similar to Chinese law. People need marriage license, but don’t need a permit from their employers. In some states, women need to a take blood test. http://usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/illinois
China loosens up marriage rules
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3153582.stm
Legislation necessary to stop marriage for ID
http://www.taipeitimes.com/news/taiwan/archives/2003/10/05/2003070442
