A Love Too Good For America

If I told you about all the unqualified ex-pats teaching ESL here in Taiwan, you would realize that you, and everyone of my friends, would do much better than them at a profession that brings in $15-20 an hour. The non-English speaking world is in need of progressive people to guide them through the exploitation they experience from imperialism. Many Latin American nations need such activists willing to cut American and NATO domination off at the pass. There is no advantage I have, my so called "economic means," that would disable you from taking the exodus like millions of ex-pats have done. It is far cheaper to fly to Cuba or Venezuela, if you speak Spanish, where the cost of living is low. For example, here in Taiwan, you can rent a studio in Taipei for $400 a month, eat well for $5 a day, transportation at 75 cents a trip, work under the table, as most do, leave to renew a visa, or, in your case, well-qualified as you are, have a sponsor get you a work permit and Alien Resident Card, not to mention full Universal Health Care. My second language is Mandarin so I live here or China. It is true that the U.S. needs activists to fight capitalism, as it always has, but how long can you struggle without giving the front line to the younger generation who must, in the millions, get out in the streets, organize their communities, join grassroot organizations, or go underground? Most importantly, as in my case, you can participate in the struggle overseas by communicatng via the internet, donating, and enlightening your neighbors who are barraged with propaganda we in the movement know to be false. As FDR said,"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." You and other activists, who may emigrate with only the shirts on their backs, will soon find a wardrobe of possibilities overseas. You have a love too good for America.

Taiwan Ministry clarifies rules for children of foreigners

Ministry clarifies rules for children of foreigners

Staff writer, with CNA

Children of foreign professionals in Taiwan can apply to stay in the nation after turning 20, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday, dispelling rumors that such people would be forced to leave.

Speaking at a regular news briefing, National Immigration Agency deputy head Jeff Yang (楊家駿) said that those aged under 20 can apply to remain in Taiwan with their parents who are working in the nation if they meet certain requirements, citing amendments to the Regulations Governing Visiting, Residency and Permanent Residency of Aliens (外國人停留居留及永久居留辦法), which took effect in April 2014.

The agency sends letters to those who are nearing the age of 20 to remind them that they can apply to remain in Taiwan, Yang said.

However, there have been only a few such applications in the past few years, he said.

His remarks came in response to Internet rumors that children of foreign professionals in Taiwan cannot remain after they reach the age of 20, forcing them to part with their families and affecting their career plans.

Foreign nationals permitted to reside in Taiwan who reach the age of 20 with at least one parent holding an Alien Resident Certificate or Alien Permanent Resident Certificate can apply for an extension of residency if they qualify, according to the regulations.

To qualify, an applicant must have “stayed in Taiwan for an accumulated 10 years in total and resid[ed] for over 270 days each year; [have] entered Taiwan under the age of 16 and stayed over 270 days each year;” or been “born in Taiwan, having resided in Taiwan for a minimum accumulated period of at least 10 years in total and having stayed over 183 days each year,” according to Article 8 of the regulations.

If their applications are approved, they will be granted a three-year extension to stay in Taiwan, the regulations say.

A second extension of three years is possible, meaning they could remain for up to six years, the regulations say.

The ministry said that the amendments were made as an incentive to attract more foreign professionals to work in Taiwan on a long-term basis.

The U.S. goes fascist. How do you escape?

October 21, 2016

Dear Cecil:

Any guidance for those who fear a fascist takeover of the United States and think they may need to get out in a hurry? What countries will accept political refugees from the U.S. on short notice? What’s the easiest way to get your money out of the country in advance? Are there people who will arrange to ship one's art collection overseas, no questions asked?

— Albert Ettinger

Cecil replies:

I’m happy to note, Al, that the odds of a fascist takeover look somewhat slimmer than they did when your question arrived a few weeks back. Even so, one has to deal with the tension somehow as this debilitating campaign enters its final stretch: for some, that may mean constantly re-refreshing poll-tracking sites; for others, evidently, it means packing the bags and setting ’em by the door. The bad news for blue-state types ready to scram on November 9 is that things will have to get really scary before any old American citizen can pass as a political refugee. The good news? That leaves more time to plan your exciting new life abroad and find a safe harbor for you and your money. Well, most of your money.

A refugee, you see, has to persuade some kindly foreign government that she has, per UN convention, a “well-founded fear” of persecution because of “race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” The election of an unqualified bully as chief exec won’t in itself do the trick, and even if President Trump concluded his inaugural address with a declaration of martial law, you’d still have to demonstrate you’re a likely target of government oppression. Finding yourself on a national database of Muslim Americans might not even be enough until federal goons actually start rounding up the registrants.

Where to flee to? If you’re concerned about Trump, I can’t imagine you’re a big Putin fan, so following Edward Snowden to Russia is probably a no-go. Closer to home, Canada’s liberal refugee policy doesn’t mean they’ve been overly sympathetic to putatively oppressed Americans. A black American, Kyle Canty, who’d argued he was endangered by racially motivated police violence in the U.S. lost his Canadian asylum bid in January. But you never know. In 2014 Canadian immigration officials ruled that a Florida court’s 30-year prison sentence for having sex with a 16-year-old boy was excessive and let U.S. citizen Denise Harvey stay up north.

Assuming a long, slow slide into totalitarian hell for the U.S. rather than a sudden putsch, consider less urgent forms of emigration. Line up employment in Canada beforehand, for instance — they’re much more welcoming to foreigners seeking a work visa than we are, and if you’ve got the right skills (plus enough cash savings to ensure that you won’t beeline onto the dole) they might open their doors even before you score a job offer. Then again, if you’ve really got some extra bucks in the bank, invest in a business overseas — most countries just love deep-pocketed foreign entrepreneurs.

Staying in your new nation is potentially trickier than getting in — one pink slip and it could be back to the U.S. with you, freeloader. If you plan on marrying into citizenship, choose your destination wisely: wedding your Saskatchewanian sweetie, for instance, doesn’t put you on the fast track to becoming a naturalized Canadian. Most European nations are more accommodating to foreign-born spouses, though, and if you tie the knot with an obliging Brazilian, full citizenship can be yours within a year. Some countries might grant you citizenship based on descent: the Law of Return permits Jews to relocate in Israel, and if one of your grandparents was born in Ireland there’s a process for repatriation to the auld sod.

With enough assets at your disposal, even if you’re on the lam, you don’t have to live like a refugee. But you may find foreign banks increasingly more reluctant to take your cash — following the passage of a 2010 U.S. law demanding stricter reporting on the financial doings of Americans living abroad, many overseas institutions have decided we aren’t worth the effort. If you’re the particularly suspicious sort, you could get more creative — buy a foreign gold certificate, or dive into the murky world of Bitcoin.

As for your art collection — for a displaced person, Al, you certainly are a high roller — some governments will indeed demand a sizable chunk of its value. Sweden might otherwise be a dream relocation site, but you’d have to cough up a 25 percent value-added tax. Certainly there are shady professionals who can assist, but immigration officials prefer their admittees with clean hands, and a smuggling racket is a good way to make a bad (read: extraditable) first impression.

Though we hear the same talk about moving to Canada or Europe every four years, evidence suggests few Americans actually skedaddle after the wrong candidate gets elected. This year the big difference is that the people most likely endangered by a Trump victory are the ones who really want to stick around. It’d be cruelly ironic if the subjects of mass deportation were to find a mess of American expats waiting for them in Mexico.

— Cecil Adams