Former Justice Lee Zhen-shan used the immigration system to argue that
applicants for permanent residency have already identified with the host country and
are willing to settle and live there, essentially possessing the characteristics of
"quasi-immigrants." The only difference lies in their willingness to renounce their
original nationality. Such individuals should not be treated as ordinary foreigners but
more leniently, akin to citizens. Suppose foreigners are allowed to obtain permanent
residency. In that case, their basic rights protection should be as close as possible to
that of citizens, and even their political participation rights should be considered
differently from those of ordinary foreigners, aligning with the legal principles related
to differential treatment and the hierarchy of basic rights. 8
C. Right to Education in International Human Rights Covenants
i.
Protection of the Right to Education in International Human Rights
Covenants
1. ICESCR
The right to education is recognized as a fundamental human right and is
essential for the realization of other human rights. Article 13 of the ICESCR is the
most comprehensive provision in international human rights law regarding the right to
education. It begins with the clear assertion that "the States Parties to the present
Covenant recognize the right of everyone to education." The ICESCR then specifies
that primary education should be free and compulsory for all, secondary education
should be available and accessible to all, and higher education should be made equally
accessible to all based on capacity.
General Comment No. 13 of the CESCR elaborates on how the right to education
should be implemented by proposing a 4A framework in Paragraph 6. This
framework asserts that for the right to education to be meaningful, it must have the
Xu Yi-bao, May 2013, "A Study on Issues Related to Foreigners as Subjects of
Fundamental Rights," in Journal of Homeland Security and Border Management, No. 19.
8
Li Zhen-shan, ibid., p. 64.
7
18