Divorce and Protection of Children 134. While the divorce rate of new immigrants is on the decline now year by year, it still appears to be high, compared with that of nationals. The government should focus on this problem, beginning with prevention of divorce as the first priority; it should strengthen understanding of the cross-national marital relationship, provide explanations to the public through information and messages, and intervene earlier to provide services and assistance. Moreover, the government should provide related information channels and establish support systems for new immigrants after divorce, to solve the difficulties they face, such as economic burdens, child care, and education, in order to help multi-national single parent families. 135. According to the statistics on domestic violence rates gathered by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, domestic violence rates for foreign spouses were more than those of native spouses by 4 times from 2006 and 2015. This signifies serious domestic violence suffered by foreign spouses, especially women. If a foreign female spouse suffering domestic violence wants a divorce, she is not allowed to stay unless she has delivered a biological child in Taiwan. If not, her stay permit will become null and void. Under these circumstance, foreign spouses often must tolerate abuse and torture, the grief and sadness of which are self-evident. The Ministry of the Interior should focus on this problem, and by taking foreign legislation into consideration, add domestic violence prevention clauses to the Immigration Act to allow foreign spouses to be free from the peril of domestic violence. 136. Even if new immigrants are allowed to continue staying in Taiwan after a divorce if they are granted guardianship of their biological minor children, they have to go through multiple difficulties in the process of claiming guardianship, and at high cost. Even if new immigrants are granted guardianship for minor children after a divorce, or are allowed by the court to continue their stay on the grounds that the divorce was unavoidable due to domestic violence, they may still be forced to leave the country and separate from their children when their children attain the age of 20 years old, if they are not yet naturalized or in possession of a permanent resident permit. This indicates that the existing laws and regulations are flawed in the protection of the stay permit and right to family reunion of new immigrants after divorce. The government should amend laws promptly to settle this dispute ethically and justly. Other Matters Involving the Right to Family Reunion 137. In order to recruit foreign talent to Taiwan and award incentives to foreign nationals who have made special contributions to Taiwan, the Immigration Act has relaxed the threshold for foreign nationals who apply for a permanent alien 58