Taiwan's immigration officers are catching more Chinese visitors whose real reason for coming does not match their permit — bad news for people trying to slip in for under-the-table work, and a sign of tighter border checks.

• Seven people were denied entry and sent home in the first half of this year at Taipei's Songshan Airport.
• They had applied to visit relatives, but checks showed something else was going on.
• Some could not answer basic questions about the relatives they claimed to be visiting; phone messages pointed to plans for odd jobs arranged by family already in Taiwan.
• Refusals at that airport have been climbing: 26 in 2024, 55 last year.
• A valid permit does not guarantee entry — officers can still question travelers and turn them away at the gate.

Outlook: Taiwan says it will keep screening arrivals closely, so more refusals and deportations are likely.