TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – National Immigration Agency Director General Bill Chung (鐘景琨) will retire early, reports said Wednesday.

The official was expected to leave the agency in July due to the age limit, but instead April 15 will be his final day at work, the Liberty Times reported. While stating he wanted to return to family life and spend more time with his grandchildren, the agency denied media reports that linked his early departure to recent controversies about Chinese spouses, per CNA.

The agency ordered three Chinese influencers married to Taiwanese nationals to leave the country after they were found to have posted messages supporting Chinese military action against the country. 

In addition, the government plans to toughen up checks on Chinese spouses who fail to submit notarized proof of having renounced their household registration in China.

Chung said he had planned earlier to file for retirement, but first wanted to complete the tasks at hand. He applied in March to leave, and he received approval just recently.

Chung said he would not seek a new job, neither in the private sector nor with another organization. He joined the agency in 2007 from the police and was promoted to director general in January 2021.