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MOI looks to foreign professionals

In order to reverse a decrease in population caused by falling birth rates, the Ministry of the Interior is planning to alter its immigration policy by adding a program aimed at attracting foreign white-collar professionals.

According to ministry statistics, the birth rate last year was 11.02 percent, compared to 49.97 percent in 1951. The number of children in the average family was 1.34 last year, down from 7.04 in 1951.

"On Dec. 8," said ministry spokeswoman Huang Hsiu-mei (黃秀美), "the ministry plans to invite various experts to discuss the direction in which the population policy is heading. Major topics will include developing policies to deal with the increasing number of elderly people, developing ways to raise the birth rate and altering our immigration policy."

The ministry plans to attract white-collar foreign professionals by loosening regulations for permanent residency.

According to Huang, the ministry considers trying to attract white-collar professionals a better strategy than attracting Chinese spouses.

Huang said families that include a Chinese spouse often suffer from various social problems.

"Babies born to Chinese women tend to be underweight and have health problems. Furthermore, many of their Taiwanese spouses suffer from mental disabilities, and childrearing is difficult in such a household," she said.

Huang said that due to the many social problems stemming from Taiwanese-Chinese marriages, the ministry has decided not to emphasize Chinese spouses in its plans for population growth, and to concentrate instead on foreign professionals.

In the immigration policy drafted by the ministry last month, the major points include finding ways to improve management of the mobile population, attract outstanding professionals and foreign investment and enforce immigration counseling.

"A list of white collar professions is included in the Employment Service Law (就業服務法), Article 46 sub-article 1-7," said Liao Wei-ren (廖為仁), director of foreign labor affairs at the Council of Labor Affairs.

"Under the current law," Liao said,"in order to work and stay in Taiwan, white-collar professionals first must obtain a work permit and alien residence certificate [ARC]."

Liao said that a work permit is usually valid for three years, with one-year extensions available after the first three-year period. Liao said the ministry is planning to extend the residency period for foreign professionals.

"The ministry plans to make amendments to the residency regulations that relate to white collar professionals," Liao said.
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