Starting this month, foreign professionals who have worked in Taiwan will not have to submit diplomas or other qualifications when reapplying for a work permit, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
The ministry said that as part of a bid to attract more foreign professionals, it will waive the requirement for those who have previously obtained a work permit to go through the process again if they apply for a work permit to do the same kind of work with a different employer or return to a position with the same employer after a hiatus.
Workforce Development Agency official Chiu Yueh-yun (邱月雲) said that in the past foreign professionals who changed employers or were rehired by the same employer were required to provide diplomas or other certificates as part of their work permit application.
However, the agency has waived the requirement, as long as the certificates are unchanged and the applicant is to work in the same field.
If they seek work in a different field, they would still be required to submit the certificates, Chiu said.
Nearly 7,000 people would benefit from the change in the rules, she said.
Foreign nationals may not engage in work that falls beyond the scope of their work permit or they face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, Chiu said.
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