The government will continue to empower immigrants and their children through financial assistance and relaxation of immigration policies, Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said yesterday.
More than 300 immigrants, mostly from Southeast Asian countries and married to Taiwanese, attended the “New Immigrant Forum” at the National Immigration Agency (NIA). The event’s aim was to disseminate information about government empowerment programs for immigrants.
Hsu said there are an estimated 550,000 immigrants living in Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
New residents have enriched Taiwan’s national strength with their contributions to society, Hsu said.
He also encouraged immigrants to speak in their native languages with their children to enhance their competitiveness in the future.
He cited the story of Cheng Tsui-hsuan (鄭翠玄), a 19-year-old Vietnamese woman who came to Taiwan two years ago when her mother married a Taiwanese, as an example of how, with hard work and dedication, success is attainable for every immigrant.
Cheng, whose Vietnamese surname was Nguyen, was adopted by her Taiwanese stepfather and had to work as a vendor in a market to support the family after her parents fell ill. She has also been responsible for the care of her younger sister.
Despite these challenges, including the language barrier, she passed the accounting competency test for senior high-school students last year and was ranked first in Yilan County.
Cheng expressed hopes of becoming a human rights lawyer to look after immigrants and their children in Taiwan.
Residency restrictions for immigrants who marry Taiwanese have been relaxed, giving them more leeway to stay in Taiwan, even if they get divorced or if their spouse passes away, the NIA said.
Other empowerment measures include a NT$20,000 to NT$70,000 subsidy for second or third-generation immigrants to visit their grandparents abroad.
Another project, called “New Residents and Children Dream Plan,” provides up to NT$80,000 to help immigrants and their children fulfill their dreams, as well as scholarships for disadvantaged students, outstanding students and those with special talents.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS