Authorities yesterday elaborated on the rules governing Employment Gold Cards after a US cardholder was barred from entering Taiwan for six years after working without a permit during a 2023 visit.
American YouTuber LeLe Farley was barred after already being approved for an Employment Gold Card, he said in a video published on his channel on Saturday.
Farley, who has more than 420,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, was approved for his Gold Card last month, but was told at a check-in counter at the Los Angeles International Airport that he could not enter Taiwan.
Photo: Screen grab from LeLe Farley’s YouTube channel
That was because he previously participated in two Taiwanese political talk shows without the appropriate work permits when he visited in 2023, local media reports said.
Farley was reported to the Taipei Department of Labor, which on Friday said he received compensation for the talk show appearances.
The department cited Article 43 of the Employment Service Act (就業服務法), which states that foreigners cannot work without obtaining an employment permit.
Photo courtesy of National Development Council
As Farley at the time had already left the country, the department passed the case on to the National Immigration Agency (NIA), it said.
The agency then barred Farley from entering Taiwan for six years in accordance with Operation Directions for the Entry Bans on Foreign Nationals (禁止外國人入國作業規定).
Farley applied for the Employment Gold Card in November last year and was approved on Feb. 23, he said in his video, which had been viewed more than 400,000 times as of yesterday.
He said he bought a one-way ticket to Taipei and prepared to move to Taiwan, only to be told at the airport check-in counter that “the holder of this passport is prohibited from entering the country.”
Being turned away at the airport shattered his dreams and was “very cruel,” he said.
Farley has “devoted [his] life to studying Chinese,” hopes to be a cultural bridge between Taiwan and the US, and help more people to understand Taiwan’s precarious situation, he said.
He added that he regrets the mistake he made out of ignorance, but hopes he would receive official notice of the travel restriction and its duration.
The NIA revoked Farley’s Gold Card, stating that he does not meet the requirements for it, adding that it is reviewing administrative procedures.
After his travel restrictions are lifted and if he meets the requirements for the Gold Card, he could apply again, it said.
As Farley’s Gold Card was issued under the “Culture and Arts” category, if the Ministry of Culture, as the responsible authority, confirms that he is a “foreign professional urgently needed in Taiwan,” he could apply for an exemption from the entry ban, a government official said.
Launched in 2018 by the National Development Council, the Gold Card is designed for skilled foreign professionals who plan to or are already working in Taiwan.
The card combines the functions of a resident visa, open work permit, Alien Resident Certificate and re-entry permit, allowing foreign professionals to live and work freely in Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Liu Ying-yung
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