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
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS