The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad.
The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29.
Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required, the council said.
Photo: Wu Hsin-tien, Taipei Times
Foreigners who have graduated from a university globally ranked in the top 200 could obtain a work permit without meeting other requirements under the revised rules, it said.
Foreigners who graduated from a university ranked in the top 1,500 globally could work in a specialized or technical field without meeting a requirement of two years’ work experience, the council said.
Currently, they are required to graduate from a university ranked in the top 500 globally to waive the two-year requirement, it said, adding that the change targets skilled workers from nations included in the New Southbound Policy, it said.
Foreigners with a master’s degree from a Taiwanese university would be able to waive one to three years from the mandatory period of continuous residency in Taiwan toward obtaining an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC), it said.
Highly skilled foreign professionals earning NT$6 million (US$197,954) or more annually would be able to request an APRC after continuously living in Taiwan for one year, it said.
High-skilled workers who lose their jobs would qualify for unemployment benefits, vocational retraining stipends and natal subsidies, it said.
Those in that category who do not have an APRC and lose their job would still qualify for a labor pension, it added.
Labor pension calculations for workers without an APRC who switch jobs would not exclude their time with former employers, it said.
The amendment would make it easier for foreigners to work in Taiwan with the aim of retiring in the nation, it said.
The “digital nomad” visa’s valid period would be increased to two years, up from six months, the NDC said.
Foreigners with APRCs who have lived in Taiwan for 10 or more years would be eligible for mandated services available for handicapped Taiwanese, should they sustain a debilitating injury or condition, it said.
APRC-holding foreigners older than 65 who have lived in Taiwan for more than 10 years could qualify to stay in an assisted-living facility, while those living with family could receive the same long-term care perks as elderly Taiwanese, it said.
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