Taiwan and Belgium have inked an agreement on a reciprocal working holiday program for young adults, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Under the program, which is set to take effect on March 29, each nation would provide an annual quota of 200 visas for nationals aged between 18 and 30, the ministry’s Department of European Affairs director-general Hsu Mien-sheng (徐勉生) said.
This would allow young people from Taiwan and Belgium to work, travel and study in each other’s country for up to one year, Hsu said at a news briefing.
“This program serves as a good opportunity for young Taiwanese adults to learn more about Europe,” he said.
Taiwan is the first Asian country to ink such a pact with Belgium, which has similar agreements with Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the ministry said.
Belgium is the fourth European country to sign a working holiday agreement with Taiwan, after Germany, the UK and Ireland.
Under Taiwan’s working holiday programs, young Taiwanese can also travel to Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
Hsu said he is optimistic that Taiwan and France would finalize a working holiday agreement by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the government of the Czech Republic has decided to include Taiwan in its green card program, under which Taiwanese hired to work there can apply for a permit for long-term residence for employment purposes, Hsu said.
Under the program, which was implemented on Feb. 20, Taiwanese working in the Czech Republic have been able to apply for a green card that combines a residence permit and a work permit in a single document, intended to simplify entry to the job market for foreigners, Hsu said.
The green cards are valid for up to three years.
The cards will only be issued to people taking jobs that have not been successfully filled by workers from the Czech Republic or other members of the EU.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS