The government is to soon offer rewards of up to NT$20,000 for information leading to the arrest of foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said.
The ministry on Thursday said that it would pay NT$2,000 for information that leads to the arrest of one person who has overstayed their visa and NT$5,000 if it leads to the arrest of four to six people.
The reward would increase to NT$10,000 for information leading to the arrest of seven to nine people and NT$20,000 for the arrest of 10 or more, the ministry added.
Employers or employment agency workers who work with foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas would not be eligible for the rewards, it said.
The ministry said that foreign nationals who have visas that will expire at the end of this month would be eligible for a three-month amnesty program.
It allows them to pay smaller fines if they report to immigration authorities during the grace period.
It was not clear how the ministry’s new fines would operate in relation to the Ministry of Labor’s reward program for information on unaccounted workers, many of whom might have overstayed their visas.
Meanwhile, the ministry is also to offer a NT$1,000 reward for information on cross-border marriage matchmaking ads posted by illegal brokers.
Only 32 government-approved associations in Taiwan are permitted to provide such services, the ministry said.
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