The National Development Council (NDC) is drafting a legislative proposal that would provide a fast-track immigration option for skilled workers from Hong Kong, a source said yesterday.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday last week announced that the government was formulating specific measures that would help people from Hong Kong seeking to relocate to Taiwan.
The measures would ease restrictions on Hong Kong graduates and professionals wanting to work and reside in Taiwan, and reduce requirements for obtaining residence through investment in the country, the MAC said.
Implementing measures to assist people from Hong Kong would involve amendments to a number of statutes and administrative systems, and would involve the NDC, the MAC, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Education and other government agencies, the source said.
As part of its proposal, the NDC is also seeking to implement a preferential taxation scheme for skilled foreign workers who want to immigrate, and reduce the wait time required to apply for permanent residence, to help the government attract those in international business and finance, the source said.
Currently, those seeking permanent residence can only do so after living in Taiwan for five years, and during those five years they must reside in Taiwan no fewer than 183 days per year.
Under the NDC’s planned proposal, the wait time would be reduced to three years, the source said, adding that the proposed bill would apply to all foreigners, but unlike other legislation concerning foreign immigrants, would also apply to people from Hong Kong.
The MAC is also expected to work with the NDC on revising articles 16 and 29 of the Regulations Governing Residency or Permanent Residency for People of the Hong Kong Area and the Macau Area (香港澳門居民進入臺灣地區及居留定居許可辦法), which stipulate the conditions under which people from Hong Kong can gain permanent residence, the source said.
The planned proposal would also call for an amendment to the minimum salary requirements for hiring Hong Kong graduates of Taiwanese schools, the source said, adding that Hong Kong residents — like other non-citizens — currently must be paid a minimum monthly salary of NT$47,971.
This would be reduced to NT$40,000 for Hong Kong graduates to make them more competitive in the job market, the source said.
A study published by online booking platform Expedia revealed searches for travel to Taipei have ballooned 2,786 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions due to the city being a “designation dupe” for Seoul. The TikTok trend for duping — referring to substituting a designation for a more inexpensive alternative — helped propel interest in Taipei, it said in a consumer survey titled “Unpack ‘24,” which was conducted from September to October in 14 countries. Location dupes are “every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true places travelers love,” Expedia trend tracker Melanie Fish said of the year’s popular alternatives, which
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
A small-scale protest that called on the government to cancel its plan to welcome Indian migrant workers in a bid to tackle Taiwan’s labor shortage was held in Taipei yesterday. During the protest, comprised of a few dozen people staged in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard, the protest’s chief initiator, a woman identified only as “Yuna” said they wanted the central government to reconsider allowing migrant workers from India to enter Taiwan. Most people in Taiwan had little knowledge about the potential plan to allow in Indian migrant workers until a report in the media last month, she
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with
RSS