The Ministry of Labor yesterday launched a program to provide a pathway to permanent residency for migrant workers, and foreign and “overseas compatriot” students who earn an associate degree in Taiwan.
The program focuses on the long-term retention of students and migrant workers employed in manufacturing, construction, fisheries, caregiving and agriculture, the ministry said.
Migrant workers employed in one of those fields for six years are eligible to be reclassified as “mid-level skilled workers,” which their employer can apply for them and can be renewed every three years without limit, the ministry said.
After working as a “mid-level skilled worker” for five years while meeting the minimum wage requirement, they can apply for permanent residency, in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法), it said.
For migrant workers employed in the manufacturing, construction, agriculture and fishing industries, the minimum wage requirement for application eligibility is NT$33,000 per month, the ministry said.
Caregivers at institutions would be required to make at least NT$29,000 per month, while those working in private homes would have to show that they make NT$24,000 per month, it said.
The income requirement has faced criticism, especially from caregivers working in private homes, who say their average monthly salary is only about NT$17,000.
A total of 659,382 migrant workers, mainly from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, were working in Taiwan at the end of March, but only about 208,351 were eligible to apply for the program, ministry data showed.
For foreign and overseas compatriot students who graduate from a Taiwanese college with an associate degree, they can be immediately classified as “intermediate-skilled labor” at their job, but must earn a minimum of NT$30,000 per month to qualify for permanent residency, it said.
The program seeks to retain at least 80,000 migrant workers, and 80,000 foreign and overseas compatriot students by 2030, the Executive Yuan said in a statement.
Overseas compatriot students refer to people of Chinese ethnicity who were born and lived overseas, or to Taiwanese nationals who had resided overseas for more than six consecutive years until their return to Taiwan for studies.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS