More than 200 people with high-level expertise in the digital industry last year secured the Employment Gold Card, with about 60 percent working in software development jobs, data from National Development Council and Administration for Digital Industries showed.
Launched in 2018, the card combines the functions of a resident visa, work permit, Alien Resident Certificate and re-entry permit, and allows foreign professionals to leave and re-enter Taiwan multiple times over the course of one to three years.
Foreigners are eligible to apply for gold cards if they have expertise in science, technology, economy, education, culture, arts, sports, finance, law, architecture, national defense or digital industries.
Photo courtesy of the National Development Council
The qualifications of foreign professionals would be assessed by government officials regulating these industries, and applicants are not required to receive job offers to apply for gold cards.
Those who do not have expertise in the listed categories might still be qualified for gold cards as special cases, depending on the National Development Council consultation with government officials. Foreign professionals with specialized knowledge and skills in digital industries were not qualified for employment gold cards until the middle of last year.
Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: having at least eight years of relevant professional experience in digital economy-related industries, having held positions in a digital economy-related industry in Taiwan or other countries with a most recent monthly salary of at least NT$160,000, or having graduated with a doctorate from one of the top 500 universities listed in the most recent QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings or US News and World Report Rankings.
Meanwhile, those with expertise in the products or services required in the digital economy-related industries can also apply if they have obtained a doctoral degree in related fields at a domestic or foreign university, and if they received domestic or foreign awards recognized by the Ministry of Digital Affairs, or had more than four years of work experience in related fields.
As of December last year, 216 foreigners secured employment gold cards because of high-level expertise in the digital industry, which accounted for 2.4 percent of the gold cards issued since 2018.
The Administration for Digital Ministries of the Ministry of Digital Affairs is in charge of reviewing gold card applicants working in the digital industry. As of January, the administration had received 420 applications, 298 of which met the requirement for a gold card, administration data showed.
The expertise of the applicants varies from software development, computer programming, e-commerce and video gaming to cybersecurity, the administration said, adding that about 60 percent of applicants are working in software development-related fields.
Applicants who secured gold cards are mainly developers of software, digital content and video games, the administration added.
Seventy percent of the applicants from the digital industries are 39 years of age or younger, the administration said.
Aside from Employment Gold Cards, the administration is offering subsidies on flight tickets as incentives to attract talent in the digital economy field, it said, adding that the application deadline for subsidies is the end of October.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS