Taiwan eases work, residency restrictions for foreign professionals

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) New measures aimed at making Taiwan more attractive to foreign professionals came into effect this month, according to the National Development Council (NDC) on Tuesday.

Among the changes, international students at Taiwanese universities will be able to work in Taiwan without a work permit in the two years after they graduate, explainer materials provided by the NDC said.

In addition, foreign nationals who graduated from one of the world's top 200 universities within the past five years can also apply for a two-year open work permit.

Previously, those graduates would have needed to apply for a work permit using point-based criteria or have a Taiwanese company sponsor their work permit in order to work legally in Taiwan.

Also, in a measure intended to help "fast track" permanent residency, foreign nationals who obtained an undergraduate, masters or postgraduate degree in Taiwan can deduct one, two or three years, respectively, from the five-year working residency requirement.

Moreover, "foreign specialist professionals" -- referring to non-Taiwanese who meet certain income-level or work experience criteria -- can choose to apply for permanent residence after just one year in Taiwan in some cases.

Spouses of foreign specialist professionals can now also apply to work freely in Taiwan, instead of having to apply for an employer-backed work permit.

Other changes include improving access for foreign professionals to Taiwan's pension and employment insurance systems.

Foreign professionals who do not possess permanent residence in Taiwan will be able to join the country's new labor pension system, while foreign permanent residents will be able to enroll in Taiwan's employment insurance system.

Access for foreign professionals to disability and long-term care services for the first time is also due to be implemented on June 30, though they will only be available to foreign permanent residents who have been resident in the country for 10 years.

The new measures, enshrined in amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals that were passed last year, were explained by officials from the NDC and other agencies at a media event in Taipei on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, NDC Deputy Minister Jan Fang-guan (詹方冠) said Taiwan has "provided foreign nationals with more convenient options" in visas, residency, work and tax breaks since the act was first implemented in February 2018.

As a result, the number of foreign professionals in Taiwan has "increased significantly" from around 30,000 to "nearly 80,000," he said.

"Basically covering a foreign professional's career development, family life, and retirement in Taiwan," the amendments seek to ensure "foreign professional talent in Taiwan have a pleasant work environment and happy life," Jan said.