Taiwan Today

Taiwan is sparing no effort in recruiting top-notch professionals from around the world to advance national development.
 

In late 2020, 33-year-old Chase  W. Nelson from the U.S. received acclaim for his role in the discovery of ORF3d, a novel overlapping gene in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). He made the finding about the virus that causes COVID-19 in his second year as a postdoctoral scholar at Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s foremost research institution. He currently works remotely from Taipei City as a research fellow for the National Cancer Institute at the U.S. National Institutes of Health while continuing to mentor young local scientists in an informal capacity. With a doctorate in biological sciences, Nelson’s expertise encompasses a broad range of subjects spanning bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, immunology and molecular evolution.
 

“As a biologist, I was incredibly impressed with Taiwan’s rapid and effective response to COVID-19. Taiwan was easily the world’s most successful nation in battling the pandemic,” he said. “It’s great to witness this success firsthand, including public health policies around masking, quarantine and contact tracing as well as democratic transparency.” In March 2020 he published a piece in leading science journal Nature in which he urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to allow Taiwan’s participation and noted that its alienation is an inexcusable liability for global health.
 

Nelson’s continued stay in Taiwan is made possible by the Taiwan Employment Gold Card (TGC) that he obtained in 2021. “The primary benefit of the gold card has been the security of being able to remain in Taiwan without needing to be affiliated with a particular employer and the freedom of being able to pursue paid work in any of my interests,” said Nelson, who is also a singer and theatrical performer. “I hope the program can foster international connections that help make Taiwan more globally competitive and its work culture more flexible.”
 

Enticing Terms

TGC is a four-in-one document that includes an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), open work permit, resident visa and re-entry permit and is issued by the Ministry of the Interior’s (MOI) National Immigration Agency (NIA) to foreign special professionals. Launched in 2018 following the promulgation of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (AREFP), the gold card is valid for one to three years, after which holders can apply for an extension. The legislation promoted by the Cabinet-level National Development Council (NDC) aims to attract overseas talent to Taiwan by relaxing visa, work and residency requirements while offering health insurance, pension, tax benefits and ARCs for spouses and children. Eligibility for TGC is based on applicants’ credentials and expertise in nine select areas, namely architecture, culture and arts, economy, education, finance, law, national defense, science and technology, and sports. Upon obtaining the card, foreign nationals can work for any company full or part time or start their own business.
 

To make communication with applicants and card holders smoother, the NDC set up the TGC Office in 2020 to serve as a single point of contact. Besides running an informational website, the office provides comprehensive bilingual consulting services for issues relating to gold card applications, work, housing, taxation and children’s education. It also organizes community events and international marketing campaigns. In an effort to further enhance incentives for foreign professionals to relocate to Taiwan, the NDC additionally proposed an AREFP amendment, which was ratified and implemented in 2021. Revisions include extension of tax concessions from three to five years, the ability to forego the six-month waiting period for National Health Insurance coverage and eligibility for permanent residency after staying in Taiwan for three consecutive years instead of five.
 

“International experts can bring innovative thinking, broader perspectives and technological know-how into domestic industries, accelerating upgrades and transformation,” said Lin Gyh-mei (林至美), director general of the NDC’s Department of Human Resources Development. “They can thus help create job opportunities and drive economic growth.” At the same time, skilled migrant workers replenish the local labor force, she added. Lin stressed the urgent necessity of bringing in specialists who can help advance the five-plus-two innovative industries and six core strategic industries initiatives. The multipronged development strategies target high-growth sectors such as biotech and medical technology, cybersecurity, green and renewable energy, information and digital technology‭,‬ and national defense. “The passage of AREFP marked a major milestone in Taiwan’s recruitment and retention efforts,” the director general said. “It creates friendlier living and working environments for foreign nationals while boosting the country’s global competitiveness.”

Smooth Process

Such efforts are paying dividends, as evidenced by a spike in the number of such professionals working in Taiwan from 33,532 in 2018 to 50,940 in 2021, according to the Ministry of Labor (MOL). NIA statistics additionally show that a total of 3,927 gold cards had been issued by the end of 2021. Recipients are primarily aged 30-39; come from the U.S., Hong Kong and the U.K.; and are engaged in business, science and technology, or finance.
 

Vicky Zheng (鄭玉琴‬), an executive officer at NIA’s Immigration Affairs Division, said the government has continued to improve incentive mechanisms and streamline the work and residence permit process for overseas workers. Notable examples are the introduction of the TGC program and the establishment of the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform. The latter offers centralized access to all information and guidance for the TGC application, sparing applicants the trouble of consulting with multiple government agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the MOI and the MOL.
 

“The single portal has greatly facilitated international recruitment by allowing potential candidates to file applications anytime and anywhere through step-by-step instructions,” Zheng said. “They receive email notifications when supplementary documents are required and can easily check application status.” The integrated one-stop service has been well received, successfully attracting top-class personnel across various fields from all over the globe including entrepreneurs, high-tech specialists and senior managers from California’s Silicon Valley.

Second Home

According to the executive officer, Taiwan faces a number of challenges due to brain drain and the aging population, leading to a shrinking workforce. As part of the overall strategy of hiring more overseas workers to help ameliorate these problems, the government is looking to bolster numbers of international students by offering scholarships as well as English-taught courses and programs, the NDC’s Lin said, adding that extra efforts are being made to draw students from New Southbound Policy (NSP) target countries. A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the NSP seeks to deepen the country’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
 

One such student is 29-year-old Lakshay Sachdeva from India, who came to Taiwan in 2015 to attain his master’s in business administration at National Tsing Hua University in the northern city of Hsinchu. “I wanted to stay in Asia, so I applied to universities in several places including Hong Kong and Singapore. My main reason for choosing Taiwan was the scholarship the country gave me,” he said. “The government was kind enough to cover both tuition and living expenses, making it my best possible choice.”
 

After completing his degree, Sachdeva moved to Taipei and is currently working as an international sales and product liaison manager at U.S.-headquartered Faria Education Group. Last year, Sachdeva became the youngest Indian to get a TGC. “I’ve now found a second home in Taiwan,” he said. “I can see my future here and consider the gold card as a way for me to get involved and contribute to community growth.”
 

Sachdeva encourages other foreign professionals to come and see what the country has to offer. “In terms of opportunities, Taiwan is one of the fastest growing economies as it’s driven by high-tech industries like semiconductors,” he said. “For me, it ticks all the boxes for an ideal country to live in—a growing economy, competitive costs, natural beauty, safety and welcoming people. It’s high time for the rest of the world to know what a great place Taiwan is and for them to explore it, if not call it home.” 
 

Like Sachdeva, Nelson enthuses about his positive experiences in Taiwan. Their appreciation is testament to the country’s allure for foreign professionals. “Artistic opportunities, food culture, free speech and a strong work ethic are the primary reasons I’ve chosen to stay in Taiwan. This decision was spectacularly vindicated by its COVID-19 response,” the U.S. biologist said. “There’s no place I’d have rather lived during the pandemic, and there continues to be no place I feel safer growing my science, engaging in art and exercising free speech.” 

Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw