The National Development Council explains the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals at a meeting hosted by the European and Canadian Chambers of Commerce in Taiwan
Date of issue: May 9, 2018
The Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals ("the Foreign Professionals Act") was approved by the Executive Yuan to formally enter into effect on February 8 of this year (2018). To make sure that those it applies to can fully understand what it contains and how it works, so that it serves more beneficially for the recruitment of foreign professionals, the NDC yesterday (May 8) attended a meeting organized jointly by the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (CCCT) to publicize the Foreign Professionals Act and to listen to suggestions from representatives of the foreign business community.
The Foreign Professionals Act, formulated by the NDC and passed by the Legislative Yuan on October 31, 2017, was designed to create a friendly work and residency environment that could better attract foreign professionals to come and stay in Taiwan, helping to promote the upgrading and transitioning of Taiwan's industries, and so boosting Taiwan's international competitiveness. To achieve this purpose, the Act provides for the easing of visa, work and residency rules for foreign professionals, and also confers more favorable insurance, tax and retirement benefits upon them. The Act has already been in force for a full three months.
To more broadly publicize the Act, so that all to whom it applies could be informed about its relevant provisions and application procedures, the NDC held a meeting on March 5 at which officials from the Act's implementing agencies delivered explanatory presentations to, and answered questions from, invited representatives of foreign chambers of commerce, social organizations and business groups. Information from the meeting has been posted on the NDC's dedicated webpage for the Foreign Professionals Act, at https://foreigntalentact.ndc.gov.tw/. Since some chambers of commerce responded by suggesting that it would enable more of their members to understand the content of the Act and its ancillary measures if the NDC and other agencies could deliver further explanations at the chambers, the NDC accordingly planned the holding of this May 8 explanatory meeting.
At yesterday's meeting, in addition to itself first presenting an explanation of the content of the Foreign Professionals Act, the NDC also invited the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and other agencies responsible for related subsidiary regulations to participate in an exchange of views and responses.
At the meeting, ECCT CEO Freddie Hoglund said that the Foreign Professionals Act had certainly solved many of the difficulties faced by foreign professionals in Taiwan, and had provided many incentives for foreign professionals to come and stay in Taiwan. He gave this Act the highest evaluation, and applauded government agencies for all the efforts they had put into promoting it. He also hoped that the agencies concerned could actively formulate and implement subsidiary measures to solve the various problems raised by chamber members at this meeting, such as the excessive strictness of the criteria for applying for an Employment Gold Card in the field of law, the non-removal of the requirement for foreign professionals' spouses and children who obtained permanent residency to stay in Taiwan for at least 183 days every year, and the non-applicability of the special tax benefit to foreign special professionals if it was not their first time coming to work in Taiwan.
Speaking on behalf of the government agencies, NDC Department of Human Resources Development Director-General Lin Gyh-mei replied that talent was a key element of national competitiveness in the digital economy era, and that the government was actively implementing an array of talent recruitment and retention policies, wishing to attract top-quality foreign talent to Taiwan. The enactment and implementation of the Foreign Professionals Act was an important milestone of the government's talent recruitment work. The NDC would follow up on the issues and suggestions raised by chamber representatives at this meeting, and in collaboration with the agencies concerned, would continue to work out and implement solutions, in active endeavor to recruit foreign talent to come to Taiwan.

Chair of the meeting Freddie Hoglund, CEO of the ECCT, introduces NDC Department of Human Resources Development Director-General Lin Gyh-mei.

Mr. Tim Berge, co-chair of the ECCT Better Living Committee, conducts the exchange of views. Members' questions are answered by representatives of the agencies concerned, on the stage.

Mr. Howard Shiu, co-chair of the ECCT Human Resources Committee, joins government representatives for a post-meeting photograph.