The government is planning “global elite” cards, which would provide more incentives than the Employment Gold Card, in another bid to attract high-skilled workers to Taiwan, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday.
Six years after the launch of the Gold Card, the NDC is planning to issue “global elite” cards, NDC Deputy Minister Kao Shien-quey (高仙桂) said at a Cabinet news conference.
The Gold Card serves as an open work permit, allowing eligible foreign professionals — those who earned more than NT$160,000 (US$5,010.65) per month in their previous job or who have a proven track record in designated fields — to work in Taiwan for up to three years.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
The planned “global elite” cards would be given to foreign professionals with an annual salary exceeding NT$6 million, Kao said.
Those with the planned cards would be eligible for permanent residency in Taiwan after one year and would be entitled to social benefits, such as long-term care and disability services, comparable to those available to Taiwanese, she said.
In addition, spouses of “global elite” cardholders would be allowed to work in Taiwan, and their parents and grandparents would be permitted “unlimited stay in Taiwan,” she said.
Under the proposal, the government also plans to issue one-year work permits to foreign graduates from top universities and “overseas Chinese students” who have recently graduated in Taiwan, allowing them to seek employment in the country, Kao said.
The term “overseas Chinese student” refers to a student of Chinese descent who is in Taiwan to study, and who was born and lived overseas until they arrived or who has been living overseas for six or more consecutive years immediately prior to arriving, and obtained permanent or long-term residency status overseas, the Ministry of Education said.
The term “overseas” refers to countries or regions other than China, Macau and Hong Kong, it said.
The NDC aims to finalize the student policy proposal soon and send it to the legislature for approval in the new session that commences today, Kao said.
The proposal is part of the NDC’s ongoing efforts to tackle brain drain and attract more foreign talent to Taiwan, she said.
It is estimated that by 2028, the nation would face a talent shortage of about 350,000 people.
The government has set a goal to attract 200,000 highly skilled and mid-level skilled workers to Taiwan by 2028, Kao said.
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