Professionals from Hong Kong or Macau may extend their residency for up to one year under new rules announced yesterday by the Ministry of the Interior.
The amendments to the Regulations Governing Residency or Permanent Residency for People of the Hong Kong Area and the Macau Area (香港澳門居民進入臺灣地區及居留定居許可辦法) were passed to comply with the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) promulgated on July 7 last year, the ministry said.
The government has to offer measures that would not only attract professional talent, but also encourage them to bring over their families, and allow their families to find jobs in Taiwan, it said.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
The amendments allow Hong Kong or Macau professionals or students looking for work to apply to extend their residency by up to six months, which, if necessary, could be extended once.
Regulations on foreigners obtaining an employment gold card, as well as those accompanying the gold card applicant, have also been eased, the ministry said.
To attract people from Hong Kong and Macau studying in Taiwan to stay after graduation, they can use their master’s or doctorate degree to reduce the five-year requirement to apply for permanent residency by two years and one year respectively, it said.
Meanwhile, a motion to further relax working permits for professionals from Hong Kong and Macau who have stayed in Taiwan for five consecutive years and have, within the past year, earned a salary that is double the monthly minimum wage to apply for permanent residency and obtain a National Identification Card, has been put on hold due to controversy and a lack of support from the Democratic Progressive Party.
Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said the ministry would continue to discuss the motion with legislators.
To obtain permanent residency, current regulations state that people entering Taiwan on a student visa would have to stay for five consecutive years after completing their studies, having spent at least 183 days in Taiwan each year, and earn a salary that is double the monthly minimum wage.
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