A one-stop service for employers to simultaneously apply for employment and residency permits for migrant workers reportedly leaked employer data on the first day of its operation.
The government on Thursday launched the service for employers to renew an employment contract for a migrant worker or transfer a worker from another employer.
The new system requires employers to input information into an online form created by the Ministry of Labor to obtain a code, which can then be entered into the National Immigration Agency’s online migrant worker application system.
Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei Times
The application would then undergo a review and, if approved, the agency would send the worker’s residency permit to the employer.
However, the system appeared to have leaked employer data, Cross-Border Workforce Affairs Center director Chen Chang-pang (陳昌邦) said.
The system launched at 8am and by 11:30am the agency was receiving reports of leaked employer data from the site, Chen said, adding that it involved about 400 entries.
The ministry temporarily took down the site to fix the issue and was able to get it running again by 1pm, Chen said.
The simplified procedure is to prevent migrant workers from being deported for overstaying their visas due to the negligence of their employers or brokerage agencies, the ministry said.
It is expected to prevent about 200,000 workers from being deported for overstaying their employment period.
Previously, employers who sought to continue hiring a migrant worker or transfer a worker from another employer had to first obtain an employment permit before they were allowed to apply for or renew the work visa of a migrant worker.
The ministry would publish notices reminding employers wanting to continue hiring a migrant worker to file an application at least two months before the employment contract expires and that follow-up applications must be submitted before the three-year employment period ends.
The Taiwan International Workers’ Association (TIWA) in a statement applauded the launch of the service, which it said was the result of migrant workers fighting for their rights.
More than 10 migrant workers filed complaints about problems with their residency with the Migrant Empowerment Network in Taiwan from 2019 to 2021.
The TIWA launched an investigation that found in many of cases, migrant workers faced deportation due to the negligence of their employer or brokerage firm.
The discovery motivated the group three years ago to lobby for a simplified “one-stop” service when employers or brokers apply for employment and residency permits for migrant workers, the TIWA said.
It thanked Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪昇翰) and his team for the assistance they provided by facilitating communications with the relevant government agencies.
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