The National Development Council (NDC) has reviewed proposals to allow high-earning foreign professionals to apply for permanent residency after only one year, while also extending the duration of its new digital nomad visa to a maximum of two years.
The draft changes, consisting of amendments to the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法), were put up for public review last week and are expected to be sent to the Cabinet early next month, when the 30-day commenting period ends.
The changes would create a “global elite” category for foreign professionals earning more than NT$6 million (US$183,458) annually, which would allow those eligible to apply for permanent residency after only one year in Taiwan.
Photo: Tyrone Siu, Reuters
In contrast, holders of employment gold cards must wait three years to apply for permanent residency.
Meanwhile, the proposal would extend the duration of the digital nomad visitor visa that the government launched this year, from the current maximum of six months to up to two years.
The draft amendments would also add a new category to attract graduates of the world’s top 200 universities, a program based on the UK’s High Potential Individual visa.
The NDC said that while Taiwan offers a visitor visa for employment-seeking purposes, that option lacks incentives.
The proposed visa category for graduates of top universities would allow them to stay without finding a fixed employer, thus giving them flexibility to take on individual contracts or engage in freelance work, it said.
Following the public commenting period, the draft proposal would be sent to the Executive Yuan for approval.
After that the legislature must pass it for it to become law.
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