Taipei: Taiwan is set to encourage more foreign professionals to establish long-term residences in the country through new legal amendments aimed at facilitating their integration, according to the National Development Council (NDC). “We hope they can become part of us — that is, part of Taiwan,” stated Hsieh Chia-yi, head of the NDC’s Department of Human Resources Development, in a recent interview with CNA.

According to Focus Taiwan, the NDC has acknowledged an “urgent need” to employ additional foreign professionals as global competition for exceptional talent intensifies. This realization has prompted Taiwan to enhance its policies to attract and retain foreign workers. The changes to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, which came into effect this year, were smoothly passed by the Legislature with bipartisan support.

Under the new amendments, international graduates from Taiwanese universities are allowed to work in Taiwan without a permit for two years post-graduation. Additionally, graduates from the world’s top 200 universities are eligible for a two-year open work permit without requiring employer sponsorship. The amendments also include provisions to shorten permanent residency requirements for Taiwan-educated and “foreign specialist professionals,” enable spouses of foreign specialists to work without restrictions, and broaden access to pension and employment insurance systems for foreign professionals.

The number of foreign professionals in Taiwan, primarily referring to white-collar workers, has doubled from under 40,000 in 2017 to approximately 80,000 this year, as reported by the NDC. The decision to implement aspects of the amended law, such as the five-year eligibility limit for graduates from top global universities, was informed by policies in other countries like the U.K. and Japan.

In addition to these legal adjustments, the NDC is actively seeking foreign talent from abroad. Hsieh mentioned that the NDC plans to conduct recruitment trips to the U.S. in July and October this year, targeting the United States and India for their concentration of AI and digital talent. Plans are also underway to establish a talent recruitment hub in California’s Silicon Valley.

The NDC, which coordinates multiple government ministries and agencies to achieve major national policy objectives, is working to simplify the process for foreign professionals to work in Taiwan. Collaborations with the National Immigration Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aim to digitize permanent residency and visa application processes, respectively, to make them more convenient for foreign nationals.