Proposed immigration bill promotes continuous development
Premier Lai Ching-te on Tuesday convened a press conference to introduce major elements of a proposed new economy immigration bill drafted to respond to Taiwan’s low birth rate and ensure that the nation has the professional talent and workforce to meet the needs of ongoing industrial development. The purpose of the proposed legislation, said the premier, is to provide for the active recruitment and retention of the talent and labor necessary to carry forward continued national development, while at the same time avoiding negative effects on employment opportunities and pay standards domestically.
The proposed bill will help to solve the long-standing problem faced by the local business community of insufficient professional talent and workers, and thereby spur the upgrade and development of industry. The bill also seeks to apply immigration policy to meet the challenge of a low domestic birth rate, and shift the nation’s demographic structure to assure that national development will continue uninterrupted into perpetuity.
The new economy immigration bill primarily targets four groups: foreign professional talent, mid-level foreign technical personnel, investor immigrants, and overseas citizens and their offspring. Mid-level foreign technical personnel refers to foreign and overseas Taiwanese students with technical skills who remain in Taiwan at the end of their studies, mid-level foreign technicians already employed in Taiwan, as well as mid-level technical personnel recruited directly from abroad. To avoid disruptions to the domestic labor market, the government will establish minimum salary levels for these three sub-classes.
Premier Lai explained that a minimum monthly salary of NT$41,393 (US$1,392) will be established for industrial workers, while the minimum monthly salary for care providers and nursing assistants will be set at about NT$32,000 (US$1,076).
Minister without Portfolio and National Development Council Minister Chen Mei-ling said that the new economy immigration bill calls for a point system to confirm the qualifications of foreign professional talent and mid-level technical personnel. Evaluations will consider a diverse range of employment factors to select required talent. Clear, consistent and objective review standards will be established to help prospective foreign employees determine the feasibility of working in Taiwan and boost the inclination to come.
Requirements to obtain permanent residency and family visas will be relaxed to encourage foreign professionals to remain in Taiwan, said Minister without Portfolio Chen. Foreign workers with permanent resident status will also qualify for such citizen benefits as employment insurance, labor pensions and eligibility to apply out of pocket for long-term care services.
Source: Department of Information Services, Executive Yuan
2018051501
