Taipei, May 30 (CNA) A Legislative Yuan committee will review a draft bill on Wednesday aimed at easing the regulations pertaining to visas, work permits, taxes and residency for foreign white-collar workers in Taiwan.
The Economic Committee's review of the draft Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professional Talent will come on the last day of the current legislative session, meaning that the next legislative session, which begins in September, is most likely the earliest time the bill could be passed.
The draft bill, approved by the Cabinet in April, extends the work and residence permits for foreign white-collar professionals from the current maximum term of three years to a maximum term of five years.
It also removes the requirement that such workers must remain in Taiwan for at 183 days per year to maintain their status.
It allows foreign nationals to enter Taiwan on a job-seeking visa that will be valid for six months instead of the current three, and will be extendable for another six months, without the holder having to leave the country.
Under the proposed regulations, a new category of work permit called the Employment Gold Card will be introduced for certain categories of foreign professionals.
The "four-in-one card" will include a work permit, residence visa, alien residency permit and re-entry permit valid for at least three years, according to the draft bill.
In terms of general eligibility for employment outside the teaching profession, foreign nationals with the required work experience will have to show that they were earning the equivalent of at least NT$47,971 (US$1,578) per month before coming to Taiwan.
Those with no previous work experience will be required to present a degree from a university ranked among the top 500 in the world, according to the proposed regulations.
Meanwhile, students and new graduates of foreign universities will be permitted to seek internships in Taiwanese companies.
In the category of foreign freelance artists and performers, they will be allowed to apply for work permits themselves and will no longer require a prospective employer to sponsor them.
In the area of taxes, during the first three years of employment in Taiwan, certain categories of foreign professionals will be taxed on only half of their income in excess of NT$2 million, according to the proposed regulations.
Under the draft bill, foreign white-collar workers will be eligible for inclusion in Taiwan's new labor pension system, and those who hold permanent residence will have the option of either a lump-sum payment or a monthly pension upon retirement.
The draft bill also changes the regulations that apply to the children and spouses of foreign white collar workers in Taiwan. In the case of those with permanent residence status, the restrictions on the length of stay for minor children and spouses will be removed.
In addition, the spouses and minor children of foreign professionals will no longer have to wait six months to become eligible for Taiwan's national health insurance, according to the draft bill.
