Taiwan is a semi-tropical island in East Asia and is highly developed in terms of economy, technology and transportation. 

Despite the country's dense population and a massive expansion of industry and agriculture, Taiwan remains a realm of striking highlands with lush forests. For a relatively small island, Taiwan is incredibly mountainous. Taiwan’s position on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ brings it one very tangible benefit, an abundance of hot springs. Many springs are conveniently close to major cities like Taipei, the country’s capital city.

Taiwan has a wealth of influences from Japan, Korea and Mainland China, and these unique cultural influences make Taiwan an intriguing country to visit, study and work.

The official language used in the country is Mandarin Chinese however, recognising the benefits of English proficiency, most young adults in major cities speak English. 

The number of international students who choose to study and work in Taiwan has grown in the past 10 years. In order to attract and retain outstanding international students, the Taiwanese government lowers restrictions for international students to remain after graduation and allows foreign graduates to extend their stay in Taiwan from 6 months to a year. 

With so many opportunities to work, study and stay in Taiwan after your studies, ever wanted to know what your post-study work visa options are for Taiwan? Then read on.

Taiwan is just one of many post-study options available. If Taiwan is not for you, you can check our other blog posts to see more options after completing your studies in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, or other countries in Asia!

Residence Extension for Job Seeking Purpose – Work Permit Taiwan

Taiwanese law allows international students to extend their stay for 6 months right after graduation. If international students are in the middle of a job search or need more time to complete their work permit Taiwan application, they can apply for another six-month extension making it a total of 12 months extension.

Your university will forward your graduation notice to the immigration office after issuing your diploma. You must apply at the immigration office to extend your Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and change your reason for staying in the country as “Seeking for a Job”.

Under this permit, you are not allowed to work within this period. On the day you received your diploma, your work permit for a student automatically expires. Failing to comply with the rules will merit a fine and possible restriction from working in the country for 3 years.

You need to prepare the following documents:

• Application Form 
• One 3.5 cm x 4.5 color photo 
• Passport (Original & Photocopy)
• Alien Resident Certificate (Original & Photocopy)
• Certificate of Graduation/ Diploma (Original & Photocopy)
• Lease contract (Original & Photocopy) 

*Additional documents may be required

Once you successfully found a job, your employer will assist you to get a work permit Taiwan, and after getting the work permit, you should apply at the immigration and change your ARC reason as “Work”.

If you fail to get a work permit within the 1 year “Seeking for a Job” period, you can not extend your ARC under this reason again and should leave Taiwan. 

Two Types of Work Permit Taiwan

Work permits are granted for foreign nationals to legally work in Taiwan. If you qualify for the permit and you are offered a job, your employer will apply for the work permit on your behalf.  The application of work permit needs to be forwarded to the Ministry of Labor under the name of the company you will work in.

Since you already have a residence visa from when you were a student, you need to request for extension and update your ARC and your re-entry permit for your reason for living in the country at the national immigration office.

Wages and Work Experience

This permit is for foreign professionals who may or may not graduate from Taiwan higher institution. 

To qualify as a foreign professional, you need to have more than two years of full time working experience or a master's degree and your employer must agree to give you an average monthly salary no less than  NT$ 47,971.

There are 6 categories open for foreign employees to work in Taiwan. 

• Specialized or Technical Works
• The Director or Manager of an Approved Business Invested or Established by Overseas Chinese or Foreigner
• Full-time Foreign Teacher in Cram School
• Sports Coaching or Athlete
• Arts and Performing Arts
• Contracting Foreigners

Each category requires different documents, visit the website to get the full list.

New Scoring Criteria for Foreign and Overseas Chinese Students to Work in Taiwan

You should meet the job description of being employed for specialised or technical works under each category. Qualified foreign students should have a Bachelor degree in Taiwan who scores at least 70 points. 

See the table below on how to earn points for the permit.

1. Education

Required Documents:

• Photocopy of overseas Chinese or foreign student diploma

Points

2. Salary

Required Documents:

• Photocopy of employment contract signed by employer and overseas Chinese or foreign student.
  • Contract should state: average monthly salary (in NT$), names of both parties, job, title, job description, employment duration, etc.

Points

3. Work Experience

Required Documents:

• Photocopy of overseas Chinese or foreign student’s full-time work experience certification

Points

4. Qualified to serve in relevant capacity

Required Documents:

• Photocopy documentation certifying overseas Chinese or foreign student’s special expertise (i.e. professional training for the role, course attendance, skill certification, creative works competition awards, patents, etc.)

Points

5. Chinese Language Proficiency

Required Documents:

One of the following:

1. Photocopy of overseas Chinese or foreign student Chinese language proficiency test result of “Intermediate” or higher or
2. Photocopy of one of the following documents certifying overseas Chinese or foreign student’s Chinese language studies:
   1. Chinese studies Coursework grading documentation while attending school in the R.O.C.
      1. Fluent: 80 or higher
      2. Advanced: 70 to 79
      3. Intermediate: 60 to 69
   2. Documentation of Chinese studies hours:
      1. Fluent: hours studying Chinese in the R.O.C. totalling over 960 or over 1,920 hours in other regions.
      2. Advanced: hours studying Chinese in the R.O.C. totalling over 480 or over 960 hours in other regions.
   3. Intermediate: hours studying Chinese in the R.O.C. totalling over 360 or over 720 hours in other regions.

Points

6. Multi-lingual Ability

Required Documents:

• Photocopy of the overseas student’s passport.
• To prove the proficiency of a second foreign language, documents as bellows is required:
  1. Photocopy of overseas Chinese or foreign student’s foreign language ability certification.
  2. Photocopy of document certifying overseas Chinese or foreign student’s foreign language study of over 360 hours. i.e.: Foreign Language Proficiency Test (FLPT), TOEFL, Cambridge English Language Assessment, IELTS, Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), DELF, Goethe-Zertifikat, TestDaF, Russian Language Proficiency Tests held by Chinese Culture University or National Chengchi University, etc.

Points

7. Personal overseas development

Required Documents:

• Photocopy of the overseas student’s passport.

Points

8. Compliance with government policy

Required Documents:

• Copy of central competent authority issued employer compliance with government policy documentation, i.e.:
  1. Conforms to excellent backbone business qualifications.
  2. Businesses establishing operational headquarters in the R.O.C (corporate operations headquarters recognition letter).
  3. Businesses establishing R & D centers in the R.O.C. (implementing unit approval letter)
  4. Conforms to HeadStart Taiwan: institutions with “new business recognition principle of innovative ability”
  5. Recognition letter or certification of conformation to industrial development policy issued by the central competent authority.

Points

Taiwan Entrepreneur Visa

You may only apply for a Taiwan Entrepreneur Visa if you comply with one of the following requirements:

• You have received venture capital investment or international fundraising that amounts to over NT$2 million.
• You have gotten patent rights or a professional skills certificate.
• You have been approved to reside in an incubator or recognized innovation park in Taiwan.
• You have been awarded in a leading startup or design competition or you took part in a foreigner entrepreneurship project.
• You are (or previously were) located in a startup accelerator recognized by Taiwan.
• Your company or the person who is the head of your company has been awarded or nominated in a film festival.
• You have received a government innovation subsidy of at least NT$3 million from the central government or NT$1 million from the local government.
• You have set up an enterprise with innovation capability in Taiwan and are acting as its legal representative, manager or director with an investment of at least NT$1 million.
• You possess the innovation capability as specified by the Taiwanese government.

You can apply by submitting your Taiwan entrepreneur visa application at the Taiwanese diplomatic mission overseas or if you are currently in Taiwan, you can submit your application at the Bureau of Consular Affairs or any of its offices.

You must prepare the following documents for your Taiwan entrepreneur visa:

• Application form
• Recent passport photo
• Valid passport
• If you have received venture capital investment or international fundraising:
  • Investment commitment letter, or any other proof of investment, signed by you and the relevant venture capital firm
  • Registration documents of the venture capital firm, or any other documents proving the legality of such enterprise
  • Documents proving you have received the investment
• If you have patent rights or a professional skills certificate:
  • The patent certificate issued by the relevant Taiwan agency or an overseas agency
• If you are approved to reside in an incubator or recognized innovation park in Taiwan:
  • Proof of the collaboration agreement, signed by both involved parties
• If you were awarded in a leading startup or design competition or you took part in a foreigner entrepreneurship project:
  • Proof of the award certificate you received from the relevant agency
• If you set up an enterprise with an investment of at least NT$1 million:
  • The company’s registration documents and relevant permit
  • An investment authorization letter along with proof of the amount of investment.
• If you have been awarded or nominated in a film festival:
  • Proof of the Award of Excellence certificate

*Additional documents may be requested for your Taiwan entrepreneur visa

If you are applying from within Taiwan, the process generally takes up to 3 weeks from the time you submit all the relevant documents. However, applications submitted outside Taiwan still have to be forwarded to the country for approval, thus the processing time will be longer.

The first time you are granted the visa, your Alien Residence Certificate (ARC)  is valid for a year and subsequent extension, given you are still eligible for the visa, is valid for 2 years.

Permanent Residency in Taiwan

Foreign nationals who have been in Taiwan for five years and have been in the country for at least 183 days annually can apply for an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC). Remember that the time spent in the country as a student is excluded.  Anyone who already holds citizenship of the People’s Republic of China may not apply.

You must submit your application for an APRC at the National Immigration Agency service centre within two years of meeting the requirements for length of stay in Taiwan.

To apply, you need to prepare the following documents:

• Application form 
• Recent Passport photo
• Originals and a copy of all passports (current and previous)
• An Alien Resident Card (ARC) and one copy of it
• A health examination certificate issued by the Department of Health of the Executive Yuan
• Certificate of Entry and Exit
• Certificates stating financial assets or any special skills or talents
• Criminal record certificates for the previous five years from the governments of the ROC (no more than three months old) and the applicant’s home country (issued within the previous six months). Chinese translations are needed
• Related certificates, for example marriage certificate, work permit Taiwan, household certificate, proof of employment

*Additional documents may be required

Applications generally take up to two weeks to be processed. 

Once an APRC is issued, the holder loses their eligibility for permanent residency if you are not in the country for at least 183 days every year.

Naturalised Citizenship

Foreign nationals over the age of 20 may qualify to be a citizen of Taiwan after residing in Taiwan for more than five years and demonstrating proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. The residency requirement is reduced to three years if an applicant has a Taiwanese spouse or parent.

Your application must be submitted in person to the local Household Registration Office. 

To apply, you need to prepare the following documents:

• Application Form
• Valid ARC or APRC
• Certificate of Residence in Taiwan
• Certificates showing the dates of entry and exit from the country
• Criminal records certificate from your home country
• Criminal records certificate in Taiwan
• Documentation certifying that the applicant possesses sufficient property or professional skills that enable him to be self-reliant
• Certificate that proves Chinese language proficiency and knowledge of civil rights and obligations

*Addition documents may be required

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Travel and Immigration Writer and Client Relationship Manager at IaM (Immigration and Migration)

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