To attract more top-flight international talent to Taiwan, the Executive Yuan on April 15 approved the National Development Council's draft amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals. The draft amendments will be forwarded to the Legislature for deliberation.

 

Main proposed changes to the act are as follows:
1. Relax work conditions: Ministry of Education approved schools for children of foreign professionals may employ foreigners as subject teachers.
2. Ease permanent residency requirements: The residency requirement for foreign special professionals applying for permanent residency will be shortened from five to three years. Foreign professionals and foreign special professionals who earn a master's or doctorate degree in Taiwan may shorten their continuous residency requirement by one to two years when applying for permanent residency.
3. Extend tax breaks and social benefits: Tax breaks for foreign special professionals will be extended from three to five years. The six-month waiting period to qualify for National Health Insurance will be waived for foreign special professionals or foreign senior professionals who employ others or operate their own businesses, as well as for their dependents.