Congrats on your Gold Card & Welcome to Taiwan!
I am in my final step now. I got an email yesterday that my card is ready and I can go pick it up. I will probably retrieve it today or on Monday.
My situation is kind of similar to yours but I took the opposite route. Although I could probably qualify as a specialist in my field but having dealt with Taiwanese bureaucracy in the past I just wanted to take the easiest possible route so I took the salary one. Another reason I wanted to get the gold card quickly is because I just quit my job 2 days ago and this card secures my stay in Taiwan.
Either way, looking at the time they took to process yours vs mine itâs clear those applying purely on salary basis can expect much quicker results.
The only thing I am unsure of (but I will probably find out soon) is whether the gold card specifies anywhere on it how one got it (i.e based on which criteria). Because if it doesnât (and while Gold Card is still a new thing) it should be easy enough for anyone with a Gold Card to pass themselves off as âspecial foreign talentsâ. I know it will definitely look good on the CV and I do plan to add it to mine.