I’m a bit confused at this point. The previous posting mentions “Article 51 work permits specific to one employer…” hence this seems to indicate that there are two methods for applying for the Article 51 work permit, for the five categories of eligible persons:
(1) individual application — open work permit for the Taiwan area.
(2) employer’s application – work permit specific to that employer.
You have additionally stated that for those who have their application sent in by the employer, they can then have another employer send in another application, and so on and so on; hence receiving “multiple work permits.” I assume that the specification of a minimum salary level of NT$ 16,000 per month would apply.
Further from what I understand from the previous posting, the “employer’s application” for Article 51 work permits (specific to that employer) are now being issued, however the the “individual application” (meaning an open work permit for the Taiwan area) is still being processed, coordinated, and reviewed.
So, this amounts to saying that the wheels are slowly beginning to turn, but we are not quite there yet?? Is that correct? (It is understandable). The new law was promulgated by President Chen on January 21, 2002, however and that is a fact. I know that implementation does take some time.
What actually will the new open work permit be? Is it a piece of paper which the government sends us personally, which we then can show to any prospective employer (or multiple employers) to demonstrate to them that they don’t need to bother about a work permit for us? (My experience in Taiwan tells me not to expect things to be so blessedly simple…) Or will prospective employers still have to have some amount of dealings with government agencies in order to give us jobs?
So, adding all this up, it amounts to saying, for those five categories of persons who qualify under Article 51, if they have determined which employer wants to hire them, and they are in a hurry so to speak, then they should help the employer fill out an application now (specific to that employer). However, for those who are currently stable, they should just submit the individual application, and wait for that to be processed. This is my reading . . . .
Thanks for your patience and excellent help!