Can those applying for the Gold Card, if accepted, enter Taiwan even during the current visa restrictions? If so, doesn’t that seem massively unfair?
Getting a gold card means getting a residence permit, and with it you can enter Taiwan, indeed.
Still one would have to quarantine on arrival like everyone else.
About fairness… who is it exactly you think is being treated unfairly?
People who are getting regular work visas who don’t quality for Gold Cards.
So this is absurd…So apparently gold card owners don’t spread disease??
I’m more than happy to quarantine and go through the covid protections, but I can’t because I only qualify for a regular work visa, and currently all those are suspended.
Issuance of the Gold Card is currently suspended as well. However it is governed independently from other working visa types so it is possible one might be suspended while others are not.
Is it fair? I guess it depends on how you look at it. Is it fair that the Gold Card holders don’t have to have an employer, or can freelance between multiple employers, while regular work visas cannot? Is it fair that Gold Card holders get a tax break while regular work visas cannot?
1 Like
I think if one is going to ban new foreigners from coming into the country, then the government should be consistent about it.
I think the government will judge who is allowed entry depending on what a person will bring/offer Taiwan. Everyone would bring something to contribute I’m sure though it’s about setting priorities during a pandemic.
Gold Card holders are special talents, executives, well renowned professionals in their field so could be classified as a higher priority group to be allowed in.
As we have seen also diplomats have continued to be allowed entry during the border restrictions likely seen as a higher priority group.
At the moment though the Gold Card seams to have suspended passport inspections due to epidemic level 2.
As the covid situations gets better I’m sure Taiwan will gradually open up to more groups, Foreign Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Working Holiday, Students and hopefully not long until we get back to even Tourists again 
1 Like
That is a 100% valid viewpoint, but the truth is governments worldwide have always given preferential treatment to some new foreigners and not others, depending on what they think will benefit the country. That remains true during a pandemic.
Yep. We’ve just had a massive COVID scare here with 15000 cases, hundreds of deaths, massive service economy disruption, semi-lockdown state for close on 3 months.
While the stats pale into insignificance compared to Brazil, the US or elsewhere; Taiwan has some of the highest density population areas in the world… Alpha was tough on us, but it was caused by only one person.
Delta would rip through the population here faster than an express train at a level crossing. Yes, people screwed up, yes, it’s massively unfair for millions upon millions of people who didn’t go out or get schooled or lost their jobs here (the unemployment rate is rising significantly, not to mention underemployment, people leaving employment… etc.) …
I don’t make the decisions here, but I will tell you: tight borders, quarantine policy and restrictions on entry are all well-supported by the public who saw what happened in Europe the US, and the UK.
Quite a few people have been locked out of Taiwan as well, even those who have family members here, and you’d think they would have priority. So… I don’t know what to tell you. Borders will open gently depending on the external situation, Taiwan’s ability to handle increased arrivals safely, and the availability of vaccines here.
Vaccine supply is probably the single biggest issue right now facing Taiwan (and NZ and many other countries). Vaccines are coming but supply is constrained until well into 2022. I wouldn’t expect much easing of travel restrictions until we reach some kind of herd immunity. But rest assured, once the vaccines arrive… it won’t be long before that goal is reached.