But large numbers of outsiders didn’t and don’t want to come here. Just look at the comparatively small number of foreign residents, the Gold Card stats, etc.
I think Taiwan is a wonderful, underrated country, but objectively, it lacks many of the things that make other countries in the region attractive to foreigners. And that’s not about the bureaucracy, alleged discrimination, etc.
Places like Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, for instance, can be a bitch to deal with in terms of immigration, law enforcement, etc. But they were hugely popular with foreigners because of other things they offer.
That is one of the issues we are discussing here. By making Taiwan more attractive to outsiders it becomes self fulfilling. More outsiders attract more outsiders. The Gold Card is designed to be purposefully obstructive to obtain.
Let me be more clear: it’s not the policies and immigration programs that make Taiwan attractive or not to people. Large numbers of people are not going to immigrate to Taiwan just because they can.
I was referring to things like cost of living, nightlife, tourist attractions, world-class beaches, the warmth of the people, the mystery of the culture, etc. On these fronts, Taiwan isn’t Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc.
Like I said, pre-pandemic, you could easily become “resident” in Taiwan without ever getting an ARC. And yet the number of people doing this was comparatively small.
Again, you’re missing the point. So long as China is a threat to Western hegemony, Taiwan is going to be important to the US. Regardless of how easy Taiwan banks make it for Americans to open accounts, get credit cards, etc.
I agree with you here. I think a lot of people assume that all ‘discrimination’ is bad. Perhaps that’s a too loaded word; people seem to assume it only has a meaning within the context of “social justice” or Jim Crow in the US. I’d say generally banks are out to make money and I tend not think they have a nefarious plot or re-planned discriminatory policies against Westerners. I tend to think they are doing risk assessment to make money. Who you let into your house is a risk assessment. Who you lend money out money to personally, that is also a risk assessment. Would you lend 100,000 out to your drunk brother-in-law? Perhaps, maybe your brother-in-law just won the lottery…It would be interesting to press banks though on their risk assessment criteria. I think it is unwise to immediately jump to a quick conclusion of discrimination in a racial sense. If the bank had a string of cases in their data which showed that Western buxiban teachers aged 30 and lower (or whatever) have an increased risk of not paying off debts, then that’s their perspective from data. Insurance companies do this all the time. I sure remember my driver’s insurance at age 16 being really really high. Was it fair? Perhaps not, I thought of myself as a pretty responsible. But the insurance company had data and did their own risk assessment and basically weren’t going to change their fees no matter my pleas. I don’t know what the criteria would exactly be for banks, but to assume there isn’t any without investigation doesn’t get anyone anywhere. Online there seems to be a lot of Westerners here who have claimed they got their credit card, too. So, I guess it all happens…I’m only taking people at their word. But yes, I agree with you. The “right” kind of job definitely has perks. Since you teach at uni, that is a pretty big social framework and accountability which you are a part of. So, from the banks perspective (especially with the greater amount of respect afforded teachers and education in general in Taiwan culturally), I can see why perhaps the bank liked you more. But yah, it’s not always fair.
That’s interesting. Mega are finally giving credit cards to foreigners without a guarantor. The reason I stopped shopping at Costco is they changed their credit card to Mega and wouldn’t accept my ones anymore. Mega are notorious for being difficult with foreigners.
If they’ve changed their policy then that’s a positive. If you don’t mind me asking, what financial statements did they demand from you?
Actually it was Mega before and a few years ago Cathay took over Costco business.
They just wanted a signed application, 3 months salary proof from your bankbook and copy of passport and arc
Last I heard mega wanted either a guarantor or cash to secure the card but this may have changed.
What I can never get my head around is the way some Taiwanese say I’m not allowed to do certain things while other Taiwanese are doing the exact same thing right in front of them. It’s like the idiot that had no mask shouting at me for not wearing a mask while I was outside.
I confronted my local pool/gym about these supposed new rules (that they only rang me about) and they started trying to tell me this is all across Taipei. That all these other pools/gyms do the same thing. They started mentioning other places I go to and I’m like “Uh no they don’t.” I just get tired of how one person can cause so much trouble because I’m a weiguoren and they expect everyone else to side with them. Even when it’s blatantly obvious that the person is just trying to cause trouble for me.
Extremely defensive, they take it as an attack on Taiwan. This happens everywhere , even when I go back to my homeland, but it’s worse here because they feel they are treated unfairly by the world , so if you get treated unfairly…That’s kind of fair.
I’m quite convinced this is the emotional reaction in the lizard brain because it’s not logical .
If one Taiwanese point it out to another they may take it with more neutrality . But to be honest , like many places , Taiwanese don’t seem to debate many societal issues amongst themselves. So they won’t be aware of a lot of stuff either. That’s why I said it’s not logical, they will just react emotionally to what they see is an ‘accusation’.
They were dicks with me. Well, that kind of supports the OP’s premise.
I suppose some of the posters I shouldn’t get personal with/even interact with are right in that life’s not fair and people just need to suck up the unfairness. It’s odd that the response to unfairness in life varies according to who is being treated unfairly.
The easier Taiwan makes it for outsiders to form roots in country the easier it is for Taiwan to ask for acceptance into global markets and organisations. The argument becomes, look Europe, America etc we have xyz of your citizens and we treat them great, look at letting us join.
Suggesting that if Taiwan attracted more foreigners, powerful countries and blocs like the US and EU might treat Taiwan differently than they are now.
I simply pointed out why I don’t agree with this notion. Taiwan policy is largely dictated by China policy and national security (including access to semiconductors).
This makes it easy to form shallow roots at best. APRC was not an option when I was first in Taiwan, so that is progress toward forming roots, as are routes for work-independent visas (eg, the gold card). These things did not happen spontaneously, and I appreciate the efforts of those who paved the way. For those who view Taiwan as a land of opportunity and a place to call home, further progress in terms of paths to citizenship is a logical next step.