Wow, those are high. Looks like a big proportion for many is from OT and “other” pay. I wonder what the other is.
Based on item 3 in this article, it seems like the “global elite” card is now a thing. I can’t tell if the application is different from the regular gold card.
Talent Taiwan - Life in Taiwan - Highlights & Updates - Taiwan’s 2026 Vision: New Rules, New Opportunities for Global Talent Talent Taiwan
“Taiwan’s top resident and work visa, The Employment Gold Card—already a “four-in-one” visa—has become even more attractive for high-level experts and "Global Elites.” Those that qualify as Foreign Specialist Professionals can enjoy these new benefits:
- The 1-Year Fast Track: “Global Elites” (professionals earning over NTD 6 million annually) can now apply for Permanent Residency after just 1 year of living in Taiwan. If you obtain a PhD in Taiwan, the wait for an APRC could also be reduced to just 1 year.”
Already being discussed here:
So no “Global Elite” card incoming - just a special fast-track option to APRC for high-income Gold Card holders.
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Thanks!
Money talks
Can fake foreigners use this i.e. kids or grandkids of Taiwanese overseas with foreign passports …ppl like that?
Almost no real ‘elite’ foreigners are going to move here with their families due to being scared of China, relatively higher taxes, limited education choices , not international and also it’s just not convenient like other places they can live.
No they have been very low.
Since 2018 only 15,000 have been issued, probably most of them have left already.
It’s so limiting as to make almost no difference to the economy. To the individual or some businesses yes, overall looks like almost no impact.
Meanwhile there’s 850k blue collar migrant workers here. This year , now.
Congrats to anybody who has managed to work in Taiwan and save some decent money over decades…you know who you are cos it ain’t easy.
If one is truly rich, it’s probably easier to just get a Plum Blossom card (immediate APRC) through investment.
Also, if they’re “fake foreigners” (you probably mean people who are also ROC nationals?), they cannot get APRC (one needs to be a “true foreigner”).
I wonder how many grandkids get these golddcards.?
I don’t see why this would be an issue / a bad thing: If those grandkids are not eligible for a passport / HHR but still feel “connected” to Taiwan in some way, then why should they not be eligible to get a Gold Card / APRC this way…?
Good chance that they’re well-educated and might even speak Chinese - so high chance they might be able to land a local job - which is exactly the goal of the Gold Card program, isn’t it?
I don’t really care one way or the other, I’m just curious how many of the pool are grandkids or kids of Taiwanese people .
They are all eligible for a passport if they want to work on getting one but many didn’t want to do the service .
Ineligible would be Taiwanese people with a foreign father or grandfather born before 1980, they can go fuck off, seemingly.
It is pretty obvious why that is the case… before then there was a history of US servicemen based in Taiwan, and a period of Taiwan being an R & R destination too.
I’d suggest many gold card holders spend more per capita within the economy, than some other residency programs.
Yeah but their numbers are so very low they have no impact at all for the broader economy. Many don’t even live in Taiwan full-time. Blue collars spend much of their money on accomodation , services, food, travel and activities here. And there’s enormous numbers of them. 850k in Taiwan at present.
The dumb government should make it much easier for blue collars to settle with family in hinterland towns here, would be a big economic stimulus to those areas.
It’s more complicated than that and citizenship/inheritance through the male line stretches back probably hundreds of years. It was a similar case for many countries in history. You can chatgpt it. But yeah why they waited until 1980 as a cut-off , you could definitely be onto something.
They obviously don’t want that, and neither does any other asian country that has imported blue collar labour.
Gold Card is more about competing as a hub in Asia, not the broader economic impact or population reduction. I’m guessing they hope that a small percentage approved holders make something of it, while Taiwan also uses the program to promote the country.
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The cutoff date is 10 months (February 1980) after the United States Taiwan Defense Command closed in April 1979. Why didn’t they choose 1st of January…
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I don’t need to chatgpt it, I’m well aware.
Japan disagrees I think. Although there are plenty of political discussions right now about this.
Eventually they will get around to knowing this is the only way to save some of these towns. Their schools, their services, their local economy.
I heard there are whole suburbs with foreign immigrants living in the community in Japan already, not something you can find in Taiwan.
I’m familiar with towns around Taiwan , many will be fucked soon without immigration. And I’ll be honest large parts of Kaohsiung city feel like an outdoor old folks home already.
Situation in Japan is different than Taiwan.
Key Programs & Visa Types:
- Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) No. 1: For entry into 14 sectors (e.g., construction, farming, food service, nursing) with language/skill tests, allowing stays up to 5 years, but generally without family.
- Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) No. 2: A higher tier, initially for construction and shipbuilding, allowing family members and unlimited renewals, with plans to expand to more sectors as a path to permanent residency.
Also Japan has a very large numbers of Chinese immigrants interestingly.
Top Nationalities (Approx. Numbers in 2024)
- China: Around 873,000
- Vietnam: Around 634,000 (showing significant growth)
- South Korea: Around 410,000
- Philippines: Around 342,000
- Nepal: Around 233,000 (rising quickly)
- Brazil: Around 254,000
- Indonesia: Around 200,000
Except it never works in practice, Australia tries the same with regional migration programs. However, it is just a revolving door, they get PR then move the cities that are bursting at the seams.
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Up to 5 years stay to work (maximum), does not allow accompanying family members.
- Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) No. 2: A higher tier, initially for construction and shipbuilding, allowing family members and unlimited renewals, with plans to expand to more sectors as a path to permanent residency.
No maximum stay, but stay dependent on staying in sponsored employment. Allows immediate family to join.
Neither visa is a permanent or even independent migration solution. How is this different to Taiwan?