The Employment Gold Card Super-Thread

Legal Visa & Residency
556

Thanks for the detailed post.

This is worrying information for Gold Card holders like me who switched from a regular/work ARC (after being on it for nearly 4 years). The main reason I did it was the instability of my job at the time. I had a Taiwanese colleague consult the immigration then and was told that I would only receive a 2 months extension if I became jobless. In this age 2 months is hardly enough time to find new work.

Long-story short I have been on Gold ARC already for over 10 months and it has been very helpful especially when I had to change my job. (My new employer happened to be a small company and they had never hired a foreigner. They were so relieved they that he didn’t have to deal with immigration to hire me. I literally walked-in and started working 1 day after signing a basic contract - just like a local)

(someone correct me if I wrong ) but perhaps I will be the first one with a Gold Card to apply for Taiwanese citizenship as I become eligible in 4 months. I am expecting there to be a lot of friction but someone has to be first. I am ready to fight for it though.

I will let everyone know how it goes once I start my citizenship application on the basis of the Gold-Card ARC.

3 Likes
557

Just want to share my experience for Gold Card ARC Modification.

I recently renewed my passport which resulted in change of passport #. I have also since moved to a new address and joined a new company.

So, I had about 3 things that I wanted to modify in my Gold Card data. I went to the online portal, updated then necessary data and attached relevant documents.

The modification fee was 500NT$. I just got a call today that I will be getting my new ARC within 3 days.

Though I have to add that it this only happened after waiting for over 2 weeks with no response. Apparently there was a technical issue with the website notification system.

They don’t have any enquiry form or contact email. I called the only number listed there, only to be told that I needed to find a “Chinese-speaking” friend. The guy there told me in English that he couldn’t understand anything I was saying. (In fact we had an entire discussion ‘in English’ about the fact that he couldn’t speak English :slight_smile: ).

I then called the regular NIA number for foreigners and they do have very good English service but they said they couldn’t help me because Gold Card was a special department. They said my only choice was to call the number on the Gold Card website.

I found email addresses for some of the guys responsible for the Gold Card program in NIA and told them about the technical issues on the website as well as lack of English customer service.

I have to say I was surprised by their quick and positive response. They fixed the website bug in just 1 day and sent me a nice long email in which they promised to make improvements to the website as well as English customer service.

Below are some excerpts from our e-mail exchange :

//// From Me ////

  1. Gold Card website URL choice is quite poor (https://coa.immigration.gov.tw/coa-frontend/four-in-one/entry/main) and nearly impossible to find via any kind of google search. Unless an applicant knows this precise URL, they cannot apply for a Gold Card.

  2. On the website there isn’t any contact form or email address for any kind of inquiry.

  3. Only means of contact is a phone number (+886 (02)2796-7162) but apparently no one there can speak English.

… I wanted to call this afternoon to follow up on my case. I was very surprised when the customer service for Gold Card told me in broken-English that “no one there speaks English” and “he couldn’t understand anything”. He told me that I must find a Chinese speaker to call this number.

For me that’s not a big issue because I live in Taiwan, but I can’t imagine what foreigners living in other countries will do.

The purpose of this (Gold Card) program is to attract top-talent from all over the world but how can this program work efficiently when :

  • the website is impossible to find
  • there’s no contact email/form, &
  • no one can speak English on the “only” phone number provided

/////Follow up from me/////

I have been checking my email every day but I haven’t gotten any notification email from your platform. In fact each time I login I will get an error from your system. I have attached the error screenshot for your reference.

///// Their final response ////

Congratulation to you having attaining the Employment Gold Card, and Thank you for your kind suggestions regarding the optimization of the mechanism of Gold Card system. I hope you do not mind the late reply caused by that I had coordinated the Kaohsiung NIA officer in charge of your case and the IT team engineer in charge of the Gold Card to figure out the feasible approach to resolve the issues.

Referring to your inquiries, following is the information for your kind reference.

  • Your Gold Card modification case has already been processed by Kaohsiung NIA officer Mr. WU. His contact phone number is xx-xxx-xxxxx. He absolutely is capable in English Communication. Given the information Mr. Wu provided, he has informed you by the online system to request you to submit some other supplemental document in order to proceed to review process. Mr. Wu will actively and positively reach to you by the contact phone number you had registered on the application platform.

  • The IT team of Gold Card system has been requested to improve the website accessibility by popular search engine as google.

  • Concerning the contact information, beside the technical service phone number 02-2796-7162, we are earnestly discussing whether to set up the contact information chart showing the specific local NIA service center which applicants choose online or the other better methods. Each local NIA service center is guaranteed to have officers good in English communication.

  • With regard to English proficiency, we will soon request the IT service team to try to train the service staff to learn basic communication English in the short term, but in the long term we will recruit the new English-fluent speaker to post the vacancy by acquiring more sufficient budget.

I do appreciate your informative and productive comment to us, making Taiwan a better place to attract more talents like you.

I wish you a very healthy life and prosperous career to come.

///////////////////

5 Likes
558

Looks like we have the same plan on a similar time-frame. Race? :wink:

1 Like
559

Sounds good! Good luck to us both… :slight_smile:

By the way, will you be renouncing your citizenship ? Any chance Gold Card holders can get an exemption ? Not sure what the criteria is for Dual-Citizenship. I don’t think all those who got it were plus-blossom card holders.

560

For bureaucrats that’s really really good.
But they should sort out the English service.

561

So, there’s three levels:

  1. Foreign Professional
  2. Foreign Special Professional
  3. Foreign Senior Professional

We’re at level 2, which does not provide an exemption from renunciation.

So, my plan is to try and get recognised as a Foreign Senior Professional. That’s going to take some doing. If it’s not possible, I’ll just renounce and reacquire (Australians are eligible to get citizenship back if they"gave up or renounced your Australian citizenship so that you can acquire or retain the citizenship of another country").

(For those who are a little familiar with the other thread, be sure not to confuse the process to become a Citizen as a Foreign Senior Professional and the process to become a Citizen via Outstanding Contributions to Taiwan. i.e. the Priests are a different system)

3 Likes
562

Sorry, I’ve been sick. To fix this, it seems like it needs someone to cause the tax authorities to issue a new regulation - probably the Executive Yuan guiding the Minister of Finance. I’m going to ask some naive questions and see how it goes, but don’t have high hopes.

563

Thanks for the info. Didn’t know about this. Especially #2 & #3 are hard to tell apart. I used to think they were used interchangeably.

How does one get recognized as a Foreign “Senior” Professional ? Is there a way to do it without changing to the Plum Blossom Card ?

564

There is a way to achieve recognition as a Foreign Senior Professional without changing to the Plum Blossom Card. Basically, you get a specially formatted letter from the ‘relevant ministry’ that denotes your recognition/recommendation. This can then be used in your citizenship application.

The relevant page from the household registration office for naturalisation for Senior Professionals is found here: https://www.ris.gov.tw/app/portal/763

However, there is no information available on precisely how to acquire this. Instead, what is online is a list of people (one per ministry) who are the ‘contact window’ for Foreign Senior Professionals. Another list for the places that accept the ‘application forms’.

I haven’t yet tried calling the people to ask for the form :slight_smile:

1 Like
565

Would you have to give up your original citizenship in order to do so?

Edit: my bad, I think that was already answered above

566

I need clarification here.

Aren’t you only able to apply for APRC after 5 years of Work ARC? Then citizenship?

How are you guys making the jump from ARC to citizenship?

567

After 5 years on work based ARC, or 3 years on marriage based ARC, you can apply for naturalization.

568

Oh wow… I mis-read and thought you need 5 years of only APRC to be naturalized.
Thanks for clarifying!

569

Yeah, it’s a common misperception. In some other countries that’s the pathway, but not needed in Taiwan.

570

Hi all,

On tax breaks for gold card holders, I’ve just noticed that there’s some new functionality in the e-Filing application. I’m seeing columns for “Tax incentive for foreign special professionals applied”, and a wizard where you can enter some information.

Can someone who is eligible try it out and let us know what the system does for you? @hooraytaipei ?

Previously, I was under the belief I was ineligible. However, I’ve selected ‘No’ and given a date from years ago when asked “Is the first time be approved for the purpose of professional work?”, and it still reduced the tax amount. I assume it needs a date, and not a permit number or something. The label for the box is cut off - “No, the previous approved [something]”

571

I’ve just been to the NIA and I asked about APRC requirements - both staff whom I spoke to told me that the requirement was more than 183 days each year for 5 years.

If memory serves me I thought that had been changed to an average of 183 days a year for 5 years?

572

This is correct. Article 25, Immigration Act.

You are likely remembering the average-based approach from the New Economic Migrant bill since it’s proposed in there. It hasn’t been passed yet, but there’s a post from … you, above with a link to the latest :slight_smile:

1 Like
573

Hahaha :joy:

All these old regulations, new regulations and proposed regulations must be making me senile.

Thanks for clearing that up!

574

Hello all, I am starting this process. I’m in the country already on an ARC and work permit. Is there any other way other than doing it online, like going to an offie in person (e.g. in order to speed up the process)? I haven’t submitted anything yet, and I’m a bit pressed fro time now … :pensive:

@mseal I understand you applied in the field of business. May I ask how long it took from the time you submitted your application to the day you were informed that you could pick up your gold card? And, did they ever get back to you about needing to submit further documents throughout the process?

Many thanks.

575

One more question to my earlier post. I am already one year into my 3 year contract. Can I still apply for a 3 year gold card on this basis? I figure yes as that is the purpose of the gold card, correct?