Well…new change, and I think this is a good one
28.08 - Sent the application
09.10 - “Review by the Workforce Development Agency”
19.10 - Email communication but status not changed: “Review by the Workforce Development Agency” (WDA).
31.10 - “Consulting with Ministry of Economic Affairs” (MEA).
02.11 - “Review by the Workforce Development Agency” (WDA).
06.11 - “Passport Inspection at the Bureau of Consular Affairs or Overseas Missions of R.O.C. (Taiwan)”
From what I understand/read, they are now doing the final revision of my passport, so it seems I am about to be “made”
Did you download the form and go to your TECO?
If not, scroll up a bit and read where I was equally excited - and missing that step, because they don’t tell you! (Needs more @fifieldt somewhere over there…)
Thanks for the nice piece of advice. I just came back from the Taiwan embassy in my country and it is all good. They are checking whether they will do this there or I will do it in Taiwan (I am EU citizen and can go to Taiwan with a tourist visa). I plan to go anyways for holiday in December so one way or another I will have this clarified.
My Gold Card will need to be extended soon, but I haven’t been able to find an appropriate job in Taiwan yet. Does anybody know if I can still extend it based on the requirements I fulfilled the first time round or will I need to show that I’ve actually accomplished something in Taiwan to get an extension?
Also, if I manage to land a job in Taiwan before my Gold Card expires and it doesn’t fulfil the salary requirement (which it definitely won’t), will I still be able to extend it?
It entirely depends on what those requirements were and whether you still fulfill them. Some of the criteria are more permanent than others (e.g., having a PhD from a top whatever uni, which is forever, vs. salary or professional experience within the last x years, which might change since the initial application).
The gold card is pretty much completely independent of whether you find a job here. Either you meet the requirements at the time of application or you don’t, and having a job in Taiwan vs. not having a job in Taiwan per se doesn’t really matter, unless it helps you meet the salary or other requirements.
If you don’t still meet the requirements for the gold card and want to keep working that job after the open work permit expires, I suppose you’d have to switch to a regular employment-based ARC and have the company apply for a new work permit etc.
You might also want to look into the rules for switching to an APRC (see here, and especially my question and the responses starting here). I don’t know your full life story of course, but if I remember correctly you had the gold card (a three-year one?) for ages before you actually moved to Taiwan? So I’m not sure whether this is a possibility for you at the moment.
Thanks for your response. This is what I assumed, but I hoped it would be different.
Sort of. I’ve spent most of the time between the UK and Taiwan working remotely for companies based in London. No company is willing to allow me to relocate permanently to Taiwan so, even though it would mean a gigantic pay cut, I’m looking for a suitable job in Taiwan. Haven’t been able to find anything yet and I’m worried my Gold Card will expire before I find anything and I won’t be able to extend it.
Status changed from Consulting with the Ministry of Digital Affairs to Review by Workforce Development Agency after 2 weeks in consulting. No notifications or supplementary document requests. Fingers crossed!
When I bring my passport for inspection at the overseas TECO office, will they hold my passport until the inspection is complete or do they simply scan and make a copy?
As I’ve chosen Tiepei as my collection location for my card, how long after the approved passport inspection will I be notified to come collect my card in Taiwan?
Thanks all. This Forum has proven quite helpful throughout the process.
1 - they just make a copy, you’ll spend more time waiting in line than waiting to get it back. (I was in and out in 15min, ten of which was waiting.)
2 - mine was a few more weeks, but I selected the New Taipei location. Some people have reported it being available in less than week at the main Taipei office, which you selected.
Hello Everyone and nice to e-meet you.
Considering how new the Gold Card is, I am not sure if there is a lot of knowledge on how certain renewals situation works, but I will try.
3 years and a half ago, I applied to a 3 years gold card, under the Economic field (even tho I work as a Sales Engineer for a software company in Singapore).
It was approved quickly, but unfortunately due to covid and personal situations, I was never able to use it. I actually never even entered Taiwan.
Three months ago my Gold Card Expired, and destiny wants that I have found a great career opportunity that is remote only - and with the CEO and Product Team based in Taiwan (Even tho the company is based out of Singapore) it makes sense for me to move to Taiwan too.
This company does not want to sponsor visa and prefers me to go through the Gold Card Route.
(They are a small startup, only 9 members so far and do not want to deal with much HR issues)
My questions are:
Can I renew an expired and never used Gold Card?
I assume No.
Can I apply - from Scratch - to a new Gold Card?
I am still unsure if my position “Sales Engineer / Presales” for a software company would qualify me under Technology or Digital fields.
I have a bachelor degree, 12 years of experience, and I earn a salary well above 160.000NTD/monthly.
In addition to that, I have basically a service letter/employment certificate for every single company I worked for - apart the current one (since I will leave them if I had to move to Taiwan).
Do you reckon is it possible to apply to a new Gold Card without having used the first one at all? I am scared of having being black listed, even thought during covid plans kept changing.
Now it is different.
I don’t think there is any blacklist or that your future application will be prejudiced.
You should also ask the Taiwan Gold Card Help desk. Their chat function is especially helpful. Scroll down a bit. It’s in the right column.
The Help Desk is very knowledgable but I’m not sure how much guidance they can give about strategy and chances of approval.
Ezpermit may be able to help if you want to spend money on this. They are licensed immigration specialists and may be able to provide more guidance on strategy and chances of success than the free Gold Card Office can.
From what you have said, I am reasonably optimistic about your chances. You might eventually need to undergo a Special Case Review since you arguably fall between Economics and Technology Digital. Gold Card Office chat would be a great place to ask for details of this process.
It seems like the Economic category is being downplayed a bit more nowadays. I was asked to apply under Digital instead, and I have heard of various other folks being asked to do similarly.
I.e. if qualified under Technology (which it seems they are) that might be the preferred route.
