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    Information page on the Retention of Foreign Intermediate Skilled Workforce Program

Information page on the Retention of Foreign Intermediate Skilled Workforce Program

Introduction to the Long-term Retention of Skilled Foreign Workers Program


To supplement industrial manpower, the Ministry officially implemented the "Long-Term Retention of Skilled Migrant Workers Program" on April 30, 2022. This program applies to industries currently employing migrant workers, including manufacturing, slaughtering, construction, agriculture, and long-term care. Employers can apply to transition experienced migrant workers who have worked in Taiwan for 6 years or more, or overseas Chinese and foreign students who have obtained an associate degree or higher in Taiwan, into foreign technical personnel, provided they meet the specified wage and technical criteria. Foreign technical personnel face no limit on their years of work in Taiwan, enjoy salary increases, can further refine their skills, and are exempt from paying the Employment Stabilization Fee. Furthermore, after working for another 5 years, they can transition into the permanent residency system.


Foreign technical personnel continue to be covered by Labor Insurance and National Health Insurance. Those working in industries subject to the Labor Standards Act will also be eligible for the old labor retirement pension system upon their retirement in Taiwan. After employers apply to transition migrant workers into foreign technical personnel, they can retain the skilled talents they need based on demand. Once a migrant worker transitions into foreign technical personnel, their original migrant worker quota becomes vacant, allowing the employer to apply to recruit a new migrant worker. This increases the employer's overall foreign workforce and helps alleviate manpower demands.


Transnational Technical Workforce Enhancement Program


To further strengthen the retention and recruitment of foreign technical personnel required by industries, the Ministry launched the "Transnational Technical Workforce Enhancement Program" on January 1, 2026. This program encompasses three major measures: "relaxing the ceiling on the retention of foreign technical personnel," "introducing foreign technical personnel for the hospitality and commercial port/wharf cargo handling and warehousing industries," and "enhancing government efficiency."


1. Relaxing the ceiling on the retention of foreign technical personnel: For migrant workers who qualify to transition into foreign technical personnel, employers may now apply to retain all of them, with the allocation ratio relaxed from 25% to 100%.


2. Introducing foreign technical personnel from overseas for specific industries: Employers in the hospitality and commercial port/wharf industries who raise the wages of local workers by NT$2,000 are permitted to recruit and employ foreign technical personnel from overseas who possess specified academic and work experience, language proficiency, and technical skills to work in Taiwan.


3. Enhancing government efficiency: Establishing overseas offices to handle the recruitment, skill testing, and entry assistance for foreign technical personnel, and collaborating with source country governments to jointly promote direct hiring and skills training initiatives.


Press release： https://www.wda.gov.tw/News_Content.aspx?n=7F220D7E656BE749&sms=E9F640ECE968A7E1&s=B55C7B2F38FFE80D

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Detail ：

The regular monthly salary is higher than NT$33,000, or the total annual salary is more than NT$500,000. Regular monthly salary is higher than NT$30,000 for the initial employment of foreign students, overseas Compatriot students or other ethnic Chinese students who graduated from schools of higher education and earned the associate bachelor degrees in Taiwan, and the salary level resumed to NT$33,000 for renewed employment.

  • Release date ：2022/06/15
  • Update date ：2022/06/15

Detail ：

Satisfy any of the following requirements: 
I. Holder of any of the following certificates or licenses: 

1. Professional license of construction site foreman, 
2. Certificate of completion of public work construction quality management training, 
3. Certificate of completion of occupational safety manager or Certificate of completion of occupational safety and health management staff, 
4. National technician skill verification (construction related technician certificate): (1) general manual electric welding; (2) semi-automatic electric welding; (3) gas tungsten arc welding; (4) survey and measurement; (5) construction and decoration; (6) steel bar; (7) form board; (8) concrete cement; (9) gardening and landscaping; (10) horticulture; (11) construction waterproof; (12) plaster work; (13) furniture and wood work; (14) door and window wood work; (15) architectural engineering management; (16) building interior design; (17) building interior decoration engineering management; (18) renovation wood work; (19) construction engineering management; (20) earth anchor; (21) steel scaffold; (22) metallic partition wall; (23) construction drawing application (24) fixed crane operation; (25) mobile crane operation; (26) heavy machinery operation; (27) sewage work and maintenance; (28) fork lift truck operation; (29) occupational safety management; (30) occupational health management; (31) occupational safety and health management. 
II. Those who have received any of the following training programs: 

1. Professional training programs organized by the construction enterprise for more than 80 hours, and has been verified by the construction industry association, 
2. Construction related training programs organized by government institutions (agencies) for more than 80 hours in accumulation with the issuance of certificate of completion: 
(1) The “Construction Site Supervisor Vocational Training Program” organized by the Construction and Planning Administration, Ministry of Interior. 
(2) The “Public Work Construction Quality Management Training Program” organized by Executive Yuan Public Work Commission. 
(3) The “Occupational Safety Manager Training Program”, and “Occupational Safety and Health Management Staff Training Program” organized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Ministry of Labor. 
III. Confirmation of practical work: The employers shall present the document for proof of conforming to the requirement of mid-level technical skill of the migrant workers (including certification document and video showing the performance of work) and petition with the Construction and Planning Administration of the Ministry of Interior in conformity to the requirements and review mechanisms recognized by the Construction and Planning Administration of the Ministry of Interior.

Foreigners who earned regular salary of more than NT$35,000 are free from the technical skill requirements.

  • Release date ：2022/06/15
  • Update date ：2022/06/15

Detail ：

1. Foreign students, overseas Compatriot students, or other ethnic Chinese students who have graduated from the schools of higher education in Taiwan and earned the associate bachelor degrees, and meet the salary requirement and technical requirement of mid-level human resources. 
2. Those who have been employed in Taiwan for 6 consecutive years with no record of law violation, and meet the salary requirement and technical requirement of mid-level human resources. 
3. Migrant workers who have been working for more than 6 years cumulatively and departed, and then return to Taiwan for employment whose years of seniority meet the requirement of the duration of employment pursuant to Article 52 of the Employment and Service Act (14 years for home nursing care personnel, and 12 years for all other industries), and who meet the salary requirement and technical requirement of mid-level human resources. 
4. Migrant workers who have been working in Taiwan for more than 12 years cumulatively and have no record of law violation and then departed, but meet the salary requirement and technical requirement of mid-level human resources.

  • Release date ：2022/06/15
  • Update date ：2022/06/15

Detail ：

The following conditions shall be satisfied simultaneously: 
1. Conforming to the approved ratio of the human resources requirement mode under the Engineering Budget Act (20% to 40%, or at the ratio specifically approved by the Executive Yuan) *0.25 
2. The total number of migrant workers, foreign mid-level technical personnel, and foreigners engaged in professional duties shall not exceed 50% of the total employee population.

  • Release date ：2022/06/15
  • Update date ：2022/06/15

Detail ：

Employers shall meet any of the following requirements: 
1. The employers accepted the contract of public work construction and is an awarded contractor bound by contracts with the government institution (agency), administrative legal persons or public work institutions that offered the contract for work, with contract sum exceeding NT$100 million and the work period is longer than 1 year and 6 months. 
2. The employer has entered into work contract with private institution for the construction of major economic construction project, and the total amount of individual construction contracts amounted to NT$200 million or higher, and the work period under the contracts is longer than 1 year and 6 months.

  • Release date ：2022/06/15
  • Update date ：2022/06/15