In a bid to attract international talent, Taiwan is planning to issue digital nomad visas which will be valid for for up to six months.
In a press conference held yesterday, on July 18, the National Development Council (NDC) Minister, Paul Liu, said as the COVID-19 pandemic made remote work more common, the Council is to target digital nomads to boost the nation’s talent outreach, VisaGuide.World reports.
Emphasizing that countries such as South Korea, Japan and Thailand have already developed digital nomad policies, Liu said that bringing into the country foreign talent has become even more important under these circumstances.
The NDC Minister believes that his country could take advantage of the program’s proximity with Japan’s digital nomad visa scheme due to the fact that Japan’s DNV is not extendable.
Lui said that Taiwan aims to retain ten per cent of its digital nomads, which, according to him, could boost domestic tourism and the economy.
At present, the digital nomad visa of Taiwan allows its holders to remain in this country for three months. Now the government is planning to extend the visa for an additional three months.
In order to extend the validity of this visa for an additional three months, legislative amendments are not required and the extension could be implemented once approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the Minister.
Taiwan Aims to Attract 120,000 International Talents by 2028
The National Development Council (NDC) Minister, Paul Liu, also said that the Council is to submit draft amendments to the Act for Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals to the Legislative Yuan for review in the next session as part of efforts to ease restrictions on permanent residence for top-tier foreign talent.
The Minister said that the bill would follow Japan’s path in introducing a global elite visa, that permits professionals with a minimum annual salary of at least NT$6 million (US$184,021) to be granted permanent residence at least one year after reaching Taiwan.
The government said that it aims to bring a total of 120,000 international talents into Taiwan by 2028, which is expected to consist of 60,000 international professionals, 50,000 international students and 10,000 digital nomads, as emphasized by Minister Lui.
The National Development Council created the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals in a bid to strengthen the recruitment of international talents, by facilitating work and residency application procedures and increasing incentives for long-term stays of those targeted.