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Foreign worker — agriculture, forestry, livestock or aquaculture

TaiwanWork

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?

Direct involvement in agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work, or related manual work, at agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work locations.

See recorded sources
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/Eng/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028067
    6. Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work: Direct involvement in agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work, or related manual work at agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work locations.

Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?

Yes. The employer applies for the recruitment/employment permit and must be engaged in one of the listed categories of farm, forestry, livestock or aquaculture work, and be found compliant with Addendum 12 by the central authority for the industry; a fixed-term written labour contract is required (if no term is set, it equals the work permit period).

See recorded sources
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/Eng/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028067
    Employers who hire foreign workers to work at locations referred to in Subparagraph 6, Article 5 to engage in agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work, are required to be involved in one of the following categories of work:
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/Eng/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028067
    Employers referred to in the preceding paragraph deemed to be in compliance with the provisions of Addendum 12 by the central competent authority in charge of the target business can apply for an initial recruitment permit to employ foreign workers.
  • https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
    Employers who hire foreign nationals in accordance with the provisions of points 8 to 10 of Paragraph 1 must draft a fixed-term written labor contract; if no fixed term is set, the term of the contract shall be the same as the work permit period. The same applies when the contract is renewed.

What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?

Under the labour-market test, the employer must first try to recruit domestically on reasonable labour terms and may apply to recruit foreign workers only if sufficient domestic employees cannot be found; the recruitment must be notified to the union or workers and announced at the workplace. The worker must not be under 16 years old.

See recorded sources
  • https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
    (Ⅰ)Employers intending to hire foreign workers for work categories listed in Subparagraphs 8 to 11 of Paragraph 1 of Article 46 must first attempt domestic recruitment with reasonable labor terms. The application for a permit to recruit foreign personnel is permissible only if sufficient domestic employees cannot be acquired to meet business needs. In the process of recruiting foreign workers under these conditions, employers are required to: notify the labor union or the workers of the business entity about the full details of such recruitment; announce publicly the recruitment information in the workplace where the foreign workers will be employed.
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/Eng/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028067
    Foreign workers employed to undertake work stipulated in the Standards must not have engaged in any of the following behavior:
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/Eng/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028067
    8. When an individual is under 16 years old.

What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?

The permitted agriculture/forestry/husbandry/aquaculture job is direct work in those activities or related manual work at the specified work locations. The work is limited to the permitted scope. During the current permit, changing employer or work requires central-authority authorisation in specified circumstances (death or emigration of the employer or care recipient; vessel attached, sinking or under long-term repair; factory closure, business suspension or unpaid wages; or similar circumstances not attributable to the worker). The employer may not assign work outside the permitted scope or, without authorisation, change the worker's workplace. Family: the current Chinese regulation defines second-category foreign workers as those employed for Employment Service Act Article 46(1)(8)–(10) jobs, covering this route. Article 67 prohibits their accompanying family residence, except for a child born in Taiwan during the employment whom the worker can financially support. Separately, if the original employer will not continue employment, the regulation provides a contract-completion transfer application in the two-to-four months before permit expiry; an agreed new employer may apply directly to continue employment. The mid-permit exception list is not a lifetime ban on changing employers.

See recorded sources
  • https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
    (Ⅳ)Unless authorized by the Central Competent Authority under specific circumstances outlined in Paragraph 1 of Article 59, foreign workers employed in job categories listed in Subparagraphs 8 to 11 of Paragraph 1 of Article 46 may not change employers or work types.
  • https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
    (Ⅰ)Foreign workers employed in job categories listed in Subparagraphs 8 to 11 of Paragraph 1 of Article 46 may change to a new employer or engage in new work under the following circumstances, subject to authorization by the Central Competent Authority: 1.The death or emigration of the original employer or the care recipient. 2.Work discontinuation due to attached, sinking, or long-term repair of the vessel they work on. 3.Work discontinuation due to factory closure, suspension of business operations or failure to pay wages pursuant to the employment contract, resulting in termination. 4.Other than the above, similar circumstances not attributable to the employed foreign worker.
  • https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
    3. Assigning the employed foreign worker to work outside the scope of the work permitted.
  • https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
    4. Commanding a foreign worker, without authorization, who is employed for work as defined in Subparagraphs 8 to 10 of Paragraph 1 of Article 46, to change their workplace.
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/Eng/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028065
    Type 2 foreign workers are not allowed to bring their family to live with them in the Re-public of China. However, this does not apply to children born to foreign workers during their term of employment who they are able to financially support.
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/FLAW/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028065 — Article 2, second-category = ESA 46(1)(8)-(10)
    第 2 條 本辦法用詞,定義如下: 一、第一類外國人:指受聘僱從事本法第四十六條第一項第一款至第六款 規定工作之外國人。 二、第二類外國人:指受聘僱從事本法第四十六條第一項第八款至第十款 規定工作之外國人。 三、第三類外國人:指受聘僱從事本法第四十六條第一項第十一款規定工 作之外國人。 四、第四類外國人:指依本法第五十條第一款或第二款規定從事工作之外 國人。 五、第五類外國人:指依本法第五十一條第一項第一款至第四款規定從事 工作之外國人。 前項第三款所定第三類外國人工作資格、申請許可、廢止許可及其他有關 聘僱管理等事項,依外國技術人力工作資格及許可管理辦法相關規定辦理
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/FLAW/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028065 — Article 67, family residence restriction
    第 67 條 第二類外國人,不得攜眷居留。但受聘僱期間在我國生產子女並有能力扶 養者,不在此限。
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/FLAW/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028065 — current Chinese permit regulation Art40, expiry transfer window
    第 40 條 第二類外國人之聘僱許可有效期間屆滿日前二個月至四個月內,雇主無繼 續聘僱該外國人之必要者,於該期限內應備申請書及其他經中央主管機關 規定之文件,為該外國人向中央主管機關申請期滿轉換。 原雇主申請期滿轉換時,該外國人已與新雇主合意期滿接續聘僱者,新雇 主得依轉換雇主準則規定,直接向中央主管機關申請接續聘僱外國人。
  • https://laws.mol.gov.tw/Eng/PrintFLAWDAT0201.aspx?id=FL028067 — review standards Art5(6)
    6. Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work: Direct involvement in agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work, or related manual work at agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry or aquaculture work locations.

How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?

Employment permits for this work (Subparagraphs 8 to 10 of Article 46(1)) may not exceed three years; further extensions only in major and special circumstances defined by the Executive Yuan, not exceeding six months for major construction projects. A worker who has complied with the law and left may re-enter to work, but total work in these categories is limited to 12 years. From 1 January 2026 employers in industries employing migrant workers (including manufacturing, slaughtering, construction, agriculture and long-term care) may apply to transition migrant workers with 6 years or more in Taiwan into foreign technical workers, who have no limit on their duration of stay and, after working an additional 5 years, become eligible to transition into the permanent residence system.

See recorded sources
  • https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
    (Ⅱ)For work types in Subparagraphs 8 to 10 of Paragraph 1 of Article 46, permits shall also not exceed three years. In case of major and special circumstances, as defined by the Executive Yuan, further extensions may be granted, not exceeding six months for major construction projects.
  • https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
    (Ⅳ)A foreign worker who has complied with laws and regulations and has left the Republic of China upon employment termination or permit expiration or having failed health examinations but has since passed those examinations upon receiving medical attention in their home countries, may re-enter to work. Foreign workers in job categories under Subparagraphs 8 to 10 of Article 46 are limited to a total of 12 years of work in the Republic of China and are subject to the provisions of Subparagraph 2 of Paragraph 1 of Article 51.
  • https://fw.wda.gov.tw/wda-employer/home/mid-foreign-labor/index/2c95efb386de05e90186dedd24840359?locale=en
    To optimize workforce deployment and retain outstanding technical talent, the Ministry has promulgated the "Regulations Governing the Qualifications and Working Permits of Foreign Technical Workers," which will take effect on January 1, 2026. Applicable to industries currently employing migrant workers—including manufacturing, slaughtering, construction, agriculture, and long-term care—employers may apply to transition senior 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 workers, provided they meet the required salary and technical skill qualifications. Foreign technical workers face no limit on their duration of stay in Taiwan, enjoy higher wages, refine their technical skills, and are exempt from paying employment stability fees. Furthermore, after working for an additional 5 years, they become eligible to transition into the permanent residence system.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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