TW country scene

Foreign worker — slaughterhouse

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 slaughterhouse work or related manual work.

See recorded sources

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 must be involved in the slaughter, dismembering and packaging of poultry and livestock or related manual labour and be approved as compliant by the central authority for the industry before applying for an initial recruitment permit; 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
    When the employer of foreign workers employed to engage in slaughterhouse work as detailed in Subparagraph 4, Article 5, is involved in the slaughter, dismembering and packaging of poultry and livestock or related manual labor and approved as compliant by the central competent authority in charge of the target business an application can be made to the authority 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 slaughterhouse job involves direct slaughterhouse work or related manual work. 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

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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