How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?
For the ordinary specialised or technical professional employment category, the Employment Service Act generally allows an employment permit up to three years with employer application for extension. The Foreign Professionals Act defines Article 46(1)(1) specialised/technical work as professional work and allows an eligible foreign professional to apply for permanent residence after five years of lawful continuous residence averaging at least 183 days per year, subject to the stated age, conduct, self-support and national-interest requirements. A Taiwan associate/bachelor, master's or doctorate degree may count as one, two or three years respectively toward that residence period, without aggregation. Separately, an individually qualified foreign specialist professional may receive an employment permit up to five years and each extension up to five years; that specialist status is not automatic for this ordinary route. Article 18 excludes from the qualifying residence clock school residence, the specified Immigration Act statuses, employment under Employment Service Act Article 46(1)(8)–(10), and residence as a dependent of a person in those groups. The permanent-residence application must be filed within two years after the qualifying period of residence and stay expires. Separately, where the resident professional and qualifying family still need residence before the ARC or Gold Card expires, Article 17 allows NIA approval of a six-month residence extension and one further six-month extension; this does not extend the employment permit itself.
See recorded sources
Limits of the record- Whether a given route holder is separately designated as a foreign specialist professional is case-specific; the five-year permit exception is not automatic for the ordinary specialised/technical route.
- https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=N0090001
(Ⅰ)Employment permits for foreign workers engaged in work types listed in Subparagraphs 1 to 7 and Subparagraph 11 of Paragraph 1 of Article 46 shall be valid for up to three years. Employers may apply for extensions based on business needs.
- https://foreigntalentact.ndc.gov.tw/en/Content_List.aspx?n=6501F7D3D7CCA8A0
Foreign professionals who have continuously resided in the State for five years may apply for permanent residence; foreign specialist professionals who have continuously resided in the State for three years may apply for permanent residence (those who meet specific conditions may apply for permanent residence after 1 year). Also, those who graduate with an associate degree or higher from the State may deduct one to three years from their continuous residency when applying for permanent residence. (Article 18)
- https://ezworktaiwan.wda.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=4164EA25B8B36037&s=063D5B3FCE5D27B4
“Professional work” refers to the types of work stipulated in Article 4 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, including “work detailed in Subparagraphs 1 to 3, 5 and 6, Paragraph 1, Article 46 of the Employment Service Act,” “work detailed in Subparagraphs 1 and 3, Paragraph 1, Article 48 of the Employment Service Act” and full-time foreign language teaching work at short-term cram schools registered under the Supplementary and Continuing Education Act.
- https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030295 — Foreign Professionals Act Art4 opening and professional-work scope
Article 4
Terms used in this Act are defined as follows:
1.“Foreign professional”means a foreign national who may engage in professional work in the State.
2.“Foreign specialist professional” means a foreign professional who possesses specific expertise needed by the State in science & technology, digital economy, the economy, education, culture & the arts, sports, finance, law, architectural design, national defense, environmental protection, biotechnology, and other fields, as announced by the central competent authorities, or who have been recognized by the competent authority in consultation with the relevant competent authority as possessing specific expertise.
3.“Foreign senior professional” means a senior professional needed by the State as prescribed in the Immigration Act.
4.“Professional work” means the following work:
(1) Work as specified in subparagraphs 1 to 3, 5 and 6, paragraph 1 of Article 46 of the Employment Service Act.
(2) Work as specified in subparagraphs 1 and 3, paragraph 1 of Article 48 of the Employment Service Act.
(3) Full-time foreign language teachers in short-term tutorial schools registered in accordance with the Supplementary Education Act (hereinafter referred to as short-term tutorial schools), or possessing specialized knowledge or skills, and designated as short-term tutorial schools’ teachers by the central competent authorities in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
(4) Teachers of a subject other than a foreign language
- https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030295 — Foreign Professionals Act Art18 ordinary professional APRC
Article 18
A foreign professional who engages in professional work in the State, and who has legally and continuously resided in the State for five years, having resided for an average of 183 days or more each year, may apply to the NIA for permanent residency if they meet the following requirements:
1. Having reached the age of majority or above.
2. Having no bad conduct, and no criminal records as certified by the Police Clearance Certificate.
3. Having sufficient assets or skills to be self-supporting.
4. Having met the national interests of the State.
- https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030295 — Foreign Professionals Act Art18 qualification deductions
If a foreign professional or foreign specialist professional has attended, and obtained an associate degree or higher from a junior college or university in the State, the degree may be counted toward the period of residence in the State as referred to in paragraph 1 and the preceding paragraph, in accordance with the following provisions:
1. Foreign professional: A doctoral degree obtained counts as three years, a master’s degree counts as two years, and a bachelor’s or associate degree counts as one year. The four may not be aggregated.
2. Foreign specialist professional: A doctoral degree obtained counts as two years, a master’s degree counts as one year. The two may not be aggregated.
- https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030295 — Foreign Professionals Act Art8 specialist exception
Article 8
The approved employment of a foreign specialist professional to engage in professional work shall be for a term of up to five years. When there is need to continue the employment beyond the expiry of that term, the employer may apply for an extension, of up to five years each time.
- https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030295 — Foreign Professionals Act Art18(2) excluded qualifying periods
Periods of residence in the State approved by the NIA for reasons set out in any of the following subparagraphs shall not count towards the period of continuous residence in the State as referred to in the preceding paragraph:
1. Attending school in the State.
2. Approved to reside under subparagraph 3, paragraph 1 of Article 23, subparagraphs 1 or 2 of Article 26, or subparagraphs 5 to 8, paragraph 4 of Article 31 of the Immigration Act.
3. Approved to engage in the State in the work listed in subparagraphs 8 to 10, paragraph 1 of Article 46 of the Employment Service Act.
4. Approved to reside as a dependent relative of a person as referred to in the three preceding subparagraphs.
- https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030295 — Foreign Professionals Act Art18(5) filing deadline
An application for permanent residency under paragraph 1 or paragraph 3 shall be made within two years after the expiry of the period of residence and stay.
- https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030295 — Foreign Professionals Act Art17 residency bridge six plus six months
Article 17
Where a foreign professional who engages in professional work in the State, or a foreign specialist professional who has obtained an Alien Resident Certificate under paragraph 2 of Article 8 or an Employment Gold Card under Article 9, before the term of their residency or Employment Gold Card expires, still has a need to reside, they and their spouse, minor children, or children having reached the age of majority or above who lack self-care ability due to physical or mental disability who have been approved to reside by the NIA, may apply to the NIA for an extension of residency.
Where an application for extension of residency as referred to in the preceding paragraph is approved, and an Alien Resident Certificate issued, the Alien Resident Certificate shall be for a term of six months starting from the next day following the expiry of the original Alien Resident Certificate or Employment Gold Card; if needed, before the extension expires, they may apply again for one further extension, for a total extension of residency up to a maximum of one year.
