Many foreign students favor studying abroad in Taiwan. In addition to receiving vocational education through school systems, they can also learn foreign languages and experience cultures and lifestyles different from their homes. Other than Taiwanese food culture, they also enjoy the convenience and safety of Taiwan. Therefore, many international students hope to stay in Taiwan to live and work after graduating.
The number of international students in domestic universities continues to increase. International student account for nearly 10% of the 1,114 thousand people in the 2022 academic year. Currently, international students are primarily from Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries. According to governmental statistics, there were 97,000 people in the 2013 academic year, and it grew to 128,000 in the 2019 academic year. In the 2020 and 2021 academic years, the number decreased due to the border control of the COVID-19 epidemic prevention policy. After the epidemic prevention policy was gradually lifted, the number rebounded to 103,000 people.
There is an international student couple who graduated earlier this year. Both of them wanted to live and work in Taiwan, so they started looking for job opportunities. The girl was fortunate to find and apply for a job in a hotel. The employer appreciated her adaptive ability and was willing to hire her and also help her to obtain a work visa.
However, the boy was not as lucky as his girlfriend. He found many jobs but received no replies. While under pressure for living expenses, the boy applies for a job in a factory with the introduction of his fellow countrymen. Since the factory was short-handed, the boy was hired. After around a month since the boy started working in the factory, the inspectors from the Ministry of Labor came unannounced. During the inspection, they found that the boy was working in the factory without a work permit. The boy was charged with working illegally, was found with a fine of 30,000 NTD, and was forbidden from continuing his work.
The factory owner was willing to help him pay half of the fine. Since the factory was still short-handed, the boy was asked to continue working for the factory. The boy asked his employer to help him apply for a work permit. Therefore, the boss applied for the boy’s work visa from the Ministry of Labor, hoping to allow him to have a legal work status.
The visa application was delayed for a long time, which made the boy worried as his girlfriend received her work visa soon after her application. Why is his application taking so long? His residence permit was about to expire. If the work permit is not issued soon, he will have to apply for an extension to avoid overstaying.
He found the Renum Novarum Center through his fellow countryman and sought help from them, hoping to understand the problem and his own rights. The Center workers helped him inquire about the situation through their channels. They discovered that because he was found working without a permit before, he would not be granted a work visa. Soon, the Immigration Department will send him a notice to leave the country within a time limit.
The boy was puzzled as to why he could go to the Immigration Office to apply for an extension of his residence permit. According to the regulations of the Ministry of Labor, he should not be able to apply for an extension of his residence permit. The Center staff informed him that it could be that the information of the various governmental agencies did not update each other in real-time, causing him to go to be able to apply for an extension from the Immigration Department. He asked worriedly if he would be able to come back to Taiwan to work again in the future. The Center staff comforted him and helped him understand the regulations of the Ministry of Labor. International students who work part-time without a permit will be fined 30,000 to 150,000 NTD and are banned from working in Taiwan for three years. Hence, the boy has the opportunity to come back to Taiwan for work after three years, as the band is not a permanent one.
According to the government’s regulation on international students staying in Taiwan after graduating, there are three methods of application:
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Extended Residence: You can apply for six months at a time, and you can only apply for an extension once. The extension’s purpose is to allow international students to find an occupation. Therefore, before finding a full-time job, one must not work without a work permit. The Ministry of Labor stipulates that international students who work part-time without a work permit will be fined 30,000 to 150,000 NTD and banned from coming to work in Taiwan for three years. Employers who hire overseas Chinese students without a work permit will be fined between 150,000 and 750,000 NTD.
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Internship in Taiwan: Fresh graduates should submit an application to the school before May or November and send it to the Ministry of Education for review. But you must apply for an Extension of Residence within the time limit. Hence, you must go to the Immigration Office to apply for an extension of residence within 15 days of obtaining your diploma.
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Staying to Work in Taiwan: This is divided into “Evaluation System” and “Professionals Coming (Stay) to Work in Taiwan.”
Reminder to all international students who wish to stay in Taiwan after graduation, you must update your residential address to the Immigration Department after graduation, as you must leave your dorm after your academic lives are concluded. You must prepare a housing contract (within 15 days from the effective date of the rental contract) and the old residence permit. Once you find a job and receive a work permit, the residence permit needs to be reapplied again, and the renewal must also be completed within 15 days, changing the reason of residence from "other" to "employment," or you will be penalized and fined.
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