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The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) and Crossbond have collaborated to organize the “2024 Hiring and Retaining Overseas Compatriot Student Information Session for Enterprises” in Taichung. Following the success of the previous session held in Taipei on March 25, this event was held on April 2, with approximately 120 enterprises and school representatives participating in Taichung.
Representatives from various government agencies such as the National Development Council, Ministry of Labor, National Immigration Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Overseas Community Affairs Council explained the country’s population and immigration policies, the advantages of hiring overseas students, the evaluation system for overseas students staying in Taiwan for work, and relevant residency regulations.
Current Domestic Industry Trends and Needs for Hiring Graduate Overseas Students
During his address, Mr. Liang-Min Zhang, Director Secretary of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, stated that the significant participation of companies in the briefing sessions reflected the current trend and demand within the domestic industry for hiring graduate overseas students. Apart from explaining the processes and regulations related to hiring overseas students, the sessions also aimed to understand public opinions and concerns on relevant issues. The council plans to continue collaborating with various government agencies to improve policies and measures.
All the attended companies wished that the explanation would help them better understand the regulations and advantages of hiring overseas students and that they would consider recruiting more overseas students in the future; school representatives attending the meeting also shared their experience in education cooperation and industry-university cooperation with overseas students and provided future solutions for companies.
Strengthening Population and Immigration Policies
We have made good progress in attracting professional talents in recent years. However, overseas compatriot students are a major focus area. They are young, and Taiwan’s education support system is excellent. In recent years, overseas students, especially overseas compatriot students, have grown rapidly. It’s estimated that more than half of our workforce gap can be filled by overseas compatriot students, who constitute 60% of all overseas students. Overseas compatriot students have strong ties with Taiwan, receive a good education, and integrate well into society, making them a crucial target group for the future of the Taiwanese market.
How to Find Overseas Compatriot Students
During the briefing session, OCAC facilitated enterprises in gaining a better understanding of engaging with Overseas Students in Taiwan. OCAC offers numerous platforms to assist enterprises, including the Overseas Compatriot Student Talent Statistics Handbook, Overseas Compatriot Student Employment Fair, and the I Compatriot – Global Overseas Compatriot Talent Platform.
Graduation Job-seeking Period from 6 Months to One Year
To retain overseas compatriot students who graduate in Taiwan and wish to work in the country, the government has amended the “Immigration Act” to extend the original post-graduation job-seeking period from 6 months to one year. Individuals who need to extend their residence before the expiration date can apply for an extension once, with the total duration of residence extension not exceeding two years. This amendment was promulgated and implemented on January 1 of this year. Essentially, if a suitable job is not found in the first year, individuals can apply for a residence extension at the National Immigration Agency.
Contact Taiwan
Ministry of Economic Affairs – National Foreign Trade Association Training Center provides a platform for Taiwan’s Enterprises called “Contact Taiwan”
Contact Taiwan is a matchmaking platform for Taiwanese enterprises to recruit foreign professionals, providing free job-matching services. Currently, it has over 2,000 Taiwanese companies and more than 20,000 global talent members.
The member companies cover various industries, including semiconductors, optoelectronics, ICT, and green energy. These companies are vital industries in Taiwan, offering high-quality employment opportunities, and we warmly welcome overseas compatriot students to join our industries.
Evaluation Point System
Ministry of Labor implemented “Evaluation Point System” in 2014, and since 2022, applications have been fully digitized, eliminating the need for paper documents. By the end of 2023, the total number of overseas compatriots working in Taiwan had reached 17,025, with 15,414 using the evaluation point system, accounting for nearly 90%. Currently, the evaluation point system is the main channel for overseas compatriots to stay and work in Taiwan.
To qualify for stay and work in Taiwan through the evaluation point system, individuals must meet three requirements:
- Fulfill the categories for foreign professionals’ employment.
- Employers must meet the qualifications for hiring foreign nationals.
- Meet the employment qualifications for foreigners in Taiwan according to the evaluation point system.
Originating from Malaysia and Successfully Stayed and Worked in Taiwan through the “Evaluation Point System” in 2014
Like the previous session that was held in Taipei. Isaac Yong also shared how he successfully stayed and worked in Taiwan for 16 years through the “Evaluation Point System”.
He explained to the enterprises frequent questions like “What are the ways to hire overseas compatriot students?” “What should employers pay attention to when hiring foreign interns?” “Do I need to report if foreign talents resign?”
2024 Hiring and Retaining Overseas Compatriot Student Information Session for Enterprises in Taichung concluded successfully with 120 enterprises attending and excitedly participating to jointly develop the value and potential of overseas Chinese students in Taiwan.
As a lot of companies want to expand their business and open the door to the international market, both OCAC and CrossBond who believe in the strength of overseas Chinese in their international vision, and language advantage, will be the best partners for the internationalization of enterprises!