History

The Standards are set up in accordance with the stipulations of Paragraph 2 to Article 46 of the Employment Service Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act).

To be employed for the jobs specified in Items 1 to 6, Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act, the employment qualifications of the said foreigners have to comply with the standards stipulated herein.

In order to protect the employment rights of the nationals and to provide employment opportunities for foreigners based on the principle of equality and reciprocity, the Central Competent Authority, after consultations with competent authorities for other purposes, may decide the quotas of foreign workers based on the evaluation of the situations of domestic employment markets, employs' industries, scales, recruitment plans, operational performances, and their contributions to national economy and social development.

The specialized and technical jobs referred to in Items 1 to 6, Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act are those jobs that foreigners whom are employed to engage in the following jobs with specialized knowledge or special techniques or skills:
1. Architecture and civil engineering.
2. Transportation.
3. Taxation and financial services.
4. Real estate agencies.
5. Immigration services.
6. Attorneys-at-Law (legal services).
7. Technicians.
8. Medical and/or Health Care.
9. Environmental protection.
10. Cultural, sports and recreation services.
11. Academic research.
12. Veterinarians.
13. Manufacturing.
14. Other job designated by the Central Competent Authority and competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level after consultation.

For foreigners employed to engage in jobs referred to in the preceding Article, in addition to the qualifications stipulated in the Standards, they are also required to have one of the following qualifications:
1. Acquire certificates or operation qualifications through the procedures specified in the Examinations Act and its enforcement regulations, or acquire certificates, licenses or permits from the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.
2. Acquire credentials of Master degree or above from universities in the ROC or in foreign countries or acquire Bachelor degree and with more than two years working experiences in the specific field.
3. Expatriates to the ROC that have been employed in multi-national companies for more than one year.
4. Specialists who have been trained professionally or self-taught in the specific field and have more than five years experiences in related skills and have demonstrated outstanding performances.

In order to cope with the cyclic fluctuations of local business environments and to assist enterprises in recruiting specialized or technical professionals, after the Central Competent Authority consulting with the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level and permitting in special cases, foreigners hired in accordance with Item 2 of the preceding Article may be exempted from working experiences.

For foreigners who are assigned by foreign legal entities to fulfill their contract obligations in performing assignments, sales and technical cooperations, and have to work in the Republic of China to undertake the jobs specified in Article 4 of the Standards, if the duration of their work is less than ninety days, they are exempted from the qualifications stipulated in Article 5 of the Standards.

The wages for foreigners who are undertaking the job referred to in Article 4 of the Standards shall not be lower than their counterparts' average monthly wages recorded in the latest survey and publicly announced by the Central Competent Authority.

For foreigners employed to engage in architecture and civil engineering assignments, their employers shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. Construction companies that have obtained permits from and have been formally registered with the competent authorities for other purposes.
2. Architects who have obtained operation certificates and have more than two years' experiences in related fields.

For foreigners employed in the following transportation industries, their job descriptions shall be in the following categories:
1. Land Transportation:
(1) Planning, designing, implementation & supervision, consulting & operation and maintenance work for railways, highways and mass rapid transit systems (MRT).
(2) Installations, maintenance, technical supervision, testing and operations of the facilities for passenger and cargo carriages for railways, highways and MRT that are either imported from foreign countries or manufactured domestically by foreign companies.
(3) Examination and testing of instruments purchased overseas and R&D work that can help upgrade land transportation techniques.
2. Sea Transportation:
(1) Planning, designing, implementation & supervision and evaluations of harbors and piers.
(2) Management of commercial harbor facilities and salvage work, the construction, maintenance, installations, technical supervision, testing and operations of the facilities, and R&D work that can help upgrade harbor operation techniques.
(3) Constructing and maintenance of ships and containers and the R&D work that can help upgrade related techniques.
(4) Training and management of personnel in the sea-transportation industry and other work that can help upgrade the development of sea-transportation businesses.
(5) Planning and construction of civil aviation terminals and supporting facilities.
(6) Maintenance, purchasing of aircraft that can help upgrade air transportation techniques, civil aviation facility check and technical supervision.
(7) Personnel training, operational management, transportation of aircrafts, test flies, training of pilots and co-pilots, commercial aviation and other R&D work that helps to upgrade air transportation development.
3. Postal Industry:
(1) Planning, designing, examination, implementation & supervision of postal machinery and facility systems.
(2) Verification and production supervision of instruments purchased overseas and R&D work that can help upgrade postal techniques.
(3) Research, designing, technical supporting, maintenance of postal machinery and facilities and personnel training.
4. Telecommunications:
(1) Planning, designing, implementation & supervision of telecommunication engineering and techniques.
(2) Examination, manufacturing, technical supervision of instruments purchased overseas and R&D work that can help upgrade telecommunication techniques.
(3) Research, designing, technical supporting, technical supervision and maintenance of telecommunication facilities.
(4) Telecommunication personnel training.
(5) Designing and technical supports for telecommunication value-added network.
(6) Planning, designing, implementation & supervision of radio wave techniques used in radio and television broadcasting.
5. Tourism Industry:
(1) Operational management of tourist hotels and travel industries, tour guides, tour leaders and other R&D work that helps upgrade the tourism industry.
(2) Tourist hotel, hotel operation and food & beverage techniques that are lacking in this country.
(3) Planning, developing and operational management of tourist attractions or recreation areas.
6. Meteorology industry:
(1) Collection, evaluation, management, supplying and information exchange of the international meteorology, earthquakes, and marine meteorology.
(2) Technical research and supervision of meteorology, earthquakes, and marine meteorology.
(3) Testing and maintenance supervision of instruments purchased overseas and R&D work that can help upgrade meteorology, earthquakes, and marine meteorology techniques.
(4) Incubation and training of personnel related to meteorology, earthquakes, and marine meteorology and the recognition and verification of meteorology, earthquakes, marine meteorology, volcano and seismic sea wave.
7. Planning and management jobs referred to in Items 1 to 6.

For foreigners hired to perform the jobs as tour guides, tour leaders or travel agency managers in the tourism industries referred to in Item 5 of the preceding Article, they shall obtain tour guide licenses, tour leader licenses or travel agency manager graduation certificates issued by the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.

For foreigners employed to perform air-transportation or test fly jobs, they are required to have the following qualifications:
1. Pilots have the qualification for transporting or test-flying the aircraft model(s) that required by the employer(s).
2. Pilots have the valid certificate of the aircraft model(s) required by the employer(s).
3. Pilots have passed the physical examination and obtain the valid documents.

For foreigners employed to perform pilot training jobs, they are required to have the following qualifications:
1. Pilots are qualified for aircraft training.
2. Pilots have the valid certificate of the aircraft model(s) required by the employer(s).
3. Pilots have passed the physical examination and obtain the necessary documents to prove it.

For foreigners employed to perform aircraft flying jobs, they are required to have the following qualifications:
1. Pilots have the qualification for civil aircraft flying and transportation.
2. Pilots have the valid certificate of the aircraft model(s) required by the employer(s).
3. Pilots have passed the physical examination from the civil aviation medical center and obtain the necessary documents to prove it.

For employers who are hiring foreign pilots referred to in the preceding Article, they are required to train local pilots. The total number of foreign pilot they hired shall not exceed more than three times of the total number of locally-trained pilots within the first seven years after submitting their applications plus the planed number of locally-trained pilots in that specific year.

For employers who are hiring foreigners referred to in Articles 12 to 14, they shall obtain civil aviation transportation permits issued by the competent authority for other purpose at the central government level.

Qualifications for foreigners to be employed for domestic commercial (aircraft) flying include the following:
1. Pilots have to be qualified for captains* in aviation system.
2. Pilots have the valid certificate of the aircraft model(s) required by the employer(s).
3. Pilots have passed the physical examination and obtain the necessary documents to prove it.

For employers who are hiring foreigners referred to in the preceding Article, they are required to have the following qualifications:
1. Obtain the permit from the ROC general aviation issued by the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.
2. Foreign pilot employed for aircraft operation and training can only be assigned for aircraft models that have yet been initiated in this country.
However, for those existing aircraft models which have yet to be operated by local pilot trainers are exempted from abovementioned restriction.
On-job training (re-training) for international pilots who have already operated the said aircraft model(s) should also be exempted from the abovementioned restriction.

For employers' who are hiring foreigners in accordance with the preceding Article, their application plans are required to fulfill one of the following stipulations:
1. Employers can assign pilots to operate either single-seat or double-seat aircraft model.
In the first year of operating (an aircraft ), either model can be operated fully by foreign pilots; from the second year onward, double-seated aircraft model must have at least one pilot with the ROC nationality.
2. At least half of the total flying hours of single-seat aircraft models need to be assigned to the ROC pilot from the second year of operation, with the exception of cases where special nature or techniques are required for the job and are approved by the central competent authorities along with the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.

For foreigners who are hired to perform taxation and financial services jobs, their job descriptions shall be in the following categories:
1. Securities & Future Trading
(1) planning, research, analysis, management and new technique initiation work on securities and marketable securities.
(2) Future trading, investment, analysis, auditing in the financial and business sectors or new techniques initiation.
2. Financial industry: depositing, crediting, investing, trusting, foreign exchange , other financial businesses recognized by the Central Competent Authority along with the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level and the planning, research & analysis, management & consulting work of these business sectors.
3. Insurance industry: Claims for life or property insurance, approval of insurance policy, actuary, investment, information, re-insurance, insurance brokerage, insurance agent, training, notarization, engineering, risk management or new techniques initiation.
4. Assisting businesses or services specified by the CPA Guidelines.

For foreigners who are hired to engage in real estate agency jobs, their job descriptions shall be the execution of real estate brokage or selling affairs.
Foreigners referred to in the preceding Paragraph shall obtain real estate brokers' certificates or real estate agents' certificates issued by the competent authority for other purpose at the central government level.

For foreigners who are hired to engage in the immigration services jobs, their job descriptions shall be in the following categories:
1. Consultation of immigration fund and brokerage services related to investment immigrating.
The idea is to protect the rights of the immigrants.
2. Other consultation services related to immigration.
Foreigners referred to in the preceding Article shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. Have more than two-year experience in the immigration business specified in Article 22.
2. Worked as immigration officer and has been responsible for immigration visa issuance for more than one year.
3. Qualified as an attorney-at-law and has been working on immigration-related business for more than one year.

For foreigners who are hired to perform attorney's-at-law assignments, they are required to have one of the following qualifications:
1. Lawyers/ attorneys-at-law recognized in the Republic of China.
2. Lawyers/attorneys-at-law specialize in foreign laws.

For employers who are hiring foreigners referred to in the preceding Article, they are required to have one of the following qualifications:
1. Lawyers/ attorneys-at-law recognized in the Republic of China.
2. Lawyers/attorneys-at-law specialize in foreign laws.

For foreigners who are hired by technical consultation institutions to perform technician jobs, they shall obtain technician certificates in accordance with the Technicans Act.

For foreigners who are hired by medical institutions to perform medical and health care assignments, they are required to have one of the following qualifications.
1. Physical doctors that have obtained the certificate for medical profession issued by the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level, herbalist doctor, dentists, pharmacist medical examiner, medical radiation specialist, physical therapist, licensed nurses, nutrition specialist, psychiatrist and respiratory system therapist.
2. Other medical specialists or technical personnel that are recognized as necessary for medical and health related businesses by the central competent authorities along with the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.

Medical institutions referred to in the preceding Article shall be limited to the following categories:
1. medical organizations
2. health-care organizations
3. pharmacists and pharmacies.
4. non-profit healthcare organizations.
5 .Other organizations allowed for foreigner-recruitment that recognized by the central competent authorities along with the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.

For foreigners hired to perform environmental protection assignments, their job descriptions shall be in he following categories:
1. personnel training
2. research and development of techniques.
3. installations, operations and maintenances of pollution-prevention instruments.

For employers hiring foreigners referred to in the preceding Article shall be limited to the following categories :
1. Environment examination and examination organizations.
2. Waste ( sewage) water disposal operators
3. Cleaning agencies that handle the sewage-water disposal facilities for (office and apartment) buildings.
4. Garbage disposal agencies.
5. Other work / industries allowed for foreigner-recruitment recognized by the central competent authorities along with the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.

For foreigners hired to engage in cultural, sports and recreational services, their job descriptions shall be in the following categories:
1. Publication Industry: newspapers, magazines, article-writings other than book publication, editing, translation, production of audio publication, music composing and new facilities and techniques initiation.
2. Motion Picture Industry: motion picture producing, screenplay writing, directing, art designing, promotion, and new techniques initiation.
3. Non-cable, Cable and Satellite broadcasting (radio and television) Industries: program designing and production, article-writing in foreign languages, translation & editing, announcing & dubbing, directing & program hosting and new techniques initiation.
4. Service Industry related to arts, culture and sports: literary work, commentary, operation and management of arts & culture activities, agents for art talents and models, operation & management of sports venues, judges (referees) for sports competition, mountain guide, sports (training) instructor, organizer for sports events.
5. Library operation and archive preserving industries: data collecting and maintaining, make data into photographs, maps, audio tapes, video tapes and other preservation format.
6. Museums, historical heritages and likewise organizations: preservation, maintenance, display and demonstration of ancient ruins, historical architectures, archeological sites or natural landscapes that add values to history, cultures, arts and education.
7. Recreation & Service Industries: operation and management of theme parks or playgrounds.

For foreigners hired to perform academic research assignments, their employers shall be teaching schools above college level, or academic research institutions approved and registered by the competent authority for other purposes at the central government level.

For foreigners hired to perform veterinary assignments by veterinarian clinics, or other institutions perform veterinary services recognized by the Central Competence Authority and the competent authorities for the other purposes at the central government level after consultation, shall obtain veterinarian certificates issued by the latter.

For foreigners hired to perform manufacturing jobs, their job descriptions shall include: operational management, research, analysis, design, planning, maintenance, consultation, instrument assembly and installation, and technical supervision.

For employers hiring foreigners referred to in the preceding Article, they shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. Local companies that have less-than-one-year operation and has a capital amount of NT$5,000,000 (five million New Taiwan Dollars) ; or companies that have been established more than one year, and the latest yearly revenue or the average revenue of the last three years amounts to NT$10,000,000 ( ten million New Taiwan Dollars), with average import/export performances reaching US$1,000,000 (one million U.S. Dollars) or average agent commission reaching US$400,000 ( four hundred thousand U.S. Dollars).
2. Foreign branch offices that have less-than-one-year operation history, and has more than NT$5,000,000; (five million New Taiwan Dollars) operational capital in the ROC; or companies that have been established more than one year, and the latest yearly revenue or the average revenue of the last three years amounts to NT$10,000,000 (ten million New Taiwan Dollars), with average import/export performances reaching US$1,000,000 ( one million U.S. Dollars) or average (agent) commission reaching US$400,000 (four hundred thousand U.S. Dollars.)
3. Representative offices of foreign companies that have been approved by the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.

For employers hiring foreigners to perform the assignments referred to in Item 14 of Article 4 of the Standards, if they are non-profit or social entities (legal persons), shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. Non-profit corporation that has less-than-one-year history with fund amount over NT$10,000,000 (ten million New Taiwan Dollars) or with a history over one year and has operational expenses over NT$5,000,000 (five million New Taiwan Dollars.)
2. The member number of a social entity (social group) should be more than 50.

The job titles of foreigners Hired by business entities invested or set up by overseas Chinese or foreigners referred to in Item 2 of Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act shall be as follows:
1. Managers of a company that is invested by overseas Chinese or foreigners, which has been approved based on the Overseas Chinese Investment Statute or Foreign Investment Statute.
2. Managers of a branch office of foreign companies.

For employers hiring foreigners referred to in the preceding Article, they shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. The latest yearly revenue or the average revenue of the last three years amounts to NT$10,000,000 (ten million New Taiwan Dollars),
2. The average import/export performances of the latest year or the average of the last three years reaches US$1,000,000 (one million U.S. Dollars) or average (agent) commission reaches US$400,000 (four hundred thousand U.S. Dollars.)
3. Newly established companies or local companies that have less than one-year operation with a capital amount of NT$5,000,000 (five million New Taiwan Dollars); or branch offices of foreign companies with a operational capital(in ROC) of more than NT$5,000,000 (five million New Taiwan Dollars).
4. Representative offices of foreign companies that have been approved by the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.
5. Those who have proven contribution to the economic development in this country or have been recognized by the Central Competent Authority along with the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level.

For foreigners hired to perform the teaching jobs referred to in Sub-Item 1, Item 3 of Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act, they shall obtain teacher certificates in accordance with the stipulations of the Measures for Examination and Reviewing Qualifications for Teachers Above the Level of Colleges, provided that, in the case of teachers hired by schools for foreign residents, this requirement is exempted.

For foreigners hired to perform the teaching jobs referred to in Sub-Item 2 to 3, Item 3 of Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act, they shall obtain formal degrees from universities or independent colleges, both local or aboard, recognized by the competent authorities for other purposes at the central government level, as well as obtain the status of qualified teachers for the subjects they are planning to teach or related teaching qualifications.

For foreigners hired to perform the foreign language teaching courses referred to in Item 4 of Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act, their teaching-related working hours shall not be less than fourteen hours per week. In addition, they shall have the following qualifications:
1. Age: 20 or above.
2. Graduation certificate from colleges or above.
3. The language to be taught by the foreign employees should be the national language used in the country specified on the passport of the employees.
For those foreigners referred to the preceding Paragraph, who have not graduated from four-year universities or independent colleges, both local and aboard, shall additionally have obtained certificates of receiving training for qualified foreign language teachers.

For foreigners hired to perform sports coaching assignments referred to in Item 5 of Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act, they shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. Athletes that can present internationally recognized (sports) coaching certificate issued by international sports assembly or national sports association.
2. Athletes that have been working in the sports coaching sector more than two years and have been recommended by national or international sports associations or organizations.

For foreigners hired to perform athetlic assignments referred to in Items 5 of Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act, they shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. Athletes that have been participating in international or national sports competitions and can present relevant documents.
2. Athletes that have had practical working experience for more than one year and have been recommended by national or international sports associations or organizations.

For employers hiring foreigners referred to in the preceding two Articles, they shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. Schools.
2. Government Institutions.
3. Non-profit sports groups
4. Companies that are involved in physical educations, sports and related businesses.

For foreigners hired to perform acting and arts work referred to in Item 6 of Paragraph 1 to Article 46 of the Act, they shall produce certificates for performing acting or related arts work, or recommendation letters or certificate issued by official institutions they are affiliated with.

For employers hiring foreigners referred to in the preceding Article, they shall have one of the following qualifications:
1. Schools, public organizations in social, educational and cultural sectors.
2. International hotels
3. Tourism & Recreation Industry
4. Companies that are involved in show businesses and cultural services.
5. Non-profit organizations (Cultural and/or Educational Foundations)
6. Performing groups, Academic, Cultural or Artistic groups on national or international bases.
7. Publication industry.
8. Motion Pictures industry.
9. Non-Cable, Cable and Satellite broadcasting and television industries.

The Standards shall become effective on the day of promulgation.