Foreigners in Taipei (Getty Images)
Foreigners in Taipei (Getty Images)
The number of recipients of Taiwan's employment gold card, a special work and residency permit for highly skilled foreign talent, took a big jump in 2020, reflecting Taiwan's attractiveness as a safe heaven amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
That year, a total of 1,399 foreign nationals received the card that serves as a work permit, resident visa, alien resident certificate and re-entry permit all in one, according to government statistics. The figure was far higher than 358 in 2019, and 188 in 2018, the year when the Cabinet-level National Development Council (NDC) launched the Employment Gold Card system to attract overseas talent in professional fields.