Foreign workers will no longer be forced to leave the country to renew their three year contract. That’s the word from the Ministry of Labor on Tuesday.
The current regulations require that when a foreign laborer has finished his 3-year contract, he must leave the country for at least a day before returning. This rule has made it challenging for people who hire foreign workers because there will be a period of time when the worker must be replaced temporarily.
But this law will soon be amended so that employers can renew a contract with a foreign laborer without having the employee exit the country. This is good news for the over 230,000 foreign workers in Taiwan. Labor official Lai Jia-jen explains:
"Currently there are between 230,000 to 240,000 foreign laborers in Taiwan," said Lai.
"This (new rule) gives more flexibility. If this foreign laborer is good and is willing to continue working, she does not have to leave the country and come back again. That procedure is no longer necessary. They can just apply domestically."
Currently, labor brokers charge about NT$24,000 to send a foreign laborer out and back to the country.