President Tsai Ing-wen handed out Taiwan’s 1,000th Employment Gold Card visa on Monday morning. Taiwan implemented the Gold Card visa program in 2018, in an attempt to attract talent from abroad. Under the program, foreign professionals with a specialty in certain fields are granted residency and employment status for a period of one to three years.
Two of the three recipients on Monday are US citizens, while the third is a Turkish national. During the conferment ceremony, President Tsai lauded the program's successes. She said that Taiwan welcomes talent with open arms. She said that Taiwan’s environment is prime for investment, and that the time is right for the country to position itself as a leader of the global supply chain. Tsai said that the program’s popularity is an indication of Taiwan’s potential in the eyes of foreign professionals.
Tsai called on the National Development Council to continue its efforts to attract talent under the Gold Card program.