The Legislature has passed the first reading of an amendment that will allow foreign laborers to extend their visa after three years in Taiwan without having to leave the country.
According to the current Employment Service Act, foreign laborers must leave Taiwan and apply for a new work visa after three years.
The labor ministry says there are nearly 600,000 foreign laborers in Taiwan. Many are from Southeast Asian countries, with 240,000 from Indonesia alone. A large number work as caretakers for the disabled and elderly.
The regulation often leaves the disabled and elderly without care, while leaving the laborers to be exploited by visa agencies. The amendment, if passed, will help alleviate these issues and improve working conditions for laborers by implementing vacations in their contracts.