【Overseas Community Affairs Council】The Ministry of Labor Amends Regulations to Allow International, Overseas Chinese, and Ethnic Chinese Students to Obtain Work Permits for Up to One Year

  1. Our Council’s letter dated September 2, 2024 (Ref. No. 1130084763) has been received.

  2. To simplify the work permit application process for international and overseas Chinese students, the Ministry of Labor amended the relevant provisions on August 26, 2024. The maximum validity period of work permits for international students enrolled in public or private colleges and universities, and overseas Chinese and other ethnic Chinese students enrolled in senior high schools or above (hereinafter referred to as “international and overseas Chinese students”) has been extended from 6 months to 1 year. The following points should be noted:

    (1) For work permits applied for between October 1 of the first semester of an academic year and September 30 of the following year, the permit validity period may not extend beyond September 30 of the following year. However, this restriction does not apply if the applicant submits a copy of their student ID card stamped by the university’s Registration Division for the first semester of the following academic year or provides proof of registration.

    (2) For example, if an international or overseas Chinese student applies for a one-year work permit on July 31, 2025, the permit would normally be valid only until September 30, 2025. If proof of registration for the first semester of the 2025 academic year is also submitted and the permit is issued on August 10, 2025, the permit may be valid for one year from the date of issuance, until August 9, 2026. Foreign students enrolled in Chinese language programs are subject to the registered study period for the relevant term.

    (3) A work permit becomes invalid upon suspension or withdrawal from school, graduation, completion of language studies, or completion of a specific stage of technical training. The holder may not continue working under the invalid permit; otherwise, this may violate Article 43 of the Employment Service Act.

    (4) Applications for work permits by international and overseas Chinese students must currently be submitted online through the Foreign Professionals Online Application Platform. Required documents, application procedures, and related regulations are available on the Workforce Development Agency’s EZ Work Taiwan website: 🔗EZ Work Taiwan.

  3. As this information concerns the regulations governing part-time employment for international and overseas Chinese students, please assist in widely disseminating this information to relevant students. Eligibility requirements and required documents are also available on the Ministry of Labor’s EZ Work Taiwan website, or you may contact the Ministry of Labor at 02-8995-6000.