Premier Mao Chi-kuo today pledged to take better care of immigrants as Taiwan prepares to celebrate International Migrants Festival on December 18, a day also designated by the United Nations as International Migrants Day.
Underscoring government efforts to improve services to new members of Taiwan's society, Premier Mao said a Cabinet-level board was established in mid-2015 to integrate government resources and services for immigrants. In addition, a New Immigrants Development Fund, with annual funding of NT$1 billion (US$30.5 million), is being used to improve services and set up systematic support.
The number of people in immigrant families totals over a million, including 500,000 immigrant spouses, the ROC nationals married to them, and 350,000 children in these families. Immigrants enrich Taiwan by bringing diverse languages and cultures, Mao said.
Premier Mao said work immigration regulations are set to be relaxed in January 2016 to attract more foreign professionals. The government will draw overseas Chinese and foreign students to Taiwan for higher education or skill-based high school programs, and encourage them to stay in the country for work after graduation. This measure is crucial as Taiwan must increase its work population in the midst of major demographic changes.