TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is considering relaxing its Mandarin proficiency requirement for migrant caregivers to obtain permanent residency.
A new program that went into effect on April 30 enables foreign caregivers to obtain an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) if they meet certain requirements, such as having six years of work experience in Taiwan and earning a minimum pay level. When they meet these requirements, they can apply to be classified as "intermediate skilled manpower" — and once they obtain this classification and work for five years, they can apply for permanent residency.
Caregivers in long-term care homes need to make more than NT$29,000 per month and live-in caregivers more than NT$24,000 a month to qualify. Caregivers must also obtain a work license, accumulate at least 80 hours of training, pass a language proficiency test, and complete 20 hours of vocational training courses.
However, there are concerns the language proficiency requirement is prohibitively difficult. Paul Su (蘇裕國), deputy head of the Ministry of Labor's Workforce Development Agency Cross-Border Workforce Management Division, told CNA that a cross-ministry meeting discussed if the process of obtaining permanent residency could be facilitated for foreign caregivers. Four ways were proposed in which the language requirement for foreign caregivers can be eased.
Currently, the language requirement stipulates that caregivers must pass the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) Level 2 speaking exam before they can be classified as an "intermediate skilled worker." However, Su said that one option being considered is to allow the caregivers to pass the TOCFL Level 2 listening exam instead.
A second possible option is to complete a fixed number of class hours in Mandarin at a community college. Third, caregivers at long-term homes who earn more than NT$31,000 per month and live-in caregivers who make more than NT$26,000 per month could be made exempt from the language requirement.
A fourth possibility would be that the employer certifies the caregiver's language proficiency.
