TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Visa overstayers who turn themselves in within a limited time will recieve minimum penalties, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) announced in a press release on Wednesday (Feb. 1).

The "Expanded Overstayers Voluntary Departure Program" is effective from Feb. 1 to June 30. The program adopts measures such as exemption from detention, payment of a minimum fine of NT$2,000 (US$66), and no prohibition on reentering the country to encourage visa overstayers to turn themselves in.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic swept over the world in early 2020, international flights have been suspended or reduced, resulting in many foreigners being stranded in Taiwan. As the pandemic around the globe eases and international flights resume, the NIA wrote that it hopes to help foreigners overstaying their visa return home as soon as possible through the Expanded Overstayers Voluntary Departure Program.

Draft amendments to some provisions of the Immigration Act have also been sent to the country’s legislature for review. The amendments seek to raise overstay fines from the current NT$2,000- NT$10,000 to NT$30,000- NT$150,000 to deter such behavior more effectively.

The amendments will also increase the period of restriction on visa overstayers' reentering the country from a maximum of three years to a maximum of 10 years.

The NIA urged those who have overstayed in the country to seize the opportunity to turn themselves in before the increases of the overstay fines and the entry ban period come into effect. It provided a toll-free hotline, 0800-024-881, which offers multilingual services for the public and overstayers to inquire about the program.