TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former NBA superstar Dwight Howard, who joined the Taiwan Broncos of The Asian Tournament (TAT), received his Taiwan Employment "Gold Card" on Monday (July 29),  entitling him to special employment and residency privileges.

Howard has been in Taiwan promoting international exchange, drawing more attention to Asian basketball. Howard has had many outstanding basketball achievements, including NBA All-Star Game selections and an Olympic gold medal with the 2008 US basketball team.

After playing in Taiwan’s T1 League with the Taoyuan Leopards in the 2022-2023 season and ending his tenure with the team, Howard returned with the upstart TAT, featuring week-long competition legs in countries such as the Philippines and Taiwan.

Granting Howard Gold Card status acknowledges his professional talents. It provides him with convenience, serving as a four-in-one document that combines a work permit, a residence visa, an alien residence permit, and a re-entry permit, per a National Immigration Agency press release.

The Gold Card was launched on February 8, 2018, and as of the end of June, 10,434 have been issued. Su Hui-wen (蘇慧雯), National Immigration Agency Taipei City Service Station Director, said the Gold Card covers different professional fields, including technology, economy, education, culture and art, sports, finance, law, architectural design, national defense, and project consultation. Last year, the digital field was added.

Su said the Gold Card provides benefits, including tax breaks and health insurance, making Taiwan an ideal place to attract professional talents. “We also hope to take this opportunity to promote Taiwan internationally further and attract more outstanding talents to develop in Taiwan,” Su said.

During the validity period, cardholders can freely find jobs, be employed, have part-time jobs, and freely change jobs. Compared with ordinary foreign residence permits, Gold Card holders enjoy benefits which include being able to apply for permanent residence after three years and spouses and children being able to apply for residence.

Furthermore, dependents can directly join the National Health Insurance program and are not subject to the six-month waiting period.