Talent-strapped Taiwan studies becoming Asia’s first to offer digital nomad visa
- Taiwan has already lowered legal barriers to attract foreign workers, and the idea of a digital nomad visa is being looked at by labour, finance and foreign affairs ministries
- Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and some sectors in mainland China are grappling with similar talent shortages
Taiwan, running short on talent like many of its Asian peers, has begun studying whether to offer special visas for digital nomads, according to a ruling party lawmaker.
The cabinet’s National Development Council will seek input from the ministries of labour, finance and foreign affairs, with an eye toward eventual approval, Democratic Progressive Party legislator Lo Mei-ling told the Post on Wednesday.
Legislative debate on the topic may start this year, she added.
Visas for skilled foreigners who prefer to hop from place to place with laptops rather than work in an office would attract talent on an unknown scale, Lo said.
This is a trend globally, and I think in Taiwan talent is lacking, so we need to bring in foreign nationals from overseas
“This is a trend globally, and I think in Taiwan talent is lacking, so we need to bring in foreign nationals from overseas,” said Lo, a Malaysian native who reached Taiwan as a student in 1987.