Day: April 29, 2022

Taiwan has put on hold a plan to allow professionals from Hong Kong and Macau to apply for permanent residency after at least five years on a work permit, an official said Friday, citing security concerns.

The new immigration rule, which was set to be implemented on May 1, requires further review and public discussion, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) spokesperson Chiu Chui-cheng (???) told CNA in a telephone interview.

He said lawmakers had expressed concern over national security issues, most recently at a legislative hearing on Thursday.

During the hearing, Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (???) of the New Power Party asked if the government had a mechanism to prevent hostile infiltration by individuals who are granted permanent residency in Taiwan under the new rule.

In response, MAC Deputy Minister Lee Li-jane (???) said that such individuals would be monitored jointly by the MAC, the Ministry of the Interior, the National Development Council and the National Security Bureau.

Legislator Wang Ting-yu (???) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said at the hearing that while he supported the plan to attract more overseas talent and help Hong Kong democracy advocates, Taiwan has to be cautious in the face of the growing threat posed by China.

The residency policy was announced on April 21 by Chiu, who expected the National Immigration Agency would formally introduced a regulation amended for the policy on May 1 with immediate effect.

Under the revisions, Taiwan’s current permanent residency policy regarding people from Hong Kong and Macau was to be expanded to cover those who have held a work permit in Taiwan for at least five years and had earned at least double the minimum wage in the fifth year.

Currently, people from Hong Kong and Macau are eligible to apply for permanent residency if they have relatives in Taiwan, make government-recognized contributions, are entrepreneurs in certain innovative businesses, or have specific skills, technologies or experience.

Hong and Macau residents who graduate from Taiwan universities can also apply for permanent residence after five years on a work permit, with monthly earnings of at least double the minimum wage in the fifth year, according to the current regulations.

Chiu said Friday that while the new expanded plan had been discussed with lawmakers and civic groups, the government has decided to delay its implementation, pending further consultations and a wider consensus.

Source : Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan is expected to import up to 30 million home-use self-tests that can detect the COVID-19 virus in saliva after the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the move Friday.

The tests, all of the same brand made in South Korea, will be labeled with Chinese characters and packaged with Chinese instructions before being sold in Taiwan, the FDA said.

The Gmate COVID-19 Ag Saliva, as the test is called, will be the first saliva COVID-19 rapid test approved for home use in Taiwan.

The test is currently also sold in Australia and has a sensitivity of 95.83 percent and specificity of 99.6 percent compared to PCR tests, according to testing conducted in Taiwan, the FDA said.

Import approved by Taiwan FDA

A total of 30 million tests are expected to be imported after an application to import the tests was approved on Friday, the FDA said.

Applications to import other home-use saliva rapid tests are also being processed, while domestically made tests are being evaluated for home use, the FDA said.

The move to import the tests came after Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (???) said earlier on Friday that Taiwan will likely approve the purchase of a home-use self-test that can detect the COVID-19 virus in saliva.

The less invasive and easier to administer test is being reviewed out of consideration for children and other groups who find nasal swabs difficult, Chen said at a daily COVID-19 press conference.

Lawmakers’ call

Multiple lawmakers have also urged the government to import rapid saliva tests, including ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Kao Chia-yu (???) and New Power Party legislators Chiu Hsien-chih (???) and Claire Wang (???).

Wang said allowing the use of saliva self-tests will boost COVID-19 testing resources in Taiwan.

If Taiwan is moving in the direction of living with the virus, rapid testing procedures need to be simplified, Wang said.

Compared to rapid tests which require the insertion of a swab deep into the nose, the saliva test is less invasive, Wang added.

In addition, people may be hesitant to keep going for nasal swab tests if they previously had a bad experience, Wang added.

Source : Focus Taiwan News Channel