Care and Counseling for New Immigrants
- Date：
- Source：Immigration Counseling Section
- Hit：4408
- Updated date：2024-11-19
There are already more than 600 thousand new immigrants living in Taiwan as of September 2024. With the aim of building a welcoming environment for new immigrants and protecting their rights, the government has been implementing immigrant integration efforts through various measures to help new immigrants build networks within their new communities. Those aforementioned actions are under way to achieve the goal of raising R.O.C. (Taiwan’s) global competitiveness and upholding the human dignity and well-being of new immigrants.
Progress:
1. Enactment of a Special Law to Ensure Protection for New Immigrants’ Rights
To uphold the Constitution's commitment to multiculturalism and to reaffirm the government's resolve to safeguard new immigrants' rights, the Executive Yuan Council approved the draft of the "New Immigrants' Rights Protection Act," proposed by the Ministry of the Interior, on June 21, 2024 and then submitted it to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation. The draft, comprising 19 articles, was renamed the “New Immigrants Basic Act” (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”). In addition to marriage immigrants, the definition of “new immigrants” under the Act has been expanded to include foreign professionals and skilled immigrants. The Legislative Yuan passed the bill in its third reading on July 16, 2024. Following promulgation and implementation of the Act, comprehensive reviews and discussions regarding amendments to related laws and measures will take place. Furthermore, plans are underway to establish “the third-level central administrative agency specializing in new immigrants’ affairs” in accordance with the Act. To facilitate the establishment of this specialized agency, “the preparatory task force for the third-level central administrative agency specializing in new immigrants’ affairs” was set up in September 2024.
2. Setting up the New Immigrants Development Fund
Integrating government and private resources, the Ministry of the Interior set up the New Immigrants Development Fund in 2005 and has been funding NT$300 million annually to provide new immigrants and their children with support to help them adapt to their new lives.
3. Establishing the Executive Yuan’s Coordination Meeting on Immigration Affair
The Executive Yuan established a Coordination Meeting on Immigration Affair on June 16, 2015, with the aim of coordinating immigrant integration efforts and promoting new immigrants’ rights, building a friendly and multicultural society. The National Immigration Agency (NIA) acts as the coordinating agency in this Coordination Meeting.
4. Implementing the counseling service for life adaption
The NIA funds 22 Municipal and County governments to support new immigrants in adapting to their new lives, through various outreach activities and educational materials.
5. Setting up Counseling Service for Life Adaption Hotline for Foreigners in Taiwan (Also known as International Community Service Hotline)（Domestic 1990, Overseas +886-800-00-1990）
The NIA provides toll-free hotline services in 7 languages including Mandarin, English, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Cambodian. The hotline can provide information about visa, residence, entry and exit, employment, taxation, health insurance, transportation, social welfare, education, medical care and personal safety.
6. Building IFI (Information for Immigrants) Network website
In order to integrate resources of inter-ministries and protect rights and interests of new immigrants, the NIA built the IFI Network website (https://ifi.immigration.gov.tw) in 7 languages (Chinese, English, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Burmese, and Cambodian). The NIA also set up the official account of Line (ID is @ifitw) to provide information on welfare and rights of new immigrants offered by relevant competent authorities.
Conclusion
The NIA remains committed to actively promoting the well-being of new immigrants by providing new immigrants with the supports to make them feel welcome and helping them integrate into the Taiwan society.