Stricter Entry Policies for Taiwan-Bound OFWs

Taiwan ranks fourth among the top OFW destinations of 2005. An estimate of 90,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are currently working in Taiwan, majority of them employed as factory workers who earns about P30,000 a month.

Foreign workers in Taiwan including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are allowed to be employed for a maximum of three years. However, many OFWs still find ways to return and work in Taiwan even after the allotted period by using false documents.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), the rampant use of fake documents compeled the Taiwan government to imposed stricter regulations and control the entry of returning OFWs. Added to that, the Taiwanese government required additional requirements to ensure the identities of OFWs and prevent re-entry of Filipino workers who have finished their three-year contract.

Still, OFWs who wishes to work in Taiwan need not be alarmed. According to a labor official, there is no ban in hiring of OFWs in Taiwan. The new rule is just a mild freeze so they can identify returning OFWs and prevent the entry of illegal workers in the country.

A local recruitment official said, “What usually takes a week for authentication now takes at least two months.”

Nevertheless, recruitment agencies worry that the additional requirement for OFWs can cause delay in the issuance of visas. A local recruitment official said, “What usually takes a week for authentication now takes at least two months.”

Therefore, the new rule might result to decreased number of deployed OFWs in Taiwan
as well as the dollar remittances.

This article was first published in www.ofwguide.com on October 25, 2006