Coronavirus News | Office of Global Mandarin Education

To simplify the process, the Immigration Agency has promoted online applications for residence permits for formal academic degree students, and will no longer accept applying on paper at NIA service centers. Students can get the ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) at the NIA service centers after approval. It is really convenient and fast. If you have any further questions, please contact the service line: 02-2796-7162 or Foreigners In Taiwan Hotline : 0800-024-111 (available in 7 languages)   Original full text: https://www.immigration.gov.tw/5475/5478/141457/141990/271959/

Considering the recent escalation of COVID-19 cases internationally and within Taiwan, and to safeguard domestic antipandemic security and protect people’s health, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced on May 17 that entry to Taiwan will be suspended from 00:00 on May 19 (local time of departure) to June 18 for foreign nationals not holding a valid R.O.C. (Taiwan) Resident Certificate. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis for emergencies and on humanitarian grounds. In accordance with the CECC’s antipandemic policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will halt processing of visa applications. Entry will also be suspended for persons holding a valid visitor visa or resident visa. Foreign nationals requiring entry to Taiwan for emergency and on humanitarian ground, such as attending a funeral or visiting a critically ill family member, must receive special permission from the CECC before applying for a special entry permit visa from the Taiwan offices in their home country. The abovementioned measures may be adjusted by the CECC at any time in accordance with the status of the pandemic and associated operations. (E) Source: https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-220-6517-9b761-2.html

Degree students have once again been allowed to enter the Republic of China (Taiwan) again since February 8, 2021. In accordance with directions from the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the Ministry of Education has announced that students in an additional four categories are allowed to apply to enter from April 1, 2021. These categories are: Huayu Enrichment Scholarship recipients, Taiwan Huayu BEST Scholarship recipients, students sponsored under a bilateral educational cooperation agreement, and students with special entry permits. This will affect approximately 1,400 students. The students in these additional categories must enter Taiwan from Taoyuan International Airport and present an official negative result of a COVID-19 test taken within three days before boarding the flight to Taiwan.  They will be met in the Arrivals area by personnel from their university or college who will assist them to report their arrival, and then board special transport to check-in at a quarantine hotel. After spending 14 days at a quarantine hotel, the students will then be retested for Covid-19 and if their test is negative, they will begin a further seven days of self-health management there before being able to begin attending their courses. If the pandemic situation and other circumstances permit, the Ministry will then consider also relaxing restrictions and allowing other categories of students, including Chinese language students, and students wanting to undertake an internship or post graduate research to enter Taiwan in an orderly fashion.

On December 30, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has continued to spread around the globe. The CECC stated that in consideration of the status of the COVID-19 pandemic globally, Taiwan would impose entry restrictions and quarantine regulations for non-R.O.C. nationals, effective from 00:00 am (local time at the airport of departure) on January 1, 2021, and Taiwan would strengthen quarantine measures form travelers coming to Taiwan, effective from 00:00 am on January 15, 2021. Details about entry restrictions and quarantine regulations for non-R.O.C. nationals are listed below. Non-R.O.C. nationals may enter Taiwan if they meet the following conditions: Foreign nationals: foreign nationals may enter Taiwan if they hold an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC); for diplomatic or official business; to fulfill contractual obligations; for special humanitarian reasons; when they are the spouse or the underage child of an R.O.C. national; or when they obtain other special permission. Hong Kong and Macao residents: Hong Kong and Macao residents may enter Taiwan if they hold an ARC; to fulfill contractual obligations; as part of internal transfers within multinational enterprises; when they are the spouse or the underage child of an R.O.C. national; or when they obtain permission under special programs. People from Mainland China: people from Mainland China may enter Taiwan if they hold an ARC; when they are the spouse or the underage child of an R.O.C. national; or when they obtain permission under special programs. Travelers transiting through Taiwan are temporarily prohibited. Short-term business travelers eligible for shortened quarantine periods in Taiwan, except for those who have obtained permission for their application, will be required to complete the 14-day home quarantine.  Suspending acceptance of entry applications for international medical care purpose. Special cases or emergency medical care cases are not subject to this rule. The CECC also stated that it would tighten home quarantine measures for travelers entering Taiwan starting from January 15, 2021. Apart from the original requirement of providing a COVID-19 RT-PCR test report issued within three days of boarding, arriving travelers shall also provide proof of the place of quarantine where travelers stay to undergo quarantine (in principle, the place shall be a group quarantine facility or quarantine hotel; those who choose to undergo quarantine at home shall make an affidavit to declare they have met the requirement of one person per residence). Entry quarantine measures will be adjusted on a rolling basis depending on the status of the pandemic and implementation of those measures.  

The global Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to spread rapidly, and plans to ease restrictions on the entry of students to study Mandarin in Taiwan are currently still under careful assessment. Any changes will be announced on the Ministry of Education’s News Updates page: https://english.moe.gov.tw/cpview-117-24173-6539f-1.html .

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is launching a third wave of international humanitarian assistance in response to the continued spread of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, donating 7.07 million face masks to the United States, European Union and its member states, diplomatic allies, New Southbound Policy partner countries, and African and Middle Eastern nations. The R.O.C. government announced two earlier waves of humanitarian assistance on April 1 and April 9, donating face masks and other medical supplies to support frontline medical personnel as they fight the pandemic in countries that have been severely affected. This has drawn recognition and gratitude from around the world. Echoing the belief that Taiwan can help, and Taiwan is helping, many individual Taiwanese are also taking substantive action. Within just one week, a “Taiwan can help, Health for all” campaign had seen Taiwanese people gift 3.93 million face masks for overseas donation as of May 5. These masks will be part of Taiwan’s third wave of assistance. In this wave, 2.28 million face masks will go to the US federal government and hard-hit US states, 1.3 million to the EU and its member states, 1.09 million to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, and 1.8 million to New Southbound Policy partner countries. Another 600,000 masks will also go to Africa and the Middle East, and to assist medics working with Syrian refugees. Taiwan also continues to expand antipandemic cooperation with the US, Europe, and other countries. In addition to cooperating on the research and development of pharmaceuticals and vaccines, Taiwan has also worked with the US to organize an online workshop on countering COVID-19 disinformation under our Global Cooperation and Training Framework, and conducted videoconferences with US think tanks and universities. For example, Vice President Chen Chien-jen spoke at a videoconference hosted by Johns Hopkins University. Elsewhere, government agencies are also actively working with European nations on the research and development of COVID-19 vaccines. As the world toils to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan is doing all it can, and is proud to be supporting frontline medics and associated personnel in other countries. We firmly believe that the prevention and containment of COVID-19 transcends borders, and that only mutual assistance and mutually beneficial cooperation can build a solid line of defense. Taiwan is willing and able to contribute even more to global public health. (Data source:Ministry of Foreign Affairs)