International students in Taiwan will find it easier to apply for work permits following changes in the application process initiated by the country’s Ministry of Labour.

The new regulations mean that international students will only need to submit a copy of their passports and their work permit application form, a division head in the Ministry’s Workforce Development Agency, Chiu Yueh-yun, explained.

In the past, students were required to provide their school ID card, a written consent form from the school and a full-year academic transcript or proof of special expertise in a language.

“The application should have already been [processed] by the school, so most of the documents don’t need to be checked again”

Students will now be able to apply online through the official workforce development agency website by uploading a copy of their passport and completing the application form.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Labour told The PIE News that the simplified procedure will apply to all international students including those from China.

Applicants must have studied in Taiwan, the spokesperson added.

“If they want to have a part time job [and] if they want to apply for work permits, they must first be approved by the school,” the spokesperson said.

“In fact when we received a case, the application should have already been [processed] by the school, so most of the documents don’t need to be checked again.”

The changes came into effect in March 2018, but it is not clear yet whether it has prompted an increase in applications.

“We haven’t seen the results yet, because I believe many of the schools or the students didn’t know [about] it,” the spokesperson added.

In 2016, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education announced plans to boost the number of foreign students by 30,000 by 2019.