Laws and Regulations Retrieving System

Article 1
These directions are especially adopted by the Ministry of Education (hereinafter referred to as the MOE) for the purpose of increasing interactions between outstanding international students, who have graduated from universities/colleges, and domestic industrial, academic & research circles, thus strengthening international connections, cultivating international talent resources and executing the regulation of Paragraph 1 of Article 12 in the MOE Directions Regarding International Students Undertaking Studies in Taiwan.

Article 2
International students, who have any of the following qualifications or have acquired agreement documents (including internship contents, subsidies, duration) from the intended internship organization pursuant to the following regulation below and have been recommended in writing by their instructors or department chairs, may submit an application for internship to the school within the time limit regulated by the school.

1. International students who have completed a Master’s degree (or above) by the semester of their graduation, and have never withdrawn from study during their period of academic study.
2. International students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree by the semester of  their graduation and have never withdrawn from study during their period of academic study and have reached at least a 70 grade average during their entire academic study period, and have been recommended in writing by their instructors or department chair.
3. International students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree (or above) by the semester of their graduation and have won a prize in any national/international contest or science fair during their period of academic study, or have been outstanding in other fields, or have received a recommendation by someone from the university or a recognized organization must submit certificates of documentation.
4. International students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree (or above) by the semester of their graduation, and have never withdrawn from study during their period of academic study and have completed the first stage of the National Physician Exam, can then apply for the Program of General Medical Training (Postgraduate Year – G.P.Y.).

Article 3
Organizations that provide international student graduates with internships (hereinafter referred to as the internship organizations) must have one or more of the following qualifications:

1. Newly-established domestic enterprises/foreign direct investment companies that have revenues of at least NTD10 million for the most recent year or a capital of at least NTD5 million.
2. Newly-established Taiwan branch companies of foreign companies that have revenues of at least NTD10 million annually or a working capital of at least NTD5 million.
3. Taiwan offices of foreign companies (except financial service industries) that have procurement records of at least USD1 million.
4. A Free trade zone business as designated in Article 3, Subparagraph 2, of the Act for the Establishment and Management of Free Trade Zones.
5. A juridical person, charged by designated authorities that have more than NTD5 million of business expenses for the most recent year.
6. Foreign Chambers of Commerce.
7. Enterprises or juridical persons that provide college students with off-campus internship programs or have signed industry-academic cooperation contracts.
8. Training hospitals are under the Program of the General Medical Training Hospital and have been authorized by Department of Health, Executive Yuan R.O.C. (Taiwan).

Article 4
Universities/colleges shall appoint designated agencies to assist with providing outstanding international student graduates with internship opportunities and information.

Article 5
Universities/colleges shall review international student graduate applications for internships pursuant to these directions, make a list of their names (if the internship organizations are qualified), ascertain that the internship is relevant to their majors, and apply for an internship permit with the MOE. They must also submit the following documents before June 20 and December 10 of each year (late applications will not be accepted):

1. Application form.
2. List of international student graduates who have applied for internships.
3. Application for international students applying for internships, and their transcripts for each semester that the international students would like to apply for, in order for these students to complete their documentation from their intended internship organizations.
4. Related certified documents from the internship organizations:

o For enterprises, company registration certificates or business registration certificates, photocopies of the annual profit-seeking enterprise income tax returns for the most recent year or procurement records and other related photocopies shall be submitted.  However, if the internship organizations are Taiwan offices of newly-established enterprises or financial service industries, they will not have to provide photocopies of their annual income tax return.

o For juridical persons charged by designated authorities of each industry, photocopies of proof for the legal establishment, articles of incorporation and other related photocopies shall be submitted.

o For foreign Chambers of Commerce, formal invitations from those Chambers shall be submitted.

o For enterprises or juridical persons that provide college students with off-campus internship programs or have signed industry-academic cooperation contracts, photocopies of internship or industry-academic cooperation contracts and other related photocopies shall be submitted.

o Those training hospitals, under the Program of the General Medical Training Hospital which have been authorized and anounced by the Department of Health, Executive Yuan R.O.C. (Taiwan), shall submit a photocopy of the certificate of the internship hospital, which was issued by the Department of Health, Executive Yuan R.O.C. (Taiwan).  

   5. Related screening records from the schools: the MOE may review school applications in consultation with designated authorities of the internship organizations, if necessary. Those schools shall follow the MOE’s screening results and assist international students whose applications have been approved with residency and other related procedures. The approval or denial of residency shall be decided by the designated authorities; graduated international students may not reside in Taiwan based on the internship approval documents issued by the MOE.

Article 6
Internship organizations that accept international student graduates may not violate public order or good ethics, jeopardize national security, public welfare and national health nor have risks of serious occupational fatality or injury. They shall purchase accident and other related insurance for international students according to the internship description and responsibilities.

The internship organizations shall sign internship contracts with the international student graduate interns to specify their mutual rights and obligations.

Article 7
The duration of each internship permit for international student graduates who may apply for duration extension will be no more than one year after graduation.  If these students are short less than one year of their internship, they may have additional time to complete their one year internships.  However, they must submit an internship extension application to their schools, which has been stamped by their internship organization one month before their original internship is to end.  After the approved extension has been received by the schools, international students shall take their stamped applications with the school’s official seals to their local service centers of the National Immigration Agency, in order to proceed with the residency extension procedures.

During their internship, international student graduates shall submit internship reports stamped by their internship organizations, which are to be sent to their schools every three months.

This report is also for their schools’ reference of approval or denial of an internship duration extension. If this is not done, then the universities may inform the MOE to cancel their internship permits.

Article 8
Regardless, if they have internship approval by the MOE or not, if the international students cannot graduate as scheduled and violate Regulation 2, the schools shall immediately inform the MOE, and then inform the local service centers of the National Immigration Agency to annul their residency permits but only after MOE completes its annulment of the internship permits.

Article 9

During their internships, international student graduates shall comply with domestic laws, regulations and directions. They may not switch to another internship organization without the MOE’s approval or their schools’ approval and they may only engage in work consistent with the nature of their internship.

The internship organizations shall immediately inform the schools of any graduated international students who violate the above mentioned regulation. The schools shall immediately inform the MOE of any violation after investigating.The schools must then inform the local service centers of the National Immigration Agency regarding their residency permits.  If the schools fail to handle or neglect such related matters, the MOE upon consideration of the circumstances, may defer the schools’ internship applications of graduated international students for the next year or decrease the graduated international student internship quota.  If graduated international students are going to receive general medical internships, they should follow the directions of the General Medical Training Hospital, since it has been authorized and approved by Department of Health, Executive Yuan R.O.C. (Taiwan).

Article 10
If there is unlawful conduct by the internship organizations that affect the rights of graduated international students, the graduated international students, after reporting this unlawful conduct to the schools and if their information is deemed true after an investigation, the MOE may terminate the internship contracts with the internship organizations. The schools shall then assist graduated international students to switch to another internship organization and inform the MOE and the local service centers of the National Immigration Agency.

If an international student graduate experiences problems adapting or performs poorly, and this information is ascertained following an investigation by the college or university, the internship organization may terminate the internship contract with the international student graduate. Schools shall immediately inform the MOE and all related organizations and the local service centers of the National Immigration Agency to cancel his/her residency permits after the MOE’s annulment of the internship permits.

Article 11
When paying the graduated international students subsidies during their internships, the internship organizations shall withhold income taxes pursuant to the Income Tax Act. Any graduated international student who resides in Taiwan more than 183 days in one year, should declaration income tax.            

Article 12

All international student graduates shall join in the National Health Insurance Program pursuant to the National Health Insurance Act during their residency in Taiwan.