According to reports in the Chinese language media, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Woody Duh has announced that Taiwan will begin issuing entrepreneurial visas to foreign nationals from July, in a bid to attract talent, strengthen Taiwan’s startup ecosystem and create jobs.

2,000 visas a year will be available to foreign nationals (including nationals of Hong Kong and Macau), which come with one year of residence. Extensions of a further two years are available to those entrepreneurs who can provide evidence of operating a bona fide business, such as registering a business or generating revenue. Entrepreneurs who lawfully reside in Taiwan for five years are then eligible for permanent residency.

The report notes that other countries such as Chile, South Korea, Canada, Singapore and the UK have issued similar plans. The NDC has been charged with developing Taiwan’s startup ecosystem under the Headstart Taiwan project, with the aim to assist entrepreneurs through deregulation, attracting investment and developing startup clusters, most notably Taiwan Startup Stadium. For more on the Headstart Taiwan project please visit the NDC’s website.