On June 30, 2026, legal amendments come into effect in Taiwan that will open disability certification to permanent residents (APRC holders) with 10+ years of total residency in Taiwan as foreign professionals. The changes will allow disabled individuals from this group to opt into disability benefits and care. Our guest is David Chang, Founder and Secretary-General of Crossroads, a non-profit that advocates for foreigners residing in Taiwan. We discuss the implications of the disability amendment, its 10-year residency requirement as eligibility, additional limitations to access, why Taiwan’s expansion of disability rights is overdue, and why some permanent residents are still barred from certain benefits. The amendments were made as part of updates to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) in September 2025. (Articles 28, 29). While the amendments are made for ‘foreign professionals’ as defined by ROC (Taiwan) law, citizens from the following countries who are permanent residents to Taiwan (APRC) are eligible for disability certificates in Taiwan under the reciprocity agreements with their birth countries: Japan, U.S., U.K., Canada, Singapore, France, Germany, Australia, Colombia, Ireland, and Israel. An April 2023 petition by Crossroads is archived on the National Development Council (NDC)’s public policy participation platform: “Disability Inclusion: Calling for the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Officially Recognize Immigrants with Physical or Mental Disabilities and Provide Equal Access to Public Assistance, Relief, and Care”. (April 14, 2023) Chang offers potential steps forward and ongoing Crossroads projects designed to tackle the persisting limitations of legal productions faced by foreign residents of Taiwan, such as a proposed parallel household registration system or a naturalization process of children born to permanent residents of Taiwan. Some numbers to consider: 5.4% of Taiwan’s population (1,252,116 persons) receives disability certifications (MOWH, 2026 Q1). 16% of the world’s population (1.3 billion people) are estimated to be living with significant disability (WHO) 1 in 3 people over 60 years of age are living with a disability (United Nations) *83% of the immigrant population in Taiwan are migrant workers. 1,065,367 is Taiwan’s total population of foreign residents (National Immigration Agency, April 2026) 48,343 is Taiwan’s population of permanent residents on APRC (Alien Permanent Residency Card) (National Immigration Agency, April 2026) Episode clarifications: While the specific set of amendments that come into effect on June 30 does not cover permanent residents who obtained their APRC through marriage, these foreign spouses are eligible for disability certifications if their country of citizenship falls under the Ministry of Interior’s March 23, 1987 reciprocity document:「台 (88) 內社字第8717934號」. As of now, reciprocity agreements include those from Japan, U.S., U.K., Canada, Singapore, France, Germany, Australia, Colombia, Ireland, and Israel. The pathway Chang refers to for migrant workers is the Long-term Retention of Skilled Foreign Workers Program. This allows employers to apply for migrant workers to transition into ‘foreign technical personnel’ after six (6) years of employment. After another five (5) years, the individual can then apply for their permanent residency. If migrant workers do not enter into this program, they are permitted to remain and work in Taiwan for up to 12 years. Approximately 83% of the immigrant population in Taiwan is migrant workers. (National Immigration Agency/Ministry of Labor, May 2026) Support us by donating on Patreon http://patreon.com/taiwan Follow and tag us on social media:Ghost Island Media | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterEmily Y. Wu | Twitter @emilyywuA Ghost Island Media production: www.ghostisland.media Support the show: https://patreon.com/Taiwan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
