School season! During the epidemic, Taiwan provides supporting measures to accommodate “foreign students” who come to Taiwan to study

According to a "4wayvoice" report, in the third week of school, there are originally 13,000 degree students from overseas and students with Chinese program scholarship that are unable to enter the country. However, the command center has planned a complete set of supporting measures to allow international students to enter Taiwan.

This year, important principles for entering Taiwan include new students and students without valid visas/residence permits/republic of China entry permits. The schools will prepare a record and send the letter to the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 外交部領事事務局) and the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior (NIA, 內政部移民署) to accept the students’ applications for visas or entry and exit permits. After the student obtains the visa, and after booking the flight and the quarantine venue, the school should be informed through online application to obtain the consent letter, and the negative PCR test report should be obtained within 3 days before boarding the flight. 

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The command center provides supporting measures to accommodate international students. Photo/provided by the command center

After successfully entering the country, students will collect saliva and perform PCR testing in accordance with regulations and conduct home quarantine at the quarantine site for 14 days. Then a PCR test should be done before the expiration of the quarantine period (quarantine days 12 to 14), and a “Home Rapid Test” should be done once between the 10th to 12th day. After the quarantine is over, an independent health management is required for another 7 days, and the student will only be admitted in the school after these 7 days.

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The command center and the Ministry of Education allow foreign students to study in Taiwan with peace of mind. Photo/Retrieved from "United Daily News"

According to the Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部), foreign students will be given priority to be admitted to the centralized quarantine center, and the command center has provided 1,500 beds ready for occupancy. The MOE once again emphasized that students must take saliva sample from deep inside the throat and undergo PCR testing upon entering the country and conduct home quarantine at the quarantine site for 14 days. Between the 10th to the 12th day of the quarantine period, they must be checked once with a "home rapid test", and another PCR test between the 12th to the 14th day. The three types of overseas student applicants, include foreign degree students, Hong Kong, Macao, mainland China, and MOFA scholarship recipients, as well as bilateral reciprocal degree students, totaling 13,000.

Ting Shuo-Yen (丁碩彥), deputy dean of the Tsaotun Psychiatric Center (草屯療養院) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, 衛生福利部), said that Taiwan’s centralized quarantine station has a security police team for 24-hour security duties. In addition to the monitoring equipment at the quarantine room passage, there are guards at the entrances and exits at all times. The epidemic prevention specifications are strict, those who are quarantined cannot go out and move around the community, causing breaches. In addition to hoping that international students will have a good student life in Taiwan, the local people can also have peace of mind.