According to Chen Hsin-Yu, director of the Department of Labor of Taipei City Government (臺北市政府勞動局), illegal employment of migrant workers will force the employers to face a fine from NT$150,000 to NT$750,000 in accordance with the “Employment Services Act.”
During the pandemic, there has been an understandable lack of workers as entry restrictions came into being, which gives rise to illegal human resource agencies. No matter where the agencies introduce themselves, chances are their sales talk such as “Your worker is one call away,” or “Well registered by the government” can be highly suspicious.
Chen pointed out that an employment permit from the Ministry of Labor (MOL, 勞動部) leads to the legal hiring of migrant workers. Illegal human resource agencies take advantage of the employers’ urge for employment, where only illegal migrant workers can be one call away.
Chen said that the following two kinds of foreign workers can be employed without the permission of MOL. The first one is the foreign spouses who are married to nationals with household registration, the second one being foreign students who have legal student status with a work permit.
Before the employment of a foreigner, it is always safe for the employers to keep a copy of their identity documents, namely the ARC and household registration transcript of an unnaturalized foreign spouse, and the ARC, work permit and student ID of a foreign student.
Chen urged the public to check the identity documents before hiring migrant workers, and confirm the ARC on the website of the National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior.
