New System for Hiring Migrant Workers for Seniors Aged 80+ Without Professional Assessment Starting August 1, 2025
Updated: Aug 12
Original article: https://www.mol.gov.tw/1607/1632/1633/81743/post
The revised Article 46 of the Employment Service Act allows individuals aged 80 and older, or those aged 70 to 79 diagnosed with stage II or higher cancer, to hire foreign domestic caregivers without needing to first undergo a professional medical evalution. This legislation will take effect on August 1st, and is expected to increase the applications of 100,000 families with healthy or sub-optimally healthy seniors, which may make it even more difficult for families with seriously ill members to find or retain caregivers. To minimize the impact of this amendment on families with seriously ill patients, the Ministry of Labor is implementing six supporting measures to protect the rights of these families to hire foreign caregivers.
According to the Ministry of Labor, approximately 197,000 families currently employ foreign caregivers to support members with moderate-to-severe illnesses. Furthermore, statistics show that there are currently approximately 530,000 healthy or sub-optimally healthy seniors aged 80 and above, and about 120,000 people aged 70 to 79 suffering from stage II or higher cancer. It is estimated that after the new law takes effect, 100,000 more people may apply for migrant caregivers. However, since the new law was passed, many families of seniors with serious illnesses have reported an increased impact of "abandoning the more serious cases for the less serious ones." Some families with serious illnesses have reported that their previously stable foreign caregivers have suddenly demanded higher wages and even hoped to switch to caregiving for less demanding families. Some employment agencies are also advertising "Applications for Foreign Caregivers Waived for Those over 80," resulting in competition for applications and exacerbating the phenomenon of abandoning the more serious cases for the less serious ones.
The Ministry of Labor explained that, to mitigate the impact of the legislative amendments on the 197,000 families with seriously ill members, it has held three inter-ministerial consultations at the vice-ministerial level with the Ministry of Health and Welfare over the past few months. At the same time, it has also invited medical associations, senior citizens, people with disabilities, people with dementia, and migrant worker groups to come together to brainstorm ideas. Considering that seriously ill and disabled individuals have urgent care needs due to congenital weaknesses or acquired disabilities, a system of "triage based on severity, prioritizing the seriously ill" should be established. Therefore, the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Health and Welfare are collaborating to promote six supporting measures to reduce the impact of the new law on families with seriously ill members, but it is also impossible to completely avoid the impact. The six supporting measures are as follows:
I. Promoting Triage Based on Severity, Prioritizing Severe Cases:
An inter-ministerial collaboration has established a "Triage Based on Severity, Prioritizing Severe Cases" system. From application for exemption from assessment, review and approval, to the introduction of migrant workers and employment management, those submitting proof of "severe illness" will be given "priority" in review and processing. General applications will be processed sequentially based on case volume. Those holding medical or disability certificates should apply to the local long-term care management center in accordance with the existing system. Severe cases will, in principle, complete the referral of domestic caregivers and introduction of long-term care resources within 1 day, while general cases will take 7 days. Additionally, those aged 80 and above who only submit identification documents can apply to have their job postings published on the Ministry of Labor's Taiwan Employment Service website, with domestic job postings taking at least 7 days to process.
II. Expanding Eligibility for Multifaceted Exception from Assessment for Those with Severe Illnesses:
To allow severely disabled individuals to apply for migrant at-home caregivers using their existing medical certificates without having to undergo the Barthel Index assessment again, as well as multiple consultations with medical groups and long-term care experts, the scope of the multifaceted exemption from evaluation has been expanded to include three new groups: patients with stage IV or higher cancer regardless of age, those who are completely paralyzed and unable to get out of bed independently, and those who have employed a caregiver or a mid-level caregiver within the past year. In the future, they will only need to submit valid proof from within the past year to apply, thus simplifying the process and making it more convenient for the public.
III. Domestic Employment Priority for Families with Severe Illness:
Domestic employment placement for families with severely ill patients is given top priority. Families with severely ill patients are also permitted to hire workers from different industries. Workers only need to complete 20 hours of supplementary training before receiving their employment permit to smoothly transition to their new role. Furthermore, families with severely ill patients can also receive assistance in selecting workers through the Ministry of Labor's Direct Employment Joint Service Center project, which offers "short-term, high-matching-frequency" opportunities.
IV. Coordinating with Countries of Origin to Increase Capacity and Ensure Quality:
The Ministry of Labor has been actively negotiating with the four source countries of migrant workers to increase capacity and ensure training quality. In accordance with the policy of separating workers based on severity of illness, the current number of working days (approximately 5 days) will be maintained for serious cases in the document verification process. Our overseas embassies and consulates will also prioritize processing work visa applications from migrant workers with serious illness cases.
V. Supplementing Frontline Staff:
In response to the potential increase of 100,000 applications due to the new law, a total of 188 additional administrative staff will be added to the frontline staff handling applications to implement "prioritizing the triage of serious cases" and prevent delays in applications from serious cases.
VI. Expanding Budget to Support Caregiver Families:
The Ministry of Labor has expanded its budget by NT$1.18 billion to assist families with seriously ill patients through caregiving gaps by providing expanded respite and short-term care services. It has also created a "Handbook on the Rights and Interests of Employers of Foreign Caregivers," providing hiring guidelines and support services. Furthermore, it has expanded its 1955 Hotline E-LINE service, offering personalized features for employers and instantly pushing important information about hiring migrant workers.
The Ministry of Labor emphasized that all applications will be reviewed as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. However, cases involving serious illnesses will be given priority due to the urgency of care needs, while general eligibility cases will be processed in order of volume. Nevertheless, even with the implementation of these six supporting measures, the impact cannot be completely avoided. The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Health and Welfare will do everything in their power to assist families with seriously ill patients in protecting their care rights.
Division: Workforce Development Agency | Contact: 02-8995-6000 | Issued By: Press Office
