《TAIPEI TIMES》 Ministry outlines process for international students

/ Staff writer, with CNA

New international students enrolled at institutes in Taiwan can begin the application process to enter the nation as part of a special admission arrangement for that category of non-residents, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.

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As part of Taiwan’s COVID-19 control measures, its borders have been closed to non-residents, with some exceptions in emergencies and on humanitarian grounds on a case-by-case basis.

International students who have been accepted at education providers for programs of one year or more are normally eligible for Alien Resident Certificates, but new students cannot file an application until they arrive in Taiwan.

However, from Tuesday, about 13,000 international students enrolled in degree programs and those who have been awarded a Taiwan Scholarship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the education ministry’s Huayu Enrichment Scholarship can start the application process to enter the nation, the education ministry said.

The process involves applying for a visa, booking airfares and making quarantine arrangements, it said.

To complete the process, the students need to inform their universities of their travel plans, and the institutions submit the information to the education ministry, it said.

Incoming students are allowed to quarantine at designated hotels or off-campus dorms certified by health authorities, but they are encouraged to stay at government quarantine centers, as that makes it easier for them to obtain the mandatory COVID-19 tests, the education ministry said.

Accommodation at a government quarantine centers is NT$1,500 per night, which is NT$21,000 for the mandatory 14-day quarantine, it said.

After quarantine, the students are required to follow self-health management guidelines for another seven days before they can enter campuses, it said.

Meanwhile, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang （莊人祥）, the Central Epidemic Command Center’s （CECC） spokesperson, said that the international students expected to arrive in Taiwan for the fall semester, which starts next month, have to enter the country in batches to prevent overcrowding at quarantine hotels in northern Taiwan, where most of them have applied to stay because of proximity to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

There are about 13,000 quarantine hotel rooms in Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, Chuang said, adding that there is no need for the students to rush, as their universities would allow them to attend classes remotely.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES