in accordance with the Housing Act primarily to safeguard the housing rights
of national residents and has set standards for eligibility for social housing.124
However, the government failed to consider new immigrants who have yet
to obtain Taiwan citizenship, suffer from domestic abuse, and are without
financial means when deciding on the criteria for eligibility for social housing.
After leaving government-provided shelters, these new immigrants can no
longer return to their previous residence. As a result, they must rent housing,
but cannot afford the expensive rent. It is recommended that the government
consider relaxing eligibility for social housing to meet the needs of people in
different ethnic groups.
(c) Migrant workers
101. A lack of separation between living quarters and factories is a topic of
concern due to its impacts on the safety of accommodations and the living
conditions of migrant workers.125 In the past, several tragedies have occurred;
124
Article 1 of the Housing Act protects citizens’ right to housing, establishes a robust housing market, and improves
the quality of housing, thus allowing all citizens to enjoy suitable housing and a dignified living environment; Article 4
states that “at least 40% of social housing built by the competent authority and private sector under the jurisdiction of
each municipal, county (city) government shall be rented to economically or socially disadvantaged persons. A specified
percentage of social housing shall be provided to persons whose permanent address is not registered in the area where
they are going to school or working.” Economically or socially disadvantaged persons referred to in the preceding
paragraph shall mean families whose total income divided by the number of members in the household and whose total
family assets do not exceed a certain standard threshold announced by the competent authority and who meet one of
the following criteria: 1. Low-income or middle-income households. 2. Families in special circumstances. 3. Persons with
three or more children who are minors. 4. Persons under the age of 25 who are unable to return home after being placed
in a residential institution or foster family. 5. Senior citizens of ages 65 and above. 6. Domestic violence or sexual assault
victims and their children. 7. Persons with disabilities. 8. Persons infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). 9. Indigenous peoples.10. Disaster victims. 11. Homeless people. 12. Minors
125
who encounter difficulties due to pregnancy or childbirth. 13. Other persons approved by the central competent authority.
As mentioned in §194 of the national report, to ensure the safety of migrant workers’ accommodations and improve their
quality of life, starting from January 1, 2021, the employer has been required to provide a Foreign Worker Living Care
Service Plan when submitting migrant workers’ arrival notification forms to the competent authority. The plan should
declare the following information: whether the migrant workers’ dormitories are separate from the factory, whether there
are high-risk factors present, whether the inspection and attestation results of the building have been reported to the
authority, and whether the fire safety inspection results have been reported to the authority.
In addition, the reply from the Ministry of Labor showed that out of 144,369 cases compiled by the Ministry of Labor between January
1, 2021 and December 12, 2022, local governments accepted 90,891 arrival notifications and 53,478 employment extensions. In
40,747 (28%) of the reported cases, the migrant workers’ accommodations were located at the same address as their workplace.
72