Gold Card Statistics — April 2026

As of April 30, 2026: 16,656 cumulative approvals / 8,666 valid cards. April net addition: +340 cumulative (vs. +392 in March, +209 in February). Valid card count +140 net in April (expirations offset new issuances).

March 31 figures (prior baseline): 16,316 cumulative / 8,526 valid. April pace decelerated slightly from March's near-double-February rate but remains above the February level. May and June 2026 monthly reports not published as of Jul 13, 2026.

Stuart Fairchild

Wei Chuan Dragons (CPBL) manager Yeh Chun-chang confirmed club contact with Fairchild following his Cleveland Guardians DFA (Focus Taiwan, Jul 4). No CPBL signing announced Jul 6–13. One visa advisory site (globevisa.com) asserted Fairchild "currently holds a Taiwan Employment Gold Card" without sourcing; NDC, NIA, and Focus Taiwan have not confirmed formal issuance as of Jul 13. NDC announced proactive assistance with his application March 16, 2026 (sports category).

Program Status — No Material Changes

The following items remain as reported Jul 6, 2026:

Eligibility: Salary threshold NTD 160,000/month before-tax, any single tax year within 3-year lookback. 12 professional categories (13 for Architecture). Processing: 30 working days; up to 40 if documents requested. NIA guidelines last updated April 21, 2026.

APRC pathways (eff. Jan 1, 2026):
Standard Gold Card: 3 years (avg 183 days/year)  ·  NTD 6M+/year income: 1 year  ·  Taiwan PhD: 1 year  ·  Taiwan Master's: 2 years  ·  Top-1,500 global university graduates: exempt from 2-year work experience requirement  ·  Top-200 graduates: personal open work permit up to 2 years  ·  Digital nomad visa: 2 years

Articles 28–29 (disability / long-term care for APRC holders): Confirmed active as of Jun 30, 2026 (Focus Taiwan, Taipei Times). Requires APRC + 10 cumulative years legal residence (183+ days/year). Art. 29 additionally requires 65+ age threshold. No changes or new implementing sub-regulations this cycle.

One-stop banking (launched Jun 4, 2026): 6 banks (CTBC, E.SUN, Taipei Fubon, Taishin, Mega, First Commercial), 17 branches, 6 cities. No additions Jul 6–13.

NDC outreach: West Coast US — Taiwan Tech Summit, September 2026. Talent Taiwan East Coast tour results: not reported. Boston biotech mission (Jun 29–Jul 2): investment focus, not Gold Card recruitment.

Pending Items

May/June 2026 statistics — not published  ·  Fairchild Gold Card formal outcome — unconfirmed in official sources  ·  Art. 28–29 MOHW sub-regulation gazette — not located  ·  NTD 5M asset APRC pathway — legally valid; NIA approval inconsistent (unchanged)  ·  West Coast US outreach — September 2026