Chapter 3. Hong Kongers in Taiwan
3.1 Studying in Taiwan and career
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3.1 Studying in Taiwan and career
The median monthly earnings in Taiwan is approximately 41,000 Taiwan Dollar (TWD), with most of the new graduate earning 28,000 to 36,000 TWD per month; the median of monthly earnings in Hong Kong is around 17,750 Hong Kong Dollar (HKD), most of the new graduate earning 12,000 to 15,000 HKD per month.
Compare two of them, a new graduate from Hong Kong makes 2/3 more than a new graduate from Taiwan, why do some Hong Kong students still choose to study in Taiwan? What is their career plan after graduation from Taiwan?
In Hong Kong, studying in other countries has been a popular trend since 2012, after the change in the education system. Following the 2019 Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, more students decided to leave Hong Kong. Especially those who participated in the movement, they were forced to leave and avoid the political score-settling. Compared to other countries, it‘s more affordable to study in Taiwan. For Hong Kong students, there are several ways to apply to Taiwan universities: individual application, joint admissions, or direct application 4 . In the school year 2019-2020, there are 6,824 Hong Kong students studying at universities and colleges in Taiwan (Ministry of Education, 2019). I organized the data from the University Entrance Committee for Overseas Chinese Students, in order to understand the trend of Hong Kong students who: admitted to universities through the individual application; admitted to master‘s or doctoral program through the individual application and admitted to universities or masters or doctoral through joint admission.
4 Retrieved from: https://cmn-hant.overseas.ncnu.edu.tw/from/hongkong
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Table 4. Number of Hong Kong Students admitted to universities of Taiwan, 2014-2020
Note. Data retrieved from the University Entrance Committee for Overseas Chinese Students
In the 2010s, the Department of International and Cross-strait Education of Taiwan modified the policies related to Hong Kong and Macau students5, which attracted lots of Hong Kong students to study in Taiwan. In particular, following the change in the education system in Hong Kong in 2012, many Hong Kong students universities in Taiwan increased, which proves that political incidents in Hong Kong in 2019 affected students decision to study abroad. Another main point here is the trend of students who are admitted to master‘s or doctoral programs through
5Retrieved from:
https://depart.moe.edu.tw/ed2500/News_Content.aspx?n=79D4CEEC271FCB57&sms=70BE182A03B
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individual applications: the number of students has grown steadily since 2014 and has grown rapidly from 218 in 2019 to 375 in 2020, with an increase of 72%. What‘s the reason behind their decision?
According to the interviewees, there are a few reasons that encourage students to come to Taiwan. An interesting reason for their choice to study in Taiwan is: there are many choices on the major in Taiwan. For instance, the interviewees‘ study diverse majors in Taiwan: E applied for a master‘s degree in performing arts after graduation from a university in Taiwan. She thinks that there are a few opportunities in Hong Kong to study in this field, but in Taiwan, she has more freedom to choose what she likes to study. E also shares her roommates experience in choosing her path after graduation, Hong Kong has no chance for students who have studied in her major (wildlife conservation) and Taiwan offers a chance for her to continue studying what she likes. Other interviewee, D also provided similar point of view, and said there are three Hong Kong students in his class, they all came to Taiwan as they are interested in this specific major (animal science).
Some students also have dual identity. For F, she came to Taiwan through applying the student visa, but her mother is Taiwanese. As her age is older than 20, she can‘t use the dependency policy to move to Taiwan. Her reason for coming to Taiwan is a bit different from the others. Her parents decided to return to Taiwan after the 2019 demonstration (the Anti- Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement), when she just finished her university studies and ready to find a job in Hong Kong.
It‘s a bit difficult for her to accept the decision because she thinks that Hong Kong is her homeland, even if she is half-Taiwanese. She then decided to apply to the master‘s program in Taiwan because she believes that she‘s not familiar with life in Taiwan and that entering society immediately is not the best choice.
And for G, her case is more ordinary, when compared to other interviewees:
G‘s HKDSE score is low and her only choice is to study in Taiwan. She entered the National Taiwan Normal University Division of Preparatory Programs for Overseas Chinese Students as her HKDSE score is too low to enter any university in Taiwan.
After a year of study, she began her studies at a private university in Taipei. As for
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always rank high in the exams and most of them received a good university offer. My result is average, so I only received the offer from private universities.” Another Hong Kong student – Myolie shares a similar perspective on her blog, and she said most of the students in the preparatory program have a goal; they will work hard to get the offer6.A few decades ago, many students from Hong Kong came to study in Taiwan.
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was easier for an overseas Chinese student to become a Taiwanese. A recalled her twenties: “When I arrived in Taiwan, I received a Taiwanese ID card with my name on it and I just became Taiwanese.” The Nationality Law of the Republic of China published in 1929 included all overseas Chinese as their citizens, on the basis of the right to blood7. Plenty of overseas Chinese students include Hong Kongers, Malaysians, Filipinos, etc. obtained a Taiwanese ID card right after their arrival in Taiwan to study. A Malaysian facebooker – Lu, who was actively participated in the Taiwanese social movement before the 1990s, also recalled that the National Act of Taiwan prior to 1986 was relatively easy. All overseas Chinese can easily naturalize by registering at the Household Registration Office8.
For students who graduated in Taiwan, most of them choose to return to their homeland, while some choose to stay and explore their career. For students who have studied and graduated from any universities in Taiwan can apply for a working visa via two systems: apply through wages and work experience or apply through new scoring criteria for foreign and overseas Chinese students to work in Taiwan9. For the first one, you must complete your degree in R.O.C., have more than two years of work experience, and find a job in Taiwan with a monthly wage of more than $47,971
6 Myolie‘s Blog. Retrieved from: https://amypuipui.pixnet.net/blog/post/383311907
7 Nationality Act. Retrieved from: https://www.ris.gov.tw/app/portal/96
8 Interview with Lu. Retrieved from: https://www.thenewslens.com/feature/darimalaysia/129491
9 Overseas Chinese or Foreign Student Graduated in the R.O.C. to Work in Taiwan.
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then they return to Taiwan, to find a job and obtain a work visa through this system.The second one is easier for a new graduate to apply. There‘s a list of scoring criteria, including education, wages, language, work experience, etc. Once you scored 70, you can apply for a work visa, while this system also has certain requirements for employers. For example, the employer would have to meet the criteria for capital, turnover rate, franchising business, etc.
Under current policies, Hong Kong students graduating in Taiwan can obtain the APRC if they work in Taiwan for five years, and in the 5th year, their salaries should double the minimum wage in Taiwan.10 Their self-identity is less complex without dual identity (i.e. dependents and students) and most still identify themselves as Hong Kongers. But will they have a different perspective if they get the APRC in the future? Some of the interviewees told me that they plan to return to Hong Kong after graduation. However, some of them had recently changed their decision to stay in Taiwan due to the chaotic political situation in Hong Kong.