COVID-19 Pandemic Leads Tremendous Impact
Since 2020, due to border control for COVID-19 epidemic, documented migrant workers who became pregnant are unable to return to home countries for giving birth or sending children back home to be cared by other family members. As a result, there was an upward trend in the number of migrant workers looking for childcare assistance. This once again highlights the issue of childcare resources for migrant workers.
The staff from an NGO serving migrant workers’ babies said, "If they (documented migrant workers) have no way to send their children back to their home countries, it is very difficult to find the childcare resource here (Taiwan). Hiring a nanny may cost NTD$20,000, for full-day care, it may cost NTD$20,000 or $30,000, so they will ask our staff to assist with the placement of the child."
Supposedly, migrant workers are eligible to apply for re-entry permit for bringing their children back to home countries for settling down. The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 provoked the Taiwan government to impose strict immigration regulations in order to reduce the cross-border mobility of people. The regulations included suspension of issuing re-entry permits for migrant workers. Therefore, migrant workers have been unable to re-enter Taiwan after leaving for any reasons. The cross-border control measures have limited the migrant workers to bring their children back to home countries.
Migrant worker E pleads,
"Please give us re-entry, or give us... there is re-entry, please give us priority to go home, so that we can come back and focus on our job. Please give us priority to go home, because if we go home and then we come here, we can focus on our job."