Control Yuan Investigates Foreign Student Internships; Passport Confiscation and Other Issues Persist
An investigation by Taiwan's Control Yuan has found that while the government's "6+6" foreign student internship program, aimed at solving labor shortages in the tourism industry, has revised guidelines to protect rights, problems persist including a lack of mandatory social insurance, passport confiscation, and agency fees. The Control Yuan has urged the Executive Yuan to improve the mechanism.
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- 📰 Published: June 12, 2026 at 12:22
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(Central News Agency, Reporter Lai Yuzhen, Taipei, 12th) Control Yuan members Yeh Ta-hua and others launched an investigation last year into labor rights controversies surrounding the "6+6" internship program for foreign students in the hotel industry. The investigation found that although the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has revised the relevant internship guidelines to protect the rights of foreign interns, it has failed to mandate their enrollment in social insurance, resulting in insufficient protection. Furthermore, in practice, there are still instances of foreign interns having their passports confiscated and being charged agency fees. The Control Yuan has urged the Executive Yuan and other relevant agencies to improve the relevant mechanisms.
To address the labor shortage in Taiwan's tourism industry, the government relaxed the time limits for the tourism and hotel industries to apply for foreign students to intern in Taiwan (the "6+6" program). In 2024 (Republic of China year 113), a total of 2,328 foreign students were approved for internships in the hotel and tourist hotel industries. Control Yuan members Yeh Ta-hua, Wang You-ling, and Lai Ding-ming launched an investigation last year due to labor rights controversies in the program, including failure to enroll in labor and health insurance and employers confiscating passports.
The Control Yuan's Transportation and Procurement Committee reviewed and approved the Control Yuan members' investigation report on the 9th. Yeh Ta-hua and others stated in a press release today that while the government relaxed the "6+6" model amid labor shortages in specific industries, lowering the threshold for the tourist hotel and hotel industries to recruit foreign students for internships in Taiwan, the lack of a clear distinction between "internship" and "labor work" makes it easy for foreign interns to come to Taiwan under the guise of an internship while performing work nearly identical to that of regular employees. Without a clear oversight mechanism, this risks replicating a "fake internship, real work" model and labor exploitation, becoming a loophole in international human rights protection.
The Executive Yuan last year instructed the Ministry of Labor to convene an inter-ministerial meeting to comprehensively study and revise the internship guidelines. The Tourism Administration of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of Economic Affairs also completed revisions to the relevant internship guidelines this year, strictly regulating student qualifications and stipulating that the total amount of grants and living allowances must not be lower than the minimum wage, and that daily internship hours must not exceed 8 hours, with a weekly limit of 40 hours.
The Control Yuan members stated that these revisions acknowledge the fact that foreign interns are providing labor or performing work. To protect their labor rights, minimum wage and working hour limits were established. However, foreign interns are still not required to enroll in social insurance, and they must reside in Taiwan for six months before becoming eligible for National Health Insurance. Furthermore, as the competent authorities emphasize that foreign students are in Taiwan for "internships" rather than "work," they are excluded from the application of labor laws, resulting in insufficient protection.
The Control Yuan members pointed out that while the internship guidelines explicitly prohibit the confiscation of passports and the charging of agency fees, on-site inspections still revealed instances of foreign students having their passports confiscated and being charged agency fees. Additionally, the current internship guidelines only passively require internship units to provide relevant documents during joint agency inspections, and the related inspection and audit mechanisms remain incomplete.
The Control Yuan members stated that the Executive Yuan should, based on the internship guidelines revised by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, strengthen research and develop measures to address the aforementioned incomplete mechanisms, effectively protecting the rights and interests of foreign students interning in Taiwan. (Editor: Su Zhizong) 1150612
To address the labor shortage in Taiwan's tourism industry, the government relaxed the time limits for the tourism and hotel industries to apply for foreign students to intern in Taiwan (the "6+6" program). In 2024 (Republic of China year 113), a total of 2,328 foreign students were approved for internships in the hotel and tourist hotel industries. Control Yuan members Yeh Ta-hua, Wang You-ling, and Lai Ding-ming launched an investigation last year due to labor rights controversies in the program, including failure to enroll in labor and health insurance and employers confiscating passports.
The Control Yuan's Transportation and Procurement Committee reviewed and approved the Control Yuan members' investigation report on the 9th. Yeh Ta-hua and others stated in a press release today that while the government relaxed the "6+6" model amid labor shortages in specific industries, lowering the threshold for the tourist hotel and hotel industries to recruit foreign students for internships in Taiwan, the lack of a clear distinction between "internship" and "labor work" makes it easy for foreign interns to come to Taiwan under the guise of an internship while performing work nearly identical to that of regular employees. Without a clear oversight mechanism, this risks replicating a "fake internship, real work" model and labor exploitation, becoming a loophole in international human rights protection.
The Executive Yuan last year instructed the Ministry of Labor to convene an inter-ministerial meeting to comprehensively study and revise the internship guidelines. The Tourism Administration of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of Economic Affairs also completed revisions to the relevant internship guidelines this year, strictly regulating student qualifications and stipulating that the total amount of grants and living allowances must not be lower than the minimum wage, and that daily internship hours must not exceed 8 hours, with a weekly limit of 40 hours.
The Control Yuan members stated that these revisions acknowledge the fact that foreign interns are providing labor or performing work. To protect their labor rights, minimum wage and working hour limits were established. However, foreign interns are still not required to enroll in social insurance, and they must reside in Taiwan for six months before becoming eligible for National Health Insurance. Furthermore, as the competent authorities emphasize that foreign students are in Taiwan for "internships" rather than "work," they are excluded from the application of labor laws, resulting in insufficient protection.
The Control Yuan members pointed out that while the internship guidelines explicitly prohibit the confiscation of passports and the charging of agency fees, on-site inspections still revealed instances of foreign students having their passports confiscated and being charged agency fees. Additionally, the current internship guidelines only passively require internship units to provide relevant documents during joint agency inspections, and the related inspection and audit mechanisms remain incomplete.
The Control Yuan members stated that the Executive Yuan should, based on the internship guidelines revised by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, strengthen research and develop measures to address the aforementioned incomplete mechanisms, effectively protecting the rights and interests of foreign students interning in Taiwan. (Editor: Su Zhizong) 1150612
FAQ
Which industries are covered by the 6+6 internship program?
Primarily the tourist hotel and hotel industries.
What problems did the Control Yuan investigation find?
Lack of mandatory social insurance, passport confiscation, and charging of agency fees.
What is the outlook?
A fundamental overhaul of the system is highly likely following the Executive Yuan's directive.