There have been growing reports in Taiwan about migrant workers and content creators being questioned by the Ministry of Labor over alleged violations related to side jobs and undeclared income. Much of the discussion started circulating on Filipino OFW social media and online forum communities this week.
The issue appears to focus on foreign workers in Taiwan who are on employer-sponsored work permits. Under Taiwan’s rules, many migrant workers are only legally allowed to work for the company and job listed on their permit. Reports claim some vloggers/content creators were called in after allegedly:
- promoting businesses or products for payment,
-doing livestream selling,
-accepting sponsorships,
-running side businesses,
-receiving income unrelated to their registered employer
According to discussions online, Taiwan authorities may have noticed bank transactions or reports involving additional income streams. Some users said creators were asked whether they received money for endorsements or promotions. Others claimed that income earned inside Taiwan could be taxable and may require proper authorization or declaration.
A commonly mentioned distinction is:
Simply making videos or earning platform revenue from YouTube/Facebook may be treated differently.
But directly advertising businesses, selling products, or doing paid promotions while on a factory/domestic worker permit may be considered unauthorized work.
The issue is usually connected to Taiwan’s rules on unauthorized work by foreign workers. The main laws reportedly involved are:
1. Taiwan Employment Service Act
Foreign workers can only perform the work and employer stated in their work permit.
If a migrant worker does other paid activities such as paid endorsements, livestream selling, online selling, promotions, or sponsored content authorities may classify it as “work without authorization.”
Relevant parts are often linked to:
Article 43, Article 68
These provisions basically say foreigners cannot work in Taiwan without proper permission from the government.
2. Tax regulations
If a creator earns money from sponsorships, affiliate sales, commissions, or online selling and does not declare it, there may also be tax concerns.
3. Work permit restrictions
Factory workers, caregivers, and many blue-collar migrant workers usually have very specific permits tied to one employer and one job category only.
Even side hustles can sometimes be interpreted as illegal work if money is involved.
There are also claims that some cases started because other people reported the creators to authorities, not necessarily because Taiwan was actively “tracking” all influencers online.
As of now, there does not appear to be a major official public announcement specifically targeting Filipino content creators, but multiple online reports and discussions indicate the Ministry of Labor has indeed been contacting some migrant workers regarding side-income activities.
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