In March 2026, Taiwan's national baseball team failed to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), but standout performances by several players captivated fans across the region. Among them, Taiwanese-American outfielder Stuart Fairchild — affectionately nicknamed "Fei Zai (費仔)" by fans — drew widespread attention, with fans eagerly clamoring for him to be grantedTaiwan's National Health Insurance card. Taiwan's National Development Council confirmed in mid-March that it had contacted the Ministry of Sports to assist Fairchild in applying for an Employment Gold Card.
Separately, claims circulating online alleged that a massive wave of German nationals had flooded into Taiwan, applying for a so-called "TRR Gold Card" that supposedly offers permanent residency and tax exemptions. The original post carried the headline:"Can't be stopped! 180,000 Germans flood Taoyuan Airport — Taiwan's revolutionary new policy drains Europe, top talent bringing hundreds of billions in assets rush to Taiwan, EU in full panic? #taiwan #台灣 #台湾 #熱門 #臺灣 #大熱門" The claim further alleged that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was forced to travel to Taiwan to negotiate in response. Fact-checking platform MyGoPen has since published an investigation into those claims."
What Is Taiwan's Employment Gold Card — and What Does It Actually Offer?
According to theMyGoPen investigation, Taiwan's Employment Gold Card is a real policy instrument introduced on February 8, 2018, under Article 9 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法). The card consolidates four documents — a work permit, residency visa, Alien Resident Certificate, and re-entry permit — into a single credential valid for one to three years. It allows qualifying foreign professionals to seek employment, take jobs, and change employers freely during the validity period.
MyGoPen's data shows that only 8,184 Employment Gold Cards are currently active in Taiwan, issued to holders from 101 different countries. Critically, there is no policy or document called a "TRR Gold Card" — a search of government databases and news archives returns no such designation.
The viral claim also alleged that 180,000 Germans arrived in Taiwan within three months. Official data from the Tourism Administration of the Ministry of Transportation tells a starkly different story. Between November 2025 and January 2026, total European arrivals numbered 134,237; in February 2026 alone, that figure was 170,298. German nationals specifically accounted for 23,037 arrivals during the November–January period, and 28,880 in February —far below the figures cited in the rumor.
Investigators traced the original content to a YouTube video published on April 15, 2026, by a channel called "Taiwan Hotspot" (臺灣熱點). MyGoPen identified the channel as a content farm: all 155 of its videos are AI-generated, overwhelmingly Taiwan-themed, and characterized by fawning praise, exaggeration, and fabricated claims.
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