In December 2021, my husband and I applied for the New Residence and Children Dream Building Program, which is the 8th edition of the program. In early February, the winners were announced, and fortunately, we made it! I feel especially honored to be the only winner from Europe, representing Poland. This program might not be well-known to many people, and we ourselves would not have known about it if not for our local Shanhua immigration bureau. As winners, we are entitled to receive 80,000 NT (72,000 NT after tax). So, how do we receive the funds?
The application period for the program takes place in the last quarter of each year. For the 2021 application, it was open from October 7 to December 31. It's important to note that you cannot apply individually; this program is specifically for new residents and their children, so you need to include at least two names on the application form. Additionally, it doesn't matter if you have been living in Taiwan for several years like me—I have been here for five years—because you can still participate in the program. However, it's crucial to remember that you can only join the program once, so you need to ensure that your plan aligns with your long-term goals.
There are five categories to choose from: Entrepreneurship and Marketing Group, Education/Learning: Multimedia, Social Welfare Service, and Environmental Protection. As part of the application process, you need to introduce yourself and share your story of why you are in Taiwan and what your dreams are. It's also important to explain why you need the funding and list a few items that you would like to purchase with the money. Along with the application form, you will need to submit a signed paper copy, a copy of your Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) card, and a household copy. The application should be sent via email and in printed form to the Taipei Immigration Bureau. For more information, you can check their Facebook page or the Immigration Government website.
As the application form is in Chinese, my husband helped me fill it out. We wrote a short story about why I came to Taiwan and what I am currently doing, such as running a cake shop, writing a blog about Taiwan, giving speeches at universities, and even being featured in the news (we attached pictures as proof). Since we have a business, we listed some important appliances that could help us grow our business, such as a larger oven, a stand mixer, and a bigger fridge.
The winners were announced on February 9, and we received an email with some documents to be signed and sent back, as well as a copy of our bank book. Soon after, someone from the Immigration Bureau contacted us, and we were required to provide weekly progress reports. The deadline to complete our project is November of this year. Once the project is finished, there will be a video featuring us shared on their social media platforms.
That's what the application form looked like last year:
The Immigration Bureau provided us with the contact information of an agent whom we need to report to regarding our progress and any changes. We had to make a change to our plan when our fridge broke at the end of January, and we had already purchased a new one. Since it was the most expensive item on our list, replacing it with other things was quite challenging. We had to submit an updated list via email, which was then checked and approved by the Immigration Bureau. On March 4, we received the funds, and from that point onward, we were able to purchase all the appliances from our list. We had to report our progress weekly, including taking pictures of the items and their receipts as proof, which we sent to the agent via email.
Unfortunately, while purchasing the items, we encountered situations where some products were sold out or certain services were no longer available (for example, printing our logo on aprons). We also had to give up on creating a trademark as it would have taken several months, which was longer than the project's deadline. Each change we made had to be reported to the agent, but the approval process took around two weeks. Finally, at the end of March, our final change was approved. We were thrilled to have bought everything we needed, but then one of the items we purchased appeared to be used instead of new. As a result, we had to return it and wait for a replacement.
Additionally, we had to schedule online consultations, totaling five sessions. However, the available timings we initially chose were not always available, and there were changes made later on as well. During these consultations, we had meetings with Lee Mona, the CEO of a coffee shop. We learned more about calculating the costs of ingredients and labor, as well as how to collaborate with coffee shops and other aspects of business promotion. These meetings were very insightful, although she acknowledged that we already had a good understanding of many aspects, such as creating a logo to establish brand recognition.
On June 16, an employee from the Immigration Bureau, along with a camera crew, came to conduct a video interview. I had to introduce myself, share our plan, and explain how the purchased items had helped us. They also filmed me baking cakes. The advantage was that I could speak in English, and my husband provided the translation.
The program culminated with a gala event on August 13, where all the winners from various categories gathered in Hsinchu. Since we were also in the process of moving houses, we rented a place in Toufen, Miaoli. We had to carry many things and unpack early in the morning. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law took the High-Speed Rail to join us and take care of our son while we attended the Immigration Gala. The venue, Amazing Hall, was quite spacious, and everyone had a place to showcase what they were doing. We only brought our laptop and a short video presentation, but many people brought food, clothes, paintings, and other items related to their businesses. We received a certificate for participating, and it was presented to us by high-ranking officials from the Immigration Bureau. We had to walk to the stage in front of everyone else, and surprisingly, I didn't feel nervous. Afterwards, they visited each presentation area, and each of us had to introduce our business. Since my Chinese skills are not very good, my husband did the talking for me. Lunch was provided, and there was unlimited tea to drink. We also had an article published in a magazine, and we received a power bank as a gift. All we had to do was recommend their group on the Line app. The only mistake my husband made was parking in the wrong parking lot, which didn't belong to the Immigration Bureau, so we had to pay for it ourselves.
Everything ended with gala that all group joined on 08/13. We had to drive to Hsinchu, it was held in an Amazing Hall. At the same time we are moving house, so we just rented place in Toufen, Miaoli. We carried plenty of things and unpacked early morning. Mother-in-law and sister-in-law took HSR to come here as well, to watch our son for us while we went to Immigration Gala.
The place was quite big, everyone had a place to showcase what they are doing. We only brought laptop and made short video, but many people carried food, clothes, paintings or other things that they are doing. We got certificate for joining, it looked very official as high position people working for Immigration Bureau held it to us. We had to walk to the stage in front of everyone else. Surprisingly I didn't feel nervous! After that, they walked to every presentation area and each of us had to introduce our business. Since my Chinese sucks, my husband did that for me lol
They served us lunch, there was unlimited tea to drink as well. We have another article in magazine. We also got powerbank, all we had to do is to recommend they group on Line app. The only mistake my husband did was to park in wrong car parking that didn't belong to them, so we had to pay for it on our own lol
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