An automated chatbot service for migrant workers on instant messaging app LINE has been upgraded with a function that provides automatic notifications to workers on their visa and employment status, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Friday.

The chatbot service, dubbed the “1955 E-Line,” was set up in May by the MOL’s Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to provide migrant workers in Taiwan easier access to COVID-19 prevention information in their mother language (English, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai).

The upgrade will redirect users to a “1955 LINE ID and Identity Binding” webpage for them to sign up for the new function that binds migrant workers’ smartphones to a personalized push service.

Once workers have signed up, they will gain access to services and notifications related to their personal employment and visa status in their native language through their smart devices.

The first specific feature introduced Friday sends push notifications to migrant workers that remind them of their employment expiration date, according to WDA division chief Hsueh Chien-chung (???).

He said push notifications will be sent four months, 14 days, and seven days before a worker’s employment period in Taiwan ends to provide migrant workers with enough time to plan their future employment in Taiwan.

The WDA decided to implement the upgrade in response to the high number of migrant workers who have called into a separate MOL “1955 Hotline” seeking help on a wide variety of issues.

The hotline often takes complaints from migrant workers over language barriers when dealing with local regulations, as well as questions on their personal visa status because of their restricted access to personal files, Hsueh said.

Migrant workers in Taiwan can lose track of their visa and employment status because their passports are often held by their employers, and they come to depend on their employers and manpower brokers to keep them organized.

Since the “1955 E-Line” service was set up in May, it has accumulated over 120,000 users and delivered about 200 messages in all.

Some 70 percent of them have focused on epidemic prevention information, another 16 percent have highlighted migrant worker rights, and 14 percent have been dedicated to safety reminders, Hsueh said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel