APRC Application Procedures (Official Checklist)

Legal Visa & Residency
881

[quote=“Dr. Milker”]To clarify about the new rules, they’re not “based on the press release,” but rather the latest amended version of the Regulations Governing Visiting, Residence and Permanent Residence of Aliens, which came into effect on October 25th, and can be found on the National Immigration Agency’s website
here: immigration.gov.tw/ct.asp?xI … 29649&mp=1[/quote]
Yes. I realize that rules, policies and laws aren’t based on presss releases. :unamused:

However, in Taiwan, many times the press releases are the only “formal” notifications we get regarding changes in policies and laws. Further, as is clearly shown in the past couple postings, we foreigners end up knowing more about the rules, policies and laws than the NIA agents who are supposed to be the duty experts. I had to practically hold the hand of the APRC processing agent and explain the rules to them when the NIA first started up in 2007 because they didn’t have a clue what was required. I was even asked for a copy of my checklist for the APRC procedures! :loco: Lastly, official government webpages aren’t usually found to be up to date with current and relevant information and/or there is conflicting and contradictory in nature. Just last week an APRC agent laughed in one of my client’s faces for suggesting that he no longer had to submit an FBI background check and health check and that the rules wouldn’t go into effect for at least a year! He wants to go back and laugh in her face and tell her what the score really is. However, I’m recommending against that because we wouldn’t want to hurt the poor NIA official’s feelings for not knowing her job and make her lose face. It might make my client’s application have “problems”.

I thank you for directing all of us to the relevant official web page with the official gouge. :notworthy: Now we can all print out a copy and if necessary roll it up into a sharp point and stick it into the eye of our APRC processing agents if they give us any shit regarding the criminal record check or the health check if in fact we meet the requirements where it’s unnecessary.

I will update the first page of this APRC thread, so we can be as current as possible.

Thanks again. :bow:

882

So NCS, you think this is for real then? It is good advise in any case to print out the relevant pages for reference.

Yep, people not knowing new regulations for months is common. When it looked like I had overstayed my ARC back in 1999, the first agent I saw was just going to give me a quick extension but the dude beside him cut in saying the rules had changed and they couldn’t do that. The first guy was visibly confused having never heard of a rule promulgated only 2 months before. :laughing:

883

[quote=“Mucha Man”]So NCS, you think this is for real then? It is good advise in any case to print out the relevant pages for reference.

Yep, people not knowing new regulations for months is common. When it looked like I had overstayed my ARC back in 1999, the first agent I saw was just going to give me a quick extension but the dude beside him cut in saying the rules had changed and they couldn’t do that. The first guy was visibly confused having never heard of a rule promulgated only 2 months before. :laughing:[/quote]

I’m sending a client in with a completed APRC application with FBI criminal background check and health check in to the NIA office in Zhong-He in about a week or so. At that time, I’ll tell him to remove the background check and the health check from his package and replace them with the official October 25th changes paper. This client is qualified to not submit the FBI background check and the health check, so we’ll see how the NIA office for New Taipei City handles it. I’ll report the results back afterward.

Is it for real? Probably. But, as you say, probably not a lot of people who should know…actually know. You know!!! It gets exasperating at times with the absolute lack of competence of government officials…FROM ANY COUNTRY! :fume:

884

[quote=“Dr. Milker”]The latest amended version of the Regulations Governing Visiting, Residence and Permanent Residence of Aliens, which came into effect on October 25th, and can be found on the National Immigration Agency’s website
here: immigration.gov.tw/ct.asp?xI … 29649&mp=1

Here are the relevant lines:
中華民國一百零一年十月二十五日內政部台內移字第1010933919 號令修正發布第 6、11、12、19、22條條文，刪除第13、14條條文；並自一百零一年十月二十五日施行
Rough translation: By Order No. 1010933919, the Regulations were amended and promulgated on October 25, 2012; amendments were made to Articles 6, 11, 12, 19 and 22, and Articles 13 and 14 were removed; these changes also came into effect on October 25, 2012.

And from Article 12…
外國人申請永久居留，於合法連續居留五年期間，每次出國在三個月以內者，得免附第一項第四款文件及第六款之本國刑事紀錄證明。
When aliens apply for permanent residence, if, during their five years of continuous residence, each trip abroad is within three months in duration, the document specified in Item 4 (the health check) and the home country criminal record check specified in Item 6 may be waived.

So the language is pretty clear: as long as each TRIP overseas is under three months, and you’re here at least 183 days per year, you don’t need the health and home country police checks.[/quote]

Ok, I just finished reading through the whole damned document. What a pain in the ass!

A couple thoughts & comments.

  1. The specific article related to the health check and criminal record check is [color=#FF0000]Article 11[/color]. Article 12 is related to Investment Immigration.

  2. The final article of this document is Article 25 which states the following;

[color=#FF0000]第 二十五 條 本辦法施行日期，由內政部定之。[/color]

Rough translation: The enforcement date will be determined by the Ministry of the Interior.

So, does this mean that these new laws have been enforced or enacted at this time? Or does it mean that the M.O.I. will let us know when it’s officially been put into effect? How do any of you other Chinese readers interpret Article 25?

885

[quote]I thank you for directing all of us to the relevant official web page with the official gouge. Now we can all print out a copy and if necessary roll it up into a sharp point and stick it into the eye of our APRC processing agents if they give us any shit regarding the criminal record check or the health check if in fact we meet the requirements where it’s unnecessary.

I will update the first page of this APRC thread, so we can be as current as possible.

Thanks again.

[/quote]

No prob! We need all the ammunition we can get going into battle against the bureaucrats.

[quote]1. The specific article related to the health check and criminal record check is Article 11. Article 12 is related to Investment Immigration.
[/quote]

Sorry about that, I’m a little math challenged.

[quote]2. The final article of this document is Article 25 which states the following;

第 二十五 條 本辦法施行日期，由內政部定之。

Rough translation: The enforcement date will be determined by the Ministry of the Interior.

So, does this mean that these new laws have been enforced or enacted at this time? Or does it mean that the M.O.I. will let us know when it’s officially been put into effect? How do any of you other Chinese readers interpret Article 25?[/quote]

It means both–the MOI will let us know when it’s been put into effect, which they did here:

[quote]中華民國一百零一年十月二十五日內政部台內移字第1010933919 號令修正發布第 6、11、12、19、22條條文，刪除第13、14條條文；並自一百零一年十月二十五日施行
Rough translation: By Order No. 1010933919, the Regulations were amended and promulgated on October 25, 2012; amendments were made to Articles 6, 11, 12, 19 and 22, and Articles 13 and 14 were removed; these changes also came into effect on October 25, 2012.[/quote]

That’s the last item that appears on the list of amendments that have been added since the regulations were first passed (the list is right at the top, before the articles)

886

I can confirm that I applied in Taipei City yesterday without the Health Check or the Criminal record check. The agent was surprised, but merely double checked and agreed that it was no longer needed.

On a side note this is the third time I’ve applied for my APRC, and I was just waiting on my delayed Criminal Record Check to arrive from the UK. I’d heard of the upcoming changes, and had of course been in to check if I still needed the CRC and Health stuff. I was assured that I did. Of course I’ve still paid for the health check this time, and basically everything but the notarization of my CRC, so around NT8,500 this time in unnecessary charges. The best bit? The date that the regulations actually came into effect was the date I could have reapplied, October 25th…It seems I am destined to throw money at this process. Fingers crossed that it’s third time lucky.

887

Good luck! :pray:

888

So, kitkat, am I to assume you have put in all the papers before, waited, and then been rejected? Or, were you rejected at the interview (putting in the papers) stage?

889

The first time I applied I was told everything was in order, then I later got a call that the agent had got it wrong. He was a muppet that didn’t know his arse from his elbow though, and he got demoted shortly after.

The second time I checked I was eligible, got my papers together and then the dedicated APRC agent found an obscure regulation that no-one else knew about which meant I had to wait an extra year to be eligible. Since I’d already prepared and paid for the documents I applied anyway on the off chance that the agent’s recommendation that I be granted it anyway be approved. But that didn’t work.

This time I noticed that the main desks could accept applications now, so I just applied with a regular agent. He said everything seemed in order, so I’m just waiting now with all my fingers and toes crossed. They also told me a month, but actually they should reply within 14 working days, according to NCS, so I’m trying to resist the temptation to call up after only five working days to check everything is okay.

890

Well, good luck this time. I put in on Monday so it’s a waiting game too…crossing all relevant bits and pieces…

891

Just filed my APRC application under the new rules, and the whole process was refreshingly fast and easy.

I dropped by the Taipei NIA office on Monday the 19th to clarify exactly what I needed, as it wasn’t very clear on the checklist. I asked the police guy at the info desk about the health check and home country police record, and he confirmed that they were no longer required. So it looks like this is common knowledge at the NIA at this point. He also confirmed that not EVERY page of my old and new passports needed to be copied–just the data page at the front and any pages with immigration stamps on them. Mr. Ma’s green policies bearing fruit, perhaps? The checklist also says “applicant must submit an individual income tax statement AND a salary statement,” which didn’t make sense to me becuase the salary you made during the past year is of course on your tax statement. Mr. police guy wasn’t sure about this either, so he went to ask the higher ups. Turns out that just the tax statement is enough, and becuase I filed jointly with my wife, I can use a joint tax statement. Is just the tax statement enough because I’m switching from JFRV to APRC? Not sure… The checklist also states that dependents need to submit “household registration (valid for 3 months only) or ARC.” So does that mean I don’t need a copy of the household registration? No, the “or ARC” applies to dependents of spouses who are applying. So then I rode over to the Foreign Affairs Police to apply for my local police check (NT$100) and then to the household affairs office and tax office (in the same building) for my household registration (NT$15) and tax statement (free).

Total time spent: a little over an hour
Total cost: NT$115

Next, on the morning of Thursday the 22nd, I picked up my police report (it was ready the day before) and then headed over to the NIA to submit my application. First, I went downstairs to have my photo taken (NT$120) and then went back upstairs and took a number. Ten minutes later I was sitting in front of a clerk and handing her my paperwork. I was expecting a long interview process, but all she did was basically make sure I filled out the application form correctly and had all the required documents. There was one weird thing: She asked me if I’d made any trips over three months during the past five years, and I said no. Then she handed me a blank sheet of paper and asked me to write a statement to that effect and sign and date it. She also said that if they later determined I had made any three-month trips, the health and police checks would still be needed. I assumed that information would be at her fingertips, but apparently not. Or was it just that she’s a regular clerk and not fully clued in on the new procedures? Anyway, the whole “interview” process took less than 15 minutes, and I was on my way with receipt in hand.

Total time spent: about an hour
Total cost: NT$120 (plus NT$10,000 when my APRC is ready)

Now the final wait begins…

892

You are going from JFRV to APRC, so the blue tax form you submitted listed both you and your wife’s income separately, or just your joint income totals?

Last December 2011 I went from ARC to APRC, but I’m married and my wife and I file jointly. As I was switching from ARC to APRC, not JFRV to APRC, the NIA needed a blue form which clearly stated my individual income, not the joint income for me and my wife. A blue tax office form which listed my individual income was all they needed. No other tax or income statement.

893

[quote]You are going from JFRV to APRC, so the blue tax form you submitted listed both you and your wife’s income separately, or just your joint income totals?

Last December 2011 I went from ARC to APRC, but I’m married and my wife and I file jointly. As I was switching from ARC to APRC, not JFRV to APRC, the NIA needed a blue form which clearly stated my individual income, not the joint income for me and my wife. A blue tax office form which listed my individual income was all they needed. No other tax or income statement.[/quote]

The form I submitted just had the combined total of our incomes. In fact, the people at the tax office said that because our taxes were filed in her name (she lists her parents as dependents) it wasn’t possible to give us an individual tax form. For the same reason, I don’t even have the right to request tax forms of any kind myself. What they could have done is given us (i.e. my wife) a form showing itemized income. But that wasn’t necessary becuase, as I’m applying for my APRC as a spouse, it doesn’t matter who earns the income, as long as it meets the minimum requirement–or in our case at least twice the minimum as the figure shows our combined income.

894

Figured that. And even though I have been on my wife’s household registration as her spouse for years and years, and have filed taxes jointly for all those years, I still had to get the itemized list from the tax office because I never bothered to get the JFRV. Oh well, nothing compared to the darn foreign police check for my APRC, what a pain in the butt.

BTW, you can get your tax records by yourself even if it’s filed under her name. It’s not really that hard, but forget one little thing, and you get to make another trip. Get a proxy statement from the tax office, photocopy or printed from tax office website. Have your wife fill it out. Take her ID and her chop to the tax office,take your ID (can’t remember if I had to show both passport and ARC, but I remember I took BOTH just in case) and you can get all the documents you want. I had to get some docs one time, and silly me, I forgot her Taiwan ID card.

895

[quote=“Dr. Milker”]There was one weird thing: She asked me if I’d made any trips over three months during the past five years, and I said no. Then she handed me a blank sheet of paper and asked me to write a statement to that effect and sign and date it. She also said that if they later determined I had made any three-month trips, the health and police checks would still be needed. I assumed that information would be at her fingertips, but apparently not. Or was it just that she’s a regular clerk and not fully clued in on the new procedures? Anyway, the whole “interview” process took less than 15 minutes, and I was on my way with receipt in hand.

Total time spent: about an hour
Total cost: NT$120 (plus NT$10,000 when my APRC is ready)

Now the final wait begins…[/quote]

When you receive the notice in the mail, I received my approval letter in under 3 weeks, don’t forget to call the NIA officer and tell him or her you got the letter and want to go get your APRC card. They’ll print it up and have it waiting for you. And since you’ll be on the APRC, not JFRV, you’ll also need to get your open work permit, which is easy and only $100NT.

A lot of silly things, but I’ve got a friend in the states and he’s got green card problems with his wife. The things we need to do for our JFRV and APRC are NOTHING compared to the hell and $$$$$$$ he’s going through.

896

[quote]Figured that. And even though I have been on my wife’s household registration as her spouse for years and years, and have filed taxes jointly for all those years, I still had to get the itemized list from the tax office because I never bothered to get the JFRV. Oh well, nothing compared to the darn foreign police check for my APRC, what a pain in the butt.
[/quote]
Hmm, interesting they would make that distinction, as you’re married either way. I’ve been eligible for a year, but had been putting it off precisely because the foreign police check was such a major hassle. And ridiculous too, considering I’ve been living continuously in Taiwan for close to 20 years. Ridiculous also that I’ve just now become eligible–because of the pulled-it-out-of-their-hats “administrative rules” that reset your clock to zero when you have even one or two days between work visas.

Yeah, I actually knew about the proxy statement possibility, but it seemed like basically the same thing to me, and it was easier to just drag my wife down to the tax office, ha.

Nice to know your approval came so fast. How long did it take between the time you received the letter and the time you actually picked up your card?

Yeah, true, but I still don’t see waiting nearly 20 years for a green card. Of course, the way things are these days, who knows…

897

When I got the letter, which was the week before Chinese new year, I was ecstatic. I put off getting the card until after the New Year. I was just so happy to have that letter in my hand. I took my letter in, my ten grand, my ARC and had the choice of waiting maybe 40 minutes or picking up the APRC card the next day. The NIA officer told me I should have called her that morning and she would have had it printed it out and waiting for me.

898

Greetings my esteemed Forumosans,

Allow me to add that an American client of mine also submitted his APRC application without the need for a health check or the FBI background check (which he had already gone through the trouble to obtain). He isn’t required to submit either because he hasn’t been out of Taiwan for over 3 months in a single trip in the past 5 APRC qualifying years.

When: Thursday November 29, 2012
Where: Zhong-He NIA
Agent: Bonnie Chung
Approval date: [color=#FF0000] ???[/color] 14 working days would make it approximately December 19. I will change the date once he receives the official APRC approval letter.

Bonnie Chung of the New Taipei City NIA office in Zhong-He respectfully asks that anyone looking to submit an APRC application or pick up their card once it’s been approved to please phone ahead of time and make an appointment. Please, please, no drop ins! Since this new rule regarding criminal background checks and health checks changed, the flood gates have been opened and she’s getting slammed with APRC applications. The more we help her, the more she will help us. Shout out to Bonnie! Thanks for everything!

So far, so good. :bow:

899

[quote=“Northcoast Surfer”]Greetings my esteemed Forumosans,

Allow me to add that an American client of mine also submitted his APRC application without the need for a health check or the FBI background check (which he had already gone through the trouble to obtain). He isn’t required to submit either because he hasn’t been out of Taiwan for over 3 months in a single trip in the past 5 APRC qualifying years.

When: Thursday November 29, 2012
Where: Zhong-He NIA
Agent: Bonnie Chung
Approval date: [color=#FF0000] ???[/color] 14 working days would make it approximately December 19. I will change the date once he receives the official APRC approval letter.

Bonnie Chung of the New Taipei City NIA office in Zhong-He respectfully asks that anyone looking to submit an APRC application or pick up their card once it’s been approved to please phone ahead of time and make an appointment. Please, please, no drop ins! Since this new rule regarding criminal background checks and health checks changed, the flood gates have been opened and she’s getting slammed with APRC applications. The more we help her, the more she will help us. Shout out to Bonnie! Thanks for everything!

So far, so good. :bow:[/quote]

It is sooooo easy now to get your APRC. I can’t believe it! It only takes a week now to complete everything before turning in your application. I just helped three people that were too lazy before get their APRC’s last week. All the rumors are true. No more health check or criminal background check. Amazing!! All you people that have criminal records back home, haha hurry up and get your APRC before the government changes the rules again because the government probably will.

I wish we could keep your APRC’s forever even if we left the country for a year or more. I wonder if that rule will ever change.

900

So in regards to the other part of the press release. That APRC holders, children and spouses will also be eligible for an APRC. Has anyone seen anything or heard any news about this? Is it all APRC holders or just plum blossom APRC holders?