Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that 60-day Visitor Visas are issued by the MOFA, whereas ARC’s are issued by the NIA. Also, correct this if I’m wrong: The woman at the MOFA told me that I am not qualified to get an ARC because my contract is for only six months. (But I don’t trust everything that government officials say. I’ve discovered that they often say wrong things just to save their face when they don’t really know the answer.)
So what I plan to do is go to the MOFA right away to apply for a 60-day Visitor Visa. (I already called them and asked what documents I need, and I’ve got everything ready.) Then that will give me 60 days to apply for an APRC. (Actually, I could have applied for an APRC much sooner, but I was hoping to get an ARC first and apply for an APRC the usual way, instead of using the “two year eligibility rule”. I didn’t find out until today that I can’t get an ARC because my contract is for only six months.)
Mark, before you do or plan anything, please go to NIA first and see what can be done about your visa status and guarantee that the time before you lost your ARC status still counts. Would be a real pity to lose all that much accumulated time.
I am concerned about what happens when you get a new ARC. heaven help us is it sets the clock back to 0.
Don’t know anything about that 60 day visa, but you are talking about BOCA, which is part of MOFA, right?
I went to the MOFA yesterday afternoon. (I went there right after I wrote my last message at this forum.) I applied for a 60-day Visitor Visa, and they told me that I will get it 5 calendar days (3 business days) later, which will be next Tuesday.
That is not correct. In fact, there are four different kinds of 60-day Visitor Visas:
Single Entry, with no work authorization
Multiple Entry, with no work authorization
Single Entry, with work authorization
Multiple Entry, with work authorization
For the first two kinds of Visitor Visas, there is a stamp on the visa that says something like “The holder of this visa is not allowed to be employed in Taiwan.”
If I pretended that I was just sight seeing or visiting friends, then they would give me one of the first two kinds of Visitor Visas, and then I would not be allowed to work in Taiwan. But if I tell them either that I am looking for a job or that I already have a job, then they would give me the third or fourth kind of Visitor Visa.
In fact, when I was at the MOFA yesterday, they only asked me two questions:
Why do you want a Visitor Visa?
Do you want Single Entry or Multiple Entry?
For my answer to Question #1, I told them that I want to get a Visitor Visa because even though my visa status was “visa exempt,” I have been working for the last two months. And they didn’t care at all that I was working with no visa! In fact, after I told them that I was currently working, they said “Then you definitely need to get a Visitor Visa that has work authorization. In that case, you need to give us two copies of your work permit. And in addition, you also have to give us two passport-sized photographs, the Visitor Visa form (which must be filled out online and then printed out before arriving at the MOFA), and 5600 NT.” And then they said “When you filled out the Visitor Visa form, I hope you wrote down your current place of employment, so that you can get work authorization.” (Fortunately, I already did.)
For my answer to Question #2, I told them that I want a Multiple Entry visa. (And I already indicated this on the form that I filled out online and printed out.)
I’ll do that next week, after I get my 60-day Visitor Visa with work authorization.
As I said yesterday, I can not get a new ARC because my current work contract is for only six months. And anyway, my clock won’t get set back to zero (hopefully) because less than two years ago, I had an ARC, and at that time, I was qualified to get an APRC. So according to the “two-year rule,” I should still be eligible to get an ARPC, even without currently having an ARC.
I’m not sure whether or not BOCA is part of MOFA. But I know that 60-day Visitor Visas are issued at the MOFA and ARC’s are issued at the BOCA.
By the way, even though it is legal to work with a Visitor Visa (as long as it is the kind that has work authorization) or with no visa at all (“visa exempt”), this situation is supposed to be for only a few months, during the time when your school is applying for your work permit.
You are confusing me. I have never heard of that short term visit with work authorization. AFAIK, you cannot work on a visitor’s visa. And that time working, if not on ARC, does not count towards APRC. Number 4 sounds to me like the one that allows you to have ARC. And I thought single entry had gone the way of the dinosaurs. Why are they even asking? Obviously, everyone wants multiple. I really do not get it, but don’t worry, as it is not pertinent to current APRC discussions.
Let’s agree to disagree on the BOCA/MOFA thing. Tell you later why.
I would think you should do NIA first. I am afraid that the moment they give you a new visa number, something will go stray. I have this feeling in my gut, and it is not hunger.
Actually, I was mistaken because I didn’t use to know the English names of the buildings that I went to. (I only used to know the Chinese names.) Here are the names in both English and Chinese:
The place where you apply for a Visitor Visa:
English: Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA)
Chinese: 外交部領事事務所
Pinyin: wai4 jiao1 bu4 ling3 shi4 shi4 wu4 suo3
It would be useless to go the NIA because it is impossible to directly go from “visa exempt” to ARC. There is a rule that in order to get an ARC, you have to first have a Visitor Visa. That’s why I went to the BOCA yesterday to apply for a Visitor Visa.
It would be useless to go the NIA because it is impossible to directly go from “visa exempt” to ARC. There is a rule that in order to get an ARC, you have to first have a Visitor Visa. That’s why I went to the BOCA yesterday to apply for a Visitor Visa.[/quote]
But you are not getting an ARC, you want the APRC, and the clock is ticking. So I’d think you’d like to get the ball rolling on that regard the soonest, before they give you another ARC -just to be on the safe side. I am afraid of what they will say as of this moment your status has diverged several times from the usual, and they get confused when the pattern starts to stray.
Today I got my passport in the mail, and now I have a new 90-day Visitor Visa, dated November 15th (last Friday). Visitor Visas used to be for only 60 days, so I’m shocked that my Visitor Visa is for 90 days. But I plan to apply for an APRC as soon as possible anyway.
Today I went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to try to apply for an APRC, but they told me that in order to apply for an APRC, I have to already have an ARC, even using the “two year eligibility” rule. Then I tried to apply for my ARC, but they wouldn’t let me because they discovered that the 90-day Visitor Visa which I got only a few days ago has already expired! I was shocked because I thought it wouldn’t expire until February 12th because the visa was issued on November 15th. But the guy at the NIA said that the 90 days actually started the last time I arrived in Taiwan, which was August 23rd! So it expired on November 21st, which was yesterday!
This really sucks because if I had gone there yesterday instead of today, then I could have renewed my 90-day Visitor Visa for another 90 days and be able to stay in Taiwan until the middle of February! But now I have to leave the country and apply for another Visitor Visa overseas! (I can’t come back with “visa exempt” because the rule is that if you ever overstay your visa, then you can’t get “visa exempt” for the next year!)
Isn’t it true that you have to apply for the APRC no more than two years after you meet the minimum requirements? i.e., you have to apply between year 5 and year 7?
“Applying for an APRC: foreign nations who has legally and continuously resided in the State for five years and has stayed for more than one hundred and eighty-three days each year, or the alien spouse and/or children of a national with valid household registration in the Taiwan Area who have legally resided in the State for ten years, during which period the spouse and/or children have physically resided in the State for more than one hundred and eighty-three days each year for at least five years. [color=#4080FF]An application for APRC pursuant to above shall be submitted within two years after the period of stay and residence meets the requirement.[/color]”
I was also wondering about the Visitor visa with work permission. I see it on the official website but never see it discussed as an option here, and was wondering why. boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=189 … e=534&mp=2
You do not have to, in the sense that if you don’t, you are doomed. What happens is that you are given a leeway, a cushion time, of two years, AFTER any changes in your visa status SINCE you fulfilled the requisites. It is a clause supposed to help you, not harm you.
Isn’t it true that you have to apply for the APRC no more than two years after you meet the minimum requirements? i.e., you have to apply between year 5 and year 7?
“Applying for an APRC: foreign nations who has legally and continuously resided in the State for five years and has stayed for more than one hundred and eighty-three days each year, or the alien spouse and/or children of a national with valid household registration in the Taiwan Area who have legally resided in the State for ten years, during which period the spouse and/or children have physically resided in the State for more than one hundred and eighty-three days each year for at least five years. [color=#4080FF]An application for APRC pursuant to above shall be submitted within two years after the period of stay and residence meets the requirement.[/color]”[/quote]
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that this law is interpreted to mean that a person can apply for an APRC as long as he/she is either eligible right now or was eligible during the last two years.
[quote=“ximudanhua”]2) I was also wondering about the Visitor visa with work permission. I see it on the official website but never see it discussed as an option here, and was wondering why. boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=189 … e=534&mp=2[/quote]
In Taiwan, it is 100% legal to work with a Visitor Visa or even with a 90-day “visa exempt” stamp, as long as you have a work permit document issued by the 行政院勞工委員會 (xing2 zheng4 yuan4 lao2 gong1 wei3 yuan2 hui4). But you are supposed to apply for your Visitor Visa (if you don’t already have one) and then your ARC within the next 30 days after you receive your work permit.
I’m getting some conflicting information from the NIA in Taipei.
I’ve had an ARC as a student from September 1, 2009 until August 31, 2010, and then an ARC through work from September 26, 2010 until present. If I understand correctly, that 26 day gap still falls under the 90 day allowance so I should be eligible for APRC September 2 this year.
At the NIA, however, the woman at the counter was adamant no gaps are allowed and when pressed further, a supervisor came over and also said no gaps are allowed. Am I interpreting the rules incorrectly or should I push harder?
@ bananas: I am interested to your case too since my situation is similar to you
I have ARC as student since 09/2007 to 09/2013: Total 6 years because I complete Msc and PhD here in Taiwan
I have Working ARC since 09/2013 to 12/2014
Does I eligible to apply for APRC now (assume that the requirement for monthly salary is OK for me right now)
I heard that the 5 year barrel is counted based on actual 5 year working as full-time staff.
I was always under the impression, according to what I read on this thread, that ARCs based on being a student do not count towards APRC eligibility. Perhaps this is the “gap” the NIA was referring to?
I’m applying for my APRC next week in Jiayi and thanks to this thread I didn’t run into any surprises when visited the immigration office a few months back to make sure I have all my ducks in a row. The only thing that threw them for a loop for a bit was the FBI/health check exception if you haven’t left for more than a three month stretch at a time. The wording in the Chinese version of the APRC checklist could be read as it being OK to leave Taiwan inside of three months at a time (每次出國在三個月以內者). In the winter of 2011 I went home for more or less three months exactly (the stamps in my passport show me leaving Taiwan on October 2nd, 2011 and returning on January 2nd 2012). After a lengthy call to Taipei they finally decided that I wouldn’t have to submit an FBI background check or health report.
When I went back today to see if I need to make an appointment to submit my application, they confirmed that I am exempt from the FBI/health check. Also, things are slow enough here in Jiayi that you don’t need to make an appointment as long as you come in the afternoon on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
Sorry if this three month wrinkle was already covered in this thread somewhere. I admit that I haven’t read all 106 pages…
Thank you for sharing, Rudell. Actually, it is important to have confirmation that the 3 month rule is being respected. And of course, the most updated experiences. Hope you get your APRC soon.
