Getting married and applying for JFRV

Legal Legal - Marriage
81

no, this new ‘law’ started the 19 December of this year and include a small interview.
The 2 January 2007 all will move to another place (don’t know where? :frowning: ), and the FAP won’t care about ARC or visas extentions anymore from this date.[/quote]

Well, Doraemon, their procedures are obviously inconsistent since no one interviewed my wife. And how would you be able to surmise that a woman I happen to be walking with is my wife, friend, co-worker, relative, girlfriend, etc just by looking at her??? :loco:

If that is how the foreign affairs folks are going to conduct their new policy for showing your wife to prove you are married, then what a sham it is. Because you could bring in just about anyone if that were the case. :loco:

82

[quote=“doraemon”]no, this new ‘law’ started the 19 December of this year and include a small interview. [/quote]No, i’m afraid you’re incorrect. How is it that my foolish friend and his wife had to endure this nonsense ‘interview’ at the end of November? Or was that a trial run? I’m afraid, as always, you must consider the possibility that the authorities have told you another pack of lies.

[quote=“Quarters”]Why exactly did they ask for her ID? You qouted part of my post about my wife losing 2000 NT for taking time off from work. But how does that tie into your comment about asking for ID’s? [/quote]You obviously haven’t been in Taiwan long Quarters if you think your Taiwanese wife’s demeanour isn’t sufficient to stop them asking questions. It always works a treat. Having problems with FAP/BOCA? Take a Taiwanese friend/relative and get them to look incensed. Stamp your chitty and xie xie ni lo in no time (don’t bother looking up chitty in the dictionary Quarters you won’t find it; ‘rent boy’ is there though if you’re interested).

[quote]Well, Doraemon, their procedures are obviously inconsistent[/quote]Ha ha! You are indeed correct Quarters.

83

I don’t know me. :blush:
But I went on Monday to the FAP in Taipei, and it was write on a paper ‘From 19 December you must have an interview with your wife’

84

[quote=“gangster recycler”][quote=“doraemon”]no, this new ‘law’ started the 19 December of this year and include a small interview. [/quote]No, i’m afraid you’re incorrect. How is it that my foolish friend and his wife had to endure this nonsense ‘interview’ at the end of November? Or was that a trial run? I’m afraid, as always, you must consider the possibility that the authorities have told you another pack of lies.

[quote=“Quarters”]Why exactly did they ask for her ID? You qouted part of my post about my wife losing 2000 NT for taking time off from work. But how does that tie into your comment about asking for ID’s? [/quote]You obviously haven’t been in Taiwan long Quarters if you think your Taiwanese wife’s demeanour isn’t sufficient to stop them asking questions. It always works a treat. Having problems with FAP/BOCA? Take a Taiwanese friend/relative and get them to look incensed. Stamp your chitty and xie xie ni lo in no time (don’t bother looking up chitty in the dictionary Quarters you won’t find it; ‘rent boy’ is there though if you’re interested).

I am well aware that many Taiwanese feel that a cold glare, up front demanding attitude will get them what they want 99% of the time. This is not new to me nor am I naive about the way things “work” around this island. I didnt realize quickly enough that you were playing a bit tongue in cheek with your words…the whole rent boy bit ruffled my feathers a bit to hastily I’m afraid. Sorry for the semi hostile defensive rsponse there. :stuck_out_tongue:

Her demeanor was actually quite pleasant. She smiled, was polite, and sweet. I didn’t see or sense one ounce of hostility, impatience, or anything of the sort from her…that is until after we left she let loose because of the senseless time lost.

My personal experience has been,quite frankly, that it all depends on who you get at the Foreign Affairs office, what their mood is at that moment, and plain luck or lack of luck. I am sure that most Taiwanese will bend at the will of demanding behavior and that a lot of guys bring their girlfriend / wife with them to lay down the law in case of trouble. It might work for them, that is fine. But for me, I try to handle my own affairs and only bring out the big guns (my spouse) when my head hurts too much from banging it against the wall…that usualy does the trick.

I think that if a person’s attitude towards a foreign affairs officer can impact whether they get an interview or not, or have to have a certain paper or stamp or not shows inconsistency in the way they run things and a blatant failure of that office. If they require an interview, then they better damn well interview every time and not pick and chose based on how intimidating a person seems to be.

But alas, we are in Taiwan and this is the way they do things here.

85

Doraemon, I can well believe they told you the first thing that came into their heads or gave you the first piece of paper they could grab off the desk. When I’m passing FAP next I’ll have a look at the noticeboards and try to establish when this ‘law’ (is it really a law?) came into effect. That is if they haven’t pulled all this stuff down in preparation for their move to Mars or wherever. That’ll stop those damn foreigners living here.

[quote=“Quarters”]But alas, we are in Taiwan and this is the way they do things here.[/quote]Yes :wall: :cop:

86

The ‘regulation’ regarding a Taiwanese spouse accompanying their foreign husband/wife applying for a JFRV-based ARC came into effect on 12 December 2005 (if anyone is remotely interested).

The more interesting fact is that on the public notice relating to this regulation, there is no mention of an interview of any sort. It simply states that an applicant must be accompanied by their Taiwanese spouse. On the basis of this notice perhaps one could object to any form of interview/questioning beyond a simple request for confirmation of the Taiwanese spouse’s identity.

87

Just to share my own experiences as I go through this process:

First, I asked TECO in the US for clarification on whether or not translation and/or notarization of the police statement were needed before sending them to TECO, and here is the response, FYI:

[quote]Before you send the non-criminal background check to our office for certification, it needs to be notarized by Notary Public first. The translation is not required from our office, you have to check with Taiwan aurhority if they need the Chinese translation. If they require translation, you have to translate it into Chinese by yourself. The fee for certifying original non-crimainal record is US$15.00 per certification, and the fee for certifying translation is US$30.00 per certification.

If you are not sure if the translation is needed at this moment, you can just certify the original copy here. Later on, if you are already in Taiwan, and they require translation certified, you can certify the translation at the Local Notary Public (¦a¤èªk°|)in Taiwan.
…
If you have questions, please call (312) 616-0100, ext. 302.

TECO in Chicago[/quote]

I then contacted MOFA, who informed me that

  1. a translation is not required.
  2. even though I’m in my fourteenth year in Taiwan, a criminal check by the Taiwan police is not acceptable. It must be from an American law enforcement agency. I called different staff members at different phone numbers at MOFA and got the same answer on this.

For the criminal background check, I asked my hometown police (Moline, Illinois, USA) if they could do this and they mailed it to me the next business day, pre-notarized, with the following content, and free of charge:

[quote]I hereby certify that I am the Chief of Police for the City of Moline,
Illinois, and in that capacity I have caused a search to be made of the
criminal arrest record files of my own police department identification
files. Using the above name and descriptive data of the above named
individual, I further certify that I find no arrest record information.[/quote]

They also informed me that a fuller criminal background check is available for a fee at the state level, and I have already emailed away for application forms for that. It would be interesting to see whether the MOFA is satisfied with the city-level version before I present the state version (although for expediency I’ll probably just hand them both).

88

That would be lovely if true. This is my 14th year here and I’d like to skip the fingerprint BS. But as edited into my post above, MOFA told me twice that it is not true; I still need the CCRD from my home country.

89

Oh, I also asked MOFA twice (once in Chinese via Dragontaitai) whether a letter from my hometown police chief would suffice, or whether I instead needed to go with a more thorough background check including fingerprints at the state police level, and the answer was the same both times: either will do, as long as it’s from a law enforcement agency in the US and it’s certified by TECO (Taiwan’s pseudo-embassy in the US). That’s important to me, because my hometown police popped off a letter the next working day (at no charge), whereas the state police version will take a long time, costs money and is a hassle. So I’d recommend to others that they simultaneously contact law enforcement at 2 or 3 levels to see who gives the fastest result.

90

[quote=“Quarters”]I think that if a person’s attitude towards a foreign affairs officer can impact whether they get an interview or not, or have to have a certain paper or stamp or not shows inconsistency in the way they run things and a blatant failure of that office. If they require an interview, then they better damn well interview every time and not pick and chose based on how intimidating a person seems to be.

But alas, we are in Taiwan and this is the way they do things here.[/quote]

My experience in 20 or so trips to such offices in 13+ years here is that a smile, honesty, sincerity, being neatly groomed and well dressed, patiently explaining situations and asking for advice and help as if asking a friend are all very, very helpful when dealing with local officials. Even when I’ve been caught in a grey area (ahem!), these things plus an earnest desire to rectify the situation so as to be on the right side of the law have always worked for me. I’ve never had to resort to red envelopes or sexual favors. :stuck_out_tongue:

I agree with Quarters that consistency is good. Predictability is good. It’s all part of the rule of law. But I’m just reporting on my own experience for the benefit of other future readers. Be nice, be friendly, smile, be honest, ask for their help out of your predicament rather than being fussy, demanding or intimidating, and you’re MUCH likelier to get good results in my opinion. That probably applies globally though, and not just to dealing with bureaucracy in Taiwan! It’s called E.Q., people.

91

I met a nice chap in line at AIT and again at MOFA who is a step ahead of me in the process of applying for the JFRV and ARC. He has been filling me in by email on the things it turned out he needed, so I’ll share them here with everyone:

For the CCRD (crim. record check) you need to fill out an application form requesting document certification (I guess you can get one from MOFA; he send me one by email), and don’t forget a notarized photocopy of your passport (I got mine done at AIT). TECO specified to me in an email that I needed to enclose payment for the return postage but didn’t mention enclosing an envelope, while he was told you have to provide the return postage and envelope to them with your application (oops). He was told of four types of payment they accept, and I was told only of checks drawn on US banks. Go figure.

For the JFRV, he needed a xerox copy of the CCRD doc (they let you keep the original but you need to show that) and a copy of the household register that has your name, her name, her parents, and her siblings with an official stamp on the back. This is apparently not the same as the household register (which in Chinese is, I gather, 戶口名簿 hu4kou3 ming2bu4), but is a different document (戶籍謄本 hu4ji2teng2ben3) requested at the same office. He also needed the result of the physical (you show it but keep that) and a copy you give them; and photocopies (not necessarily notarized) of the passport front page and of the page with the current visa on it; and the affidavit of single status form notarized by AIT. The results took 2 weeks to get back.

For the ARC application he needed another copy of the Household Register; a xerox copy of the photo page of his passport and a copy of the JFRV resident visa; a photo; and the application form filled out onsite. The local spouse needs his/her ID card. He was given a 3-year ARC after a delay of three weeks. The fee was $3k.

92

[quote=“Dragonbones”]He was given a 3-year ARC after a delay of three weeks.[/quote]Nice. The first time I applied they would only give me one year. The next time I got two, the last time I got three.

93

They told me at Immigration that they’ll only give me one year (despite this being my fourteenth year in Taiwan). :frowning: But we’ll see. Maybe if I remind them that I’m eligible for a PARC they’ll be more lenient.

94

My understanding is that for first time JFRV applicants then the standard is one year, with three years being the norm thereafter, subject to expiry dates on passports etc.

95

Yeah, same here. Well, I’ll double check with this chap to see whether perhaps it was a renewal he was processing.

EDIT – Nope, 1st time, and he was expecting 1 year. His wife’s not a local, so that might be the reason, but it could just be inconsistency at work.

96

There’s nothing in the law about this. The law states that they can grant you residency of “up to 3 years”. Presumably they can give you 2 months if you feel like it.

The way Taipei City and Taipei County processed it was 1 year the first time and 3 following. I don’t know if the NIA have kept this convention or not, but there’s no reason why they can’t legally give you three years, and there’s frankly no logical reason why they should only give you one the first time.

Brian

97

Well, there is a lot of talk about how many brides from SE Asia and our ugly neighbor that go missing soon after getting a JFRV. Perhaps this policy is aimed at limiting the amount of time during which they can float around whilst ‘separated’ before their JFRV expires?

98

If so you’d expect them to give a longer term to someone like me who has already been here for AGES and who is gainfully employed already.

99

They might be afraid that someone with (say) a Vietnamese passport would make a big deal about your nice 1st-world passport and how you got better treatment because of that. Taiwanese authorities appear to be racist, but they are at least sometimes able to pretend otherwise.

100

I’m not talking about getting special treatment due to my passport being from the U.S… I’m talking about better treatment based on historical residency, which someone with, say, a Vietnamese passport would also be entitled to.