New National Immigration Agency starting January 2, 2007

Legal Visa & Residency
21

Um, I don’t recall the FAP ever claiming otherwise. The claim was always that if you wanted to qualify under the shorter 5 year period, it had to be from the time of receiving your ARC on basis of marriage, otherwise you would have to qualify under the 7 year rule. The controversy is whether or not someone who has, for example, had residency for 5 years, but has only been married for 3 years would qualify or not. The law is unclear on the point, though the FAP had always said that if you want to qualify under the 5 year rule, those 5 years must be after obtaining the JFRV ARC on basis of marriage.[/quote]

I’m just repeating what was told to me by the FAP. I spoke to the “information desk” and asked very clearly. The man said that the seven years of residency rule could not count if it was under different kinds of ARC, such as a work ARC for 4 years plus being married for 3 years. I’d have to wait two more years to qualify under a marriage ARC. Now, I know that is not right, and the NIA website also says that view of the law is not right either. If you have lived in Taiwan legally for 7 years, you must apply for your PARC within 2 years or you will not get it.

If you wait more than 2 years after living in Taiwan legally for 7 years to apply for PARC, you have missed the deadline for applying. How about if you have been married between 5-7 years and would qualify on the basis of marriage?

22

[quote]If you have lived in Taiwan legally for 7 years, you must apply for your PARC within 2 years or you will not get it.

If you wait more than 2 years after living in Taiwan legally for 7 years to apply for PARC, you have missed the deadline for applying.[/quote]
More nonsense, twocs. :wink:
If you become eligible for PARC, either under the five-year JFRV model or the 7-year work-sponsored ARC, and then for some reason cease to have the same type of ARC, you have a two-year window to apply for PARC. That’s what that 2-year thing means.
For example, if I were to get a divorce and thereby lose my JFRV, I’d have a two-year grace period in which to apply for PARC.

I mean, nearly all of my friends with PARC (and I know around 30 PARC-holders) have been here for around the same length of time as me – about 20 years. Using your reckoning (or the reckoning of the cop who gave you this false information), both I and all of those other people would be ineligible to apply for PARC.

23

Not sure what you mean, sandman. I do understand that you can’t wait more than two years to get permanent residency for some reason.

[quote=“iff.immigration.gov.tw”]Problem: Is there a time limit for applicants who want to apply for permanent residency?

Answer: Applicants must file for permanent residency within 2 years after they have fulfilled the required period of visit and residency. They will lose their right to apply for permanent residency after the deadline.

Question: What conditions will prevent foreigners from obtaining permanent residence status?
Answer: Having not filed for a permanent residence status within two years after legal stay or residency required by the law.[/quote]

For the life of me I can’t think of a good reason why there should be a two year restriction on getting permanent residency in Taiwan. If you’ve lived in a country for a long time, you should be allowed to become a permanent resident.

24

You really shouldn’t ask an unusual question once and expect to get the right answer. (The question is unusual because the FAP was most familiar with processing ARCs, not APRCs.)

25

anyone have any more info on this? i thought the situation was as sandman described, they seem pretty clear about it on the website though.

26

I have to get a new ARC card. Anyone know the address and directions to the immigration office for Chung-Ho/Yung-Ho residents? I used to go to the police station in Panchiao, is it anywhere near there? Thanks in advance for any help.

27

Just up the street about 300 M. from the old FAP. There are other posts about this including a map. However, it is very easy to find. It is on the opposite side of the street as the old FAP building and has gold lettering above the door announcing the name. There is a stop light in front of the building. Just go toward Costco from the old FAP. It can be a bit crowded and be sure to push the right button for your que number. They have two sets of numbers. Expect a two week wait to pick up your card. You will also need a larger picture than used before. If you need to get new ones, try to get them away from this place as the guy up the street over charges but they are the right size.

28

Click, click, click, fucking CLICK!

Fuck that for a game of soldiers. I need information from somebody with an ounce of grey matter. Which I’m surely not going to find on that ludicrous website.

Can someone please tell me where the immigration office for Taipei County is? I’ve heard its close to the FAP office in Banciao. Can someone tell me where it is in relation to the FAP office?

Thankee.

29

Sandy, it’s nearby. I put this on Google maps.

See also this earlier thread: National immigration agency Banqiao.

30

Thank you Cranky. So I come off the Bei-er gao, get on the 106 (Zhong Shan) and continue till sec. 3 where it changes to Minzu and bob’s my uncle? Basically the same road as the FAP but closer?

31

Yup. And on the opposite side of the street. Just past a stoplight. If you see Zhonghua Telecom on your left you’ve gone too far.

It’s easy to miss because it looks like a bit like an abandoned old dorm.

32

I had my first encounter with the NIA today to change the address on my ARC. I previously dealt with a myriad of separate departments in Taipei and the National Police Thingy here in Taichung. Maybe I just got lucky but this was the best experience I’ve ever had dealing with anything ARC or visa related. The guy at the desk was reasonably friendly but most importantly knew what he was talking about and looked up everything I asked him without guessing. He gave me his card and promised to give me a hassle-free renewal when my ARC is up this November. All in all a pretty good experience by previous standards. :bravo:

33

I went to the Taipei County one today for ARC extension. No problem. From in the door to out the door took 4 minutes 38 seconds. I timed it.

34

Extending / Renewing ARC in Taipei City > My Experience
Map to NIA in Taipei City: http://www.immigration.gov.tw/immig_eng/aspcode/images/OFLocation.gif
As per a previous post, if you are travelling by MRT, hop off at Xiaonanmen station, head out exit 2 and just walk straight down to the next traffic light (I used the massive UN for Taiwan banner on the NIA building as a landmark to head for). You’ll need to enter the busier side entrance for all the service counters.

I’ve heard numerous rumours that if you try to renew your ARC more than a month in advance that they may turn you away… so I played it safe and went in 3 weeks before expiry.

Grab a ticket from the machine near counter 13 on the right hand side of the room as you walk in the door (ARC/Re-entry service counters ran from 5-13)
For a renewal they’ll need:

completed multi-purpose form http://www.immigration.gov.tw/immigration/FileSystem/Application_Forms/App111.pdf(make you sure you check the relevant boxes at the top of the page (I needed to change my address at the same time, and there were no questions asked or fines for the fact that I had actually changed addresses 6 weeks earlier. I had to provide a copy of my rental agreement)
1 x photo
passport
old ARC
work permit (they’ll need to see the original)
employment / on-the-job certificate
NTD1,000 (for 1 year, or an extra NTD1,000 per extra year or part thereof you want your ARC extended for (limited to work permit expiry or passport expiry))

I was amazed when the woman I dealt with had the power to perform the whole process in one go, she justed ticked off boxes and filled in a few details on the form, updated my address and ARC expiry information on the back of my card, pulled a sticker out of her drawer, applied the required number of stamps to all forms and such and stuck the re-entry sticker in passport, then collected the cash. All done! The NIA is a 711 for ARC extensions.

The place was pretty busy when I got there, so I only managed to wrap up the whole process in 7 mins 46 secs. Think Sandman still has the record :slight_smile:

By the way, most of this stuff is available at the NIA site.

35

Excuse my ignorance - is the Taipei NIA the place where I would apply for a residence visa?

36

That depends on where you are.

In Xinzhu, the office is at 12 Zhonghua Road, Section 3
tel. (03) 524-3517

Here’s a list of other NIA offices.

37

Thanks Cranky. I know that office in Hsinchu too well. They told me I had to go to Taipei and then come back to get an arc at their office. I’ll go to the Taipei NIA and hope for the best.

38

To All!

I recently went to renew my JFRV and was treated to a not so welcome surprise.

I was aware that the agency was changed and also changed locations in some cities.

What I was not aware of is that now they requrie those of us with JFRV’s to provide a contract or bill to prove we live where we say we do. I was dismayed by this as I called them, called the foreign hotline and checked the immigration agencies home page, where I did not find this requirement. Only when I went there was I handed a card that explained that for those who provide a Household registration record in another city or county other than where they live then they must provide the contract. I have renewed this visa now 4 times, this is the first time I was asked to provide this information.

Unfortuantely for me I have not signed a contract with my landlord in five years, they don’t require it and don’t want to, we pay our rent fees on time, so they don’t care.

We had called them and asked them if any other document could be substituted for the contact they said no. However, figuring the day before I was told that a bill would be ok, I went back to the immigration agency, I figured I could point fingers at the guy who told me I could do that if another agent rejected me. Lucky for me this time when I went back, they never asked me for any proof at all. But they did ask me for my wife’s ID card copy, which I did not have and which is also not required. However, they still issued me the renewal after answering some questions about my wife. I am very thankful to that individual, regardless if they knew of the regulation or not. I will not point fingers at specific agents or say which agents did what, I do not want to jepordize or get myself in trouble by doing so…

This change in policy is really unfair and really a pain and shows complete distrust of us. Why after the last 7 years and going there to get the JFRV was it not required and then all of a sudden required? Are some of you lying to them, making the rest of us legal and legit people look bad? Or is it the goverement’s attempt to try to force the agents to discriminate against us? I am quite appalled at this new policy. Even for many local citizens, many of them live in a different place than what their household registration record shows.

Furthermore, why are we limited to a three year extension? I do not want to go through the BS of applying for an APRC, and from what I understand actually the JFRV offers more benefits, particularly for working, unless that has changed.

In the US is it this much of a pain for a spouse to obtain a Greencard? From what I remember Greencards are good for like 5 years right? And then you can apply for citizenship, right? Excuse my ignorance on this as I have not even begun to look in to this for my wife because we have no plan on leaving at this minute, and I remember you have to be living int eh US to apply for the Greencard and you have to stay there without traveling for like a year or two… anyway, sorry, not an expert on that, someone else who is please comment.

Anyway, back to my… umm, well rant… After seven years of this nonsense I am kind of getting tried of it. Tired of being treated in some respects like a second class citizen… We are scrutinized for getting bank accounts, phone numbers, credit cards, when is it going to end? Even being married for seven years seems to prove nothing to these guys in the high government… Are we limited because we fall in to the category of all foreigners no matter where we come from? And would it be ok for us to get special treatment and those from SEA not to? I think it should be fair all across the board no matter where one is from, other than maybe China or Vietnam where we see so many of the wife’s abused and forced into prostitution…

The last three times I renewed my JFRV it was like heaven, no BS, agents polite, knowlegable, willing to speak English if you wanted, didn’t harass you and were very helpful. I think generally that hasn’t changed other than some hardasses that either do not like us, fear for their job, feel they really do need to follow the law for the first time in their lives or fear foreigners… I don’t get it… Different day, different agent, different answer, though I am sure that is the same in all countries…

So what, should, if anything, we married expats do to resolve some of these issues? I for one am becoming very irritated with stupid senseless policies that show me nothing other than how discriminatory some government officals are…

Yes, this is somewhat of a rant, I am irriated, but I make some pretty good points right? Some things that we should really look into and stop just letting them slide by. We live here, we deserve respect also. If we had to leave Taiwan because we could not show a contract, what happens to our wifes? Or heck even our kids? Is that fair? I don’t think so!

So, come on, what are we going to do about this? Just sit here and do nothing?

39

Strange, I renewed my ARC today, and was asked for no such contract of residence. EDIT: But then again, my household registration is in Taipei, and I went to the Taipei office.

Renewal was a piece of cake: after waiting about an hour for about 60 numbers to be called, my turn came, and I provided them with a huji tengben, a photocopy of my new passport, my ARC, my old and new passports, my application and NT$3000, and a few minutes later I was legal for 3 years and a month, plus a multiple-reentry sticker in my passport.

By the way, to get to the office in Taipei, go to the Ximen MRT station, go out exit 2, walk about 20 seconds until you see the parking lot, cut diagonally across the parking lot, and the office is the first big ugly building at the other end of the parking lot.

40

last time i was there they made me call my home and get someone to fax a copy of a bill with my address on it.