Hello!!! I was just told today by my employer that a policy changed in the government and now people applying for the work permit or ARC needs to have a Federal Backgroundcheck but I have NO idea how to go about that without overstaying my 90 day entry visa… Is there anyone with experience in this?
There is a thread on this…Taiwan ARC criminal record check
If you are from the US, you need to send your fingerprints, and US$30 (i think) to the FBI and sit and wait 6-8 weeks for the results.
https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks
To get your fingerprints, you DL their card and go to the nearest NIA (that is what I did when my employer first requested, then later, after 2 rejections, said he didn’t need it) and hope it is clear enough that it does not get rejected by the FBI people.
As for your VISA, no clue. I have a JFRV, so I did all the FBI crap 7 years ago before I moved here. Hence, I did not need it as previously mentioned, but my boss requested it.
Good luck.
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You can do visa run.
What is Visa run?
Their website says it takes 10-12 weeks… is there a way to make it go faster? Our contract says our ARC needs to be processing before our 90 day visa expires or we need to fly ourselves to Hong Kong and back.
Just go to HK, Philippines, or anywhere out of taiwan before the 90 day visa exempt stay period expire, then come back to Taiwan.
Since when does the US government move fast?
The time frame is actually 8 to 16 weeks. That does not help. But, since Taiwan just recently announced this, and is implementing ASAP, given the number of US teachers over here, this is gonna cause problems in the short term.
Sorry all the questions. Because of this then will we not get the tax return at the end of the year? If we’re going to have to leave the country wouldn’t we not get it then? Because we were all really banking on that.
You mean the foreign credit F-2555 bit? How long will you be out of the country? As long as it doesn’t go above a certain number of days, you can qualify for it, in whole or in part.
If you are talking about something else, then I have no clue.
As noted in the other thread (or the other other thread), for now you may be able to sign an affidavit promising that you have no criminal record. The precise rules for these background checks (in terms of Taiwan law) are supposed to come out by the end of this month.
I am in the same boat, I signed a contract in early July and the new rules went into effect July 28th. A general state CORI does not work, I have tried and been directly told you need an FBI background report. The situation right now is very similar for teachers in Korea, they also require an FBI background check so if you want to read further into this consider looking up teachers in Korea.
You basically have two options. Tell your employer you need 4 to 5 months of time before you can actually start working and you need to go back state side.
Alternatively, you can expediate the process by going through an * FBI channeler.* Get your finger prints done locally at the NIA office and then fedex your prints overnight to the channeler’s address then within 24 hours to 3 days you’ll have your report. However, according to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office because this way you received your report through the private sector, it needs to be then authenticated by the State Department and then the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office themselves for the FBI report to be accepted by the Taiwanese government. So, if you’re still not state side you’ll need to hire an “Authentcator” to run your report to the state department office and then the Taiwanese embassy. I spent about 400$ in shipping and service fee’s to expediate this entire process.
I’m unsure if receive the FBI report by waiting the 8-12 weeks waiting period you would still need the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office authentification, but my assumption it would be a yes.
IF you sign this affidavit, as worded “no criminal record” meaning no infractions, and say there was an infraction that would pass NIA, MOE, MOJ, Whatever-Alphabet-Agency-Is-Handling-This scrutiny, would that not be falsifying? It gets kinda sticky. I think that is the issue here.
In the US, if you get fingerprinted you have a record. No matter the lightness of the infraction. And, it may or may not be able to be expunged. It varies by state. In some states, that shoplifting charge from your 18th birthday is with you like herpes. Even though all charges are dropped.
I think the wording needs to be changed, OR it is purposely worded like that so people with anything possibly showing up on the report should look elsewhere.
If you sign an affidavit, of course you should check the wording first.
I want to mention again that the FBI database is not EVERYTHING. It is a list of felonies and high misdemeanors, which varies state to state. It also depends on the local court reporting those to the FBI. I know sometime recently they loosened the rules and include more stuff, but I don’t know when. I got an FBI check done about 16 years ago, and it showed me having a clean record, which I do not. I have a misdemeanor or two from about 20 years ago. I’m a bit curious to run it again just for fun, but probably won’t unless I have to (APRC holder, so no need.
So again, don’t assume the FBI knows it all, or that there is some master list. There isn’t.
I think a critical date in the past 20 years of US history caused all that to change. Or shortly after that date.