Advantages: Joining Family or Resident thru work

:unamused: What would be the advantage of having the Joining Family Resident Visa (JFRV) over a visa through a job? Someone told me that now spouses of ROC nationals can obtain one ā€œopen work permitā€ (ā€œpersonal work permitā€) to legally work anywhere. Maybe that includes anything on freelance basis but maybe it only applies after being in Taiwan a number of years. Does anyone know of any truth to this?

I asked Richard the same question. The Open Work Permit (available to foreign spouses of ROC nationals, permanent residents, and those foreigners with direct ROC relatives) allows you to undertake any legal employment, whether in a companyā€™s offices or outside, or even seif-employment.

The last time I was at the cop shop in Taichung getting my Joining Family Resident Visa (that was in 2001, though) the nice policeman there asked if I would like to get a working visa at the same time. I asked coyly if private tutoring (ā€œhome teachingā€) counted as ā€˜workā€™. He said that it did, so I replied ā€˜well in that case, I donā€™t workā€™! He smiled.

The law was changed in late January 2002 though, and the issuing of the so-called Open Work Permit (Personal Work Permit) only began March 18, 2002.

I will get the Open Work Permit this time round. Iā€™ll be able to work for any number of companies if I want, unlike the normal work visa arrangement, where I wouild be tied to one employer.

Ahlei ā€“ I guess I misread your original post. In a nutshell, the Joining Family Resident Visa plus Open Work Permit is better than regular ARC plus work visa because of the flexibility that the Open Work Permit provides.

Correct. Moreover, renewing the ARC is not really a hassle. As long as you get that done in time, you are fine.

Just remember to stay married :wink:

Hi, thanks very much for your replies. I have a few more questions and I would appreciate your answers.

What is the fee for the open work permit?

If you have an open work permit, do prospective employers still have to meet the requirements for hiring foreigners?

What is the first stop on the jfrv path? MOFA?

Is the US one of the countries that has a marriage registration system? In other words, do US citizens married to ROC citizens have to have a marriage certificate from the US?

Thanks, Ahlei :laughing:

the fee is NT$100, so thatā€™s not going to break your budget.

No, your employer does not have to meet the requirements, even though Govt ministries might tell him otherwise. They are wrong though. Richard Hartzell might email you a scanned clarification, if you ask him.

the first step would be getting the documentation for the JFRW together. Asking the MOF might be a good idea. then you get all the documents together (Time-consuming.) Then you get a health check. Then you apply. When you get the JFRW, you go to the police and apply for an ARC. Then you apply for your OWP.

My experiences apply to Danes only, but what I did was to get married here. I took the notarized copy of the Taiwanese marriage certificate and showed it to the Danish citizen registry. They keyed my new status in (married to MS Chen). When I applied for a JFRW, I got a transcript from the registry (MR. X is married to, has Y kids born on, named etc.), got it chopped by the Danish govt and the TW office in Copenhagen and gave it to the MOF, along with my wifes household registration, which I am on as well.

That sated their desire for paper.

You first need to get your marriage legalized. You will need to have a Chinese name legali\zed as well. If you are male you will need to reigster a hu kou, or household, so that your wife may leave her familiyā€™s household and join yours. At this point you are ready to legalize your marriage at whatever bureau that is. Next you will need to apply for your Resident Visa from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Next, upon receipt of your Resident Visa you will have 15 days to apply for your spousal based ARC. After that you will need to go to the Council of Labor Affairs (or send in your application by mail) to apply for your Open Work Permit. After that you need to go to a bar and have a few pints to cool down. Iā€™m starting this process today and canā€™t wait to get to the last stop. :shock:

Please see my lengthy post over here:
segue.com.tw/viewtopic.php?t=5095
for details.

Brian

What are the cost for the ARC? I know the costs for JFRV is NT$2200.00 :frowning: and Holger said the OWP is NT$100.00 :laughing: which sounds great.
A further question I have is, once I have the JFRV, ARC, OWP, can I fly out of Taiwan and return with the same status or do I have to start from scratch this headache again?

Just never let your ARC expire while outside Taiwan.

Yes, always renew your ARC before it runs out and you should be OK.

When should I start re-newing my ARC before the old one runs out?. Do I have to do the medical again?.

Thanks

As far as I know, you donā€™t need a health test, however my experiences are based on JFRVā€™s.

The ARC based on a JFRV is renewed by taking your spouses household registration (less than 3 months old) and a photocopy (+ original of your passport), take it to the foreign affairs police, fill out a form, hand the documents and the fee (+NT$1k per year granted) to the police and get them to stamp a new date of expiry on the back of the ARC. It takes 10 minutes and is no hassle if you have the documents on hand.

Of topic a littleā€¦ but what is the impact on you paying tax if you are married to a Taiwaneseā€¦ can you put her family as an expenseā€¦

what about if you wife is not working/ is workingā€¦

Yes you can, TNT. You get your wifes deduction if she doesnā€™t use it as well.

You should file your taxes together.

In prectice that means that you send your wife down to the tax office and get her to sort things out.

Is the JFRV/OWV only limited to foreigners who are married to a Taiwanese spouse? What if I am single and joining my parents in Taiwan? Can I still receive the JFRV/OWV? If yes, you just made my day :slight_smile: