[quote=“dashgalaxy86”]We’re going to dash into court anyway, maybe, and then straight to the immigration office so we can apply for the JFRV.[/quote]No. It’s not going to work like that.
[quote=“dashgalaxy86”]I think it must be like applying for a resident visa: no one will bother you with overstays or similar problems while a JFRV is processing, just like if your visa runs out while you apply for your resident visa, it’s OK to stay until the resident visa shows up.[/quote]That’s correct. However, you have a very long road to walk before you are going to be able to apply for the JFRV. It’s going to take three months minimum from today IF you begin TODAY! It’s a major time consuming pain in the ass!
[quote=“dashgalaxy86”]One thing that is weird to me though: They pay me in cash, and I’ve never noticed any real deductions from taxes. That was a red flag.[/quote]Weird? Not weird. Disturbing to say the least. Have they given you your white report of Withholding and Non-Withholding Statement so you can file your taxes for the 2010 tax year no later than May 31, 2011? If not, then they haven’t been reporting your earnings to the tax bureau and they haven’t been withholding any of your income to satisfy your tax obligations for the 2010 tax year. They are required to do this in accordance with the work-permit they got for you (or didn’t get for you!)
[quote=“dashgalaxy86”]The school is really close to a police station and police drop in all the time with questions, usually unrelated to me. I don’t know. [/quote]That’s right. You don’t know. They are probably there to pick up their monthly red envelope of pay off money for not busting you and the school for illegally employing a foreigner without a valid work-permit and ARC to go with it.
[quote=“dashgalaxy86”]I’m not too worried,[/quote]Ok. But, I’m worried for you. I’ve seen, heard, and dealt with too many of these type of fuck-jobs. I truly hope for the best for you.
[quote=“cfimages”]Just going to the courthouse (actually the household registration office) may not be enough. To get married you first need to show a certificate of singleness to prove you are not married elsewhere. I am not sure where a US citizen gets one but in Australia I got mine from the same place that issues birth certificates. That then needs to be notarized by TECO in your home country, as well as having an official translation done. All this takes a while - for mine a couple of years ago, it took about a month.[/quote]This is correct. For American citizens wanting to get married in Taiwan the procedures are nearly identical.
- Get a certificate of no impediment (certification of single status) from the AIT. Costs around $50 USD.
[quote=“AIT Website Information Regarding Marriage in Taiwan - acs.ait.org.tw/marriage-info.html”]
Marriage & Divorce in Taiwan
Taiwan law regarding marriage is very simple. Effective May 23, 2008, registration of a marriage at the Household Registration Bureau Office (HHR) constitutes a performed marriage. The date of the registration at this office is the effective date of the marriage. The HHR Office’s printed record of the marriage constitutes official evidence of the marriage. However, the HHR office can also issue a “Marriage Certificate” in both Chinese and English for a fee of NT$100, if requested.
Taiwan nationals must register their marriage at their own regional HHR office(s). If both parties are foreigners, they may choose any HHR office. The couple must go to the HHR office with passports; ARC (if applicable); and a prepared written marriage agreement between the two parties, which has already been signed by two adult witnesses (witnesses do not need to appear at the HHR office). Click here for a sample marriage agreement.
Foreigners who want to marry in Taiwan will also need to provide written proof from their home government that they are single and legally free to marry. This document must then be authenticated by the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Because there is no centralized marriage registry in the U.S. to confirm single status, Taiwan authorities will accept a sworn statement of single status (an Affidavit notarized by AIT) from U.S. citizens. Click here for more information on notarial services at AIT. Once notarized by AIT, this Affidavit must then be authenticated by the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also effective May 23, 2008, marriages performed by Notaries Public at a District Court are not final legal marriages until they are registered at the HHR Office. In other words, couples who use the District Court must also register the marriage at the HHR office in order for the marriage to be completed under Taiwan law. The Notary Public can only issue a “Certificate of Notary Public,” and cannot issue a “Marriage Certificate.” The official date of the marriage under Taiwan law will be the date that the couple registered it with the Household Registration Bureau, not the date that the couple appeared at the District Court.
Some couples choose to purchase stylized blank marriage certificates from book stores or download them from the internet and complete them themselves. These can be beautiful mementos, but the HHR record printout and/or the HHR-issued marriage certificate are the official evidence of marriage.
For more information visit the Department of Household Registration website at: ris.gov.tw. This site lists the addresses of HHR offices by region and city.
All U.S. states have their own laws concerning marriage and all states generally recognize marriages performed outside of their jurisdiction, provided that the marriage was in compliance with the laws of the place in which it was performed. Since the requirements for legal marriage differ from state to state, U.S. citizens should contact their state for more information about how a foreign marriage will be treated in their state.[/quote]
2. Make an appointment at a court house to get married. You can’t just walk in. After you get married in the court house you MUST take your documents to your local Household Registration and file them or you won’t be considered married.
OR you can totally skip the court house wedding and instead simply go to a book store and buy a simple, DIY marriage kit, fill out the necessary paperwork included and then walk in (without an appointment) to your local Household Registration office and file it. For the low, low, bargain basement price of $220 NTD you can get a marriage package pictured below. You get one official marriage contract which gets filed at the Household Registration Office and you get two decorative marriage licenses in matching(his & hers) happy, happy, joy, joy, red colored booklets as keepsakes. Forever!
The whole package - $220 NTD
The decorative wedding certificate
The official marriage contract to be filed with the HHR Office
[quote=“cfimages”]But to apply for a JFRV you need a criminal background check done by the FBI that also needs to go to teco. No idea how long that takes for the US but mine in aust took about a month and that was with my mum helping with mailing stuff back and forth.[/quote]Correct. This is the totally mind numbing, pain in the ass, time consuming dragfest which can take a minimum of 3 months if you make no mistakes and are really on your toes. If it’s your first time, then it can take longer. Basic thumbnail of the procedures:
- Get your fingerprints taken at the NIA.
- Send a criminal background check request to the FBI along with the necessary fees and request forms.
- Up to three months later the FBI will complete your backround check and mail it to you.
- You must then translate it into Chinese and mail the orginal and the Chinese translation to the Washington DC TECRO to be authenticated along with the necessary fees and request forms.
- After the TECRO authenticates it, they will mail it back to you in Taiwan.
- Then, you submit the authenticated original FBI background check and the authenticated Chinese translation with your JFRV application.
[quote=“cfimages”]You cannot begin the process of getting a jfrv without those documents as well as a criminal check from the taiwan police and a health check.[/quote]Correct.