I’m in kind of an odd situation but haven’t been able to get clarification on this. I’m on an ARC that’s set to expire in a few weeks and I want to apply for a Gold card instead of renewing my current ARC. However due to the covid situation I’d really prefer to just apply for it in my home country (US) and go to Taiwan once I have the card in hand before going back.
If I go back to Taiwan, go through quarantine, there’s only about 2 weeks left on my ARC after that, which is not enough time for applying for a Gold card which takes about a month so I risk having to fly back. Also the plane ticket costs about $2k each way right now.
Is Taiwan still issuing gold cards to foreigners? And assuming I do get it (I meet the requirements per their website), would I even be able to enter Taiwan with just a gold card visa, since they only allow ARC/Residence card holders to enter?
There is also a non-refundable application fee for applying for a gold card, and I’d rather not pay just for them to say there’s no way to enter the country right now.
Thanks!