[quote=“Northcoast Surfer”]
Here’s a Chinese translation which the TECRO in Washington DC has accepted for 4 different FBI background checks that I have processed for others. Use it if you need it. Just change the name and personal information to protect the guilty! [/quote]
Thanks for that! I was going through the thread last night and couldn’t find it. My friend’s gonna help me with the translation, but I’d like to give her something to go off of, just in case.
Check p. 12 of this thread for my translation.
Thanks!
NCS and all the other helpful posters here:
I want to be one of you guys. :bouncy: I want to join the not so exclusive club! :bouncy:
I want to sell chicken bums on a stick at my local market. :bouncy:
I have a little issue of a one day overstay that caused my ARC to be cancelled and reissued, however, I think I have a chance of getting that overlooked. I lodged an official letter of explanation, with a dentists( 
) supporting documentation at the time, as advised by the NIA. I will cross my fingers and talk to Mr Wang in my politest most friendly tone.
I do have a question, still, after wading through all 38 pages.
If you use “B” to satisfy financial requirements, do the assets have to be in your own name, or can they be in your Taiwanese spouse’s name? I read the small print concerning “for Taiwanese spouse only” and "for Taiwanese dependents only, but I’m sorry to say that the ambiguity of the wording didn’t enlighten me much. :eh:
Anyone have info on this specific question?
Thanks!
(MR NCS sir, I think I met you on the beach at Baishawan once. If I bump into you out there again, I’d love to buy you a beer. 
)
(Fortigurn: Loved your writing in your “good documents” story! )
[quote=“kaipakati”]If you use “B” to satisfy financial requirements, do the assets have to be in your own name, or can they be in your Taiwanese spouse’s name? I read the small print concerning “for Taiwanese spouse only” and "for Taiwanese dependents only, but I’m sorry to say that the ambiguity of the wording didn’t enlighten me much. :eh: [/quote]Here’s some good news for you. If you are married to a Taiwanese citizen, you can use any assets in your name, your spouse’s name, AND your spouse’s parents’ names in order to satisfy the “B” financial requirements of the APRC application. Sounds great doesn’t it? So, if your spouses family has a bunch of land, or a couple houses, this can also be counted toward your financial declaration.
However, if you go this route, it will require official property appraisals, etc. and can turn into quite a pain in the ass. The easiest way is to show your total gross earnings from 2010 plus your wife’s. It’s unlikely that you can’t show that together with your wife you didn’t gross at least $420,000 NTD for the 2010 tax year. Right? The NIA likes things kept simple and really prefer official tax statements of your previous year’s income versus the “B” financial declaration route. I’ve only done one APRC package in this way and we showed an official bank statement with $5 million NTD in the account, and the package still almost didn’t make it. :loco:
[quote=“kaipakati”](MR NCS sir, I think I met you on the beach at Baishawan once. If I bump into you out there again, I’d love to buy you a beer. )[/quote]I will look forward to that hopefully sunny and hot day! 
Ah! Thanks for this! Clarity and advice!
I wonder if they don’t like “B” because it doesn’t show that you payed tax? 
Not saying that I HAVEN"T of course…
We do have a property appraisal so that wouldn’t be a hassle (unless it’s too old?), but I could ask spouse for official gross earnings/tax statement. That sounds fairly simple. And not likely to disturb spouse too much.
Sounds do-able. Thanks!
[quote=“kaipakati”]We do have a property appraisal so that wouldn’t be a hassle (unless it’s too old?)[/quote]Like most documents there is an expiration date. Without looking at the relevant policy, I would guess that the appraisals must be no older than 6 months before applying for the APRC. Check the thread.
[quote=“kaipakati”]but I could ask spouse for official gross earnings/tax statement. That sounds fairly simple. And not likely to disturb spouse too much.[/quote]Don’t you file jointly? I just give my wife all my earnings statements and she files our taxes jointly. Easier that way and both her income and my income are together on the official tax documents.
[quote=“Tiare”]Just wanted to post my results for others waiting on their FBI check:
Mailed from Taipei Nov.26th, arrived at FBI on Dec. 2nd.
Received the background check today! The letter was dated Jan.7th and the envelope was postmarked Jan.10th. It’s a little strange though, there’s no stamp or signature or anything on the letter. Is that normal?
Also weird, I had put my brother’s address in the States on the form as where to send the document, but they sent it to my address here anyway. I’m waiting for news from my brother to see whether or not they sent a copy to both addresses.
My plan now is to have my brother send me out a money order and a global express pre-paid envelope and I’ll just send everything from here to the TECRO office in DC.[/quote]
I asked for my background check from the FBI around the same time that Tiare and Northcoast surfer did and have not heard anything back from them yet. I am wondering if there is a way to track the progress that they are making or to check to see that I didn’t make some mistake on my side. Is there a way to do this? I am worried that I may have to send my reuquest again.
[quote=“Northcoast Surfer”]
As long as you already have those copies lying around somewhere because if you don’t have any other proof and need to obtain a blue tax statement, there’s a chance you don’t have the right to get a copy of those tax documents. Depending on who your wife has filled in as the primary taxpayer and the spouse (and if she’s doing it online, it’s likely that YOU have been denoted as the spouse), you won’t be able to obtain a tax statement from the tax bureau without her signature.
The software used to file taxes online has recently been updated to accept ARC numbers in the field reserved for the “taxpayer”, but until last year it only accepted ROC id numbers.
[quote=“spaint”][quote=“Northcoast Surfer”]
[quote=“kaipakati”]but I could ask spouse for official gross earnings/tax statement. That sounds fairly simple. And not likely to disturb spouse too much.[/quote]Don’t you file jointly? I just give my wife all my earnings statements and she files our taxes jointly. Easier that way and both her income and my income are together on the official tax documents.[/quote]As long as you already have those copies lying around somewhere because if you don’t have any other proof and need to obtain a blue tax statement, there’s a chance you don’t have the right to get a copy of those tax documents. Depending on who your wife has filled in as the primary taxpayer and the spouse (and if she’s doing it online, it’s likely that YOU have been denoted as the spouse), you won’t be able to obtain a tax statement from the tax bureau without her signature.
[A warning for foreigners filing joint taxes
The software used to file taxes online has recently been updated to accept ARC numbers in the field reserved for the “taxpayer”, but until last year it only accepted ROC id numbers.[/quote]Spaint is right again! 
Good reminder. Filing jointly with your spouse is fine, ONLY IF your relationship with your spouse is good and not on the verge of divorce and your spouse is trying to prevent you from getting your APRC.
UPDATE ON TWO PENDING FBI CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS.
[color=#FF0000]Case #2 is now closed.[/color]
FBI received the background request on 11-10-2010, my Visa card was charged $18 USD for processing on 11-23-2010. The completed background check was received at my mailing address in Seattle Washington on 1-07-2011.
[color=#FF0000]Case #3 is now closed.[/color]
FBI received the background request on 11-29-2010, my Visa card was charged $18 USD for processing on 12-09-2010. The completed background check was received at my mailing address in Seattle Washington on 1-19-2011.
Hope this helps with guesstimating how long an FBI background check takes.
[quote=“Northcoast Surfer”]Here are some of my recent statistics so you can bench mark your FBI background check request. Don’t forget to take into account the X-mas and New Year’s non-working holidays into your projection for completion.
[color=#FF0000]Case #1 - CLOSED[/color]
On March 25, 2010, DHL delivered a criminal background check request to the front desk at FBI headquarters. On May 15, 2010, the completed check arrived at my mailing address in Seattle Washington. That’s a total of 52 days. If we pare that down a bit, we can say it took them a total of 37 actual working days. However, the document itself reads that the request was received by them on March 29, 2010 and was “returned” on May 5, 2010. Utter bollocks! :fume:
[color=#FF0000]Case #2 - PENDING[/color]
On November 10, 2010, DHL delivered a criminal background check request to the front desk at FBI headquarters. To date, the check has not been completed. Based on the FBI’s published time frame of 12 weeks, it “should” be completed and returned to my mailing address in Seattle Washington on or about February 10, 2011, without taking the X-mas and New Year’s non-working days into consideration.
[color=#FF0000]Case #3 - PENDING[/color]
On November 29, 2010, DHL delivered a criminal background check request to the front desk at FBI headquarters. To date, the check has not been completed. Based on the FBI’s published time frame of 12 weeks, it “should” be completed and returned to my mailing address in Seattle Washington on or about March 1, 2011, without taking the X-mas and New Year’s non-working days into consideration.[/quote]
[quote=“Whole Lotta Lotta”]I asked for my background check from the FBI [color=#FF0000]around the same time[/color] that Tiare and Northcoast surfer did and have not heard anything back from them yet. I am wondering if there is a way to track the progress that they are making or to check to see that I didn’t make some mistake on my side. Is there a way to do this? I am worried that I may have to send my request again.[/quote]Here is the FBI Customer Service Group phone number, (304) 625-5590. I recommend you give them a call and politely tell them that you want to verify that they’ve received your background request package and see if they are able to give you an estimate of their current processing time.
It’s always best to send your FBI background request by trackable mail so that you have an exact date that they receive your package. “[color=#FF0000]Around the same time[/color]” doesn’t indicate exactly when it got there and most importantly doesn’t prove that they actually received the package. You could be sitting waiting for a background check that will never come because they might not have received the request in the first place.
Thanks, glad you liked it. Here’s the rest of the story (that’s right, its not over yet). A few days after receiving my letter from immigration telling me my application had been accepted and I could come and exchange my old ID for my new one, I called Mr Zhang at immigration to organize an appointment to pick up my APRC. Predictably, the girl who picked up the phone told me I had dialed the wrong number, and transferred me to another line. The next girl who answered told me Mr Zhang was on the phone, and also informed me that I should have dialed a different extension anyway; she promptly gave me the extension number I had called to start with, which the first girl had told me was wrong. Taiwanese circular bureaucracy at its most typical. Calling later, I finally managed to get through to Mr Zhang, who informed me that although he would be off work on Friday I could come in anyway and speak with Ms Huang.
Friday rolled around, and I went to the immigration department to speak with Ms Huang. A brief talk in Chinese with one of the staff at the information counter resulted in the information that Ms Huang was still on her lunch break and would be back at 1:30. I sat in the waiting area, occupied by myself, a young woman, and a tiny girl around two years old, who entertained herself by stumbling about the place while ‘reading’ loudly and with obvious satisfaction from an information brochure of some kind.
Ah, the immigration department. No matter how simple the task, they can find a way to complicate it beyond belief. No matter how minor the reason for your visit, you always end up waiting for at least 45 minutes. No matter how close you think you are to getting something done, they can always find a reason why something else still has to happen first.
By the time it was 1:35, I realized that even if Ms Huang was indeed back from lunch no one had any intention of letting me know. I went back to the information counter, waited my turn, and then explained everything all over again to the guy who served me; I want to speak with Ms Huang, yes I know my documentation says Mr Zhang is handling this but today Mr Zhang is not here and he told me I should speak with Ms Huang.
I was directed to another counter, with no one behind it. This was particularly annoying, since there was absolutely no way of knowing what would happen next, or when it would happen, or even if it would happen at all, and nothing to do except stand on the spot like a pillock. After another ten minute wait I was finally approached by someone who was neither Mr Zhang or Ms Huang. This guy examined my current ID card, compared it with my passport, verified my identity, took my payment of NT$10,000, and informed me cheerfully that I could pick up my APRC on February 17.
I was utterly incredulous. I had submitted all my documents at least three weeks prior, they had sent me a letter asking me to come in and pay for my APRC, and now I was being told I would have to wait another 20 days to receive it. What on earth have they been doing all this time? I also had to surrender my current ID card, which is a real pain because I feel very vulnerable without it.
So at the end of an eight month trek, here I am holding a receipt for an APRC which I will allegedly receive eventually, and I’m considerably unimpressed by all this bureaucratic stupidity.
[quote=“Northcoast Surfer”][quote=“Whole Lotta Lotta”]I asked for my background check from the FBI [color=#FF0000]around the same time[/color] that Tiare and Northcoast surfer did and have not heard anything back from them yet. I am wondering if there is a way to track the progress that they are making or to check to see that I didn’t make some mistake on my side. Is there a way to do this? I am worried that I may have to send my request again.[/quote]Here is the FBI Customer Service Group phone number, (304) 625-5590. I recommend you give them a call and politely tell them that you want to verify that they’ve received your background request package and see if they are able to give you an estimate of their current processing time.
It’s always best to send your FBI background request by trackable mail so that you have an exact date that they receive your package. “[color=#FF0000]Around the same time[/color]” doesn’t indicate exactly when it got there and most importantly doesn’t prove that they actually received the package. You could be sitting waiting for a background check that will never come because they might not have received the request in the first place.[/quote]
Okay. Thank you. I will call that number and see what is going on. Of course it hasn’t been twelve weeks yet and I haven’t checked my mail in a few days.
Ok, so I’m trying not to freak out, but I’ve been tracking my envelope to the D.C. TECO office, and I got this lovely message on the tracking website:
Status: Notice Left (No Authorized Recipient Available)
It says that the letter will be returned to sender in 5 days if no one picks it up.
Has this happened to anyone else before? I really don’t know what to think. I addressed the letter correctly. So now what? Should I email the TECO or the post office? Could the TECO office have been closed on Valentine’s Day?
[quote=“Tiare”]Ok, so I’m trying not to freak out, but I’ve been tracking my envelope to the D.C. TECO office, and I got this lovely message on the tracking website:
Status: Notice Left (No Authorized Recipient Available)
It says that the letter will be returned to sender in 5 days if no one picks it up.
Has this happened to anyone else before? I really don’t know what to think. I addressed the letter correctly. So now what? Should I email the TECO or the post office? Could the TECO office have been closed on Valentine’s Day?[/quote]Yes. This has happened to me before. I sent a friend’s completed FBI background check plus the Chinese translation from his house in Seattle to the TECRO in Washington DC and I used the US Postal Service Express Mail envelope. When I checked the USPS tracking page online, I got the exact same message. I was so paranoid that I actually called the TECRO office in DC to ensure that they had received it. Here’s the number for the department that handles authentication. (202) 895-1815. Give them a call and politely ask them if they could check to see if they received it or not. Just explain that you sent it via trackable mail and the notice you have received was that no one was there to receive it on February 14th. The TECRO has a log book at the front desk where packages are received and everything that comes in certified gets logged in. When I called them about my “missing” package, they simply looked at the log book and verified that they had in fact received my package. I sent an email and made a phone call of complaint to the USPS, and all I got was a “Gee, we’re really sorry about that”. Felt just like Taiwan!
So, the million dollar question. Did you use the USPS Express mail envelope, too?
Well, I sent through Taiwan EMS Post, but on the USPS site it is labeling it as a Global Express Mail envelope. So, I’ll cross my fingers and hope it’s the same problem. I plan to call tonight to check.
Thanks, I feel a bit more optimistic.
EDIT: Update - I called the office, and my letter did arrive. This morning the USPS website updated to “Delivered”, so I think it is some weird thing that they do with the Express Mail Envelope reporting at the Post Office. Thanks NorthCoast Surfer! (One month to go!!!)
I checked my mail today and… received my official fingerprint background check which confirms that I have no criminal record :yay: . It looks basically just the same as yours Northcoast surfer, with the exception that the type font is a little different. Now on with the rest of it 
.
Not understanding the mention about Chinese translation of the FBI check. You need to translate it before you send it to TECO DC? Can’t they do that there? I mean they all speak Chinese and English there. Seems quite silly for a foreigner to translate English to Chinese when the person they are sending the document to has a much better grasp of Chinese. I haven’t sent the FBI file yet. Do I need to do this as well?