I’m getting pretty close to having all my documents assembled. I spoke to someone on the phone at NIA and he stated that 5 or maybe 7 years of working permits and employment certificates may be necessary. However, I am no longer in touch with my prior schools after having moved from Kaohsiung to Taipei, and don’t even think they are still there. I was never given these documents when I worked for these schools. Is there any other way to obtain these documents?
I got my FBI background check notarized by DC TECRO! Came in the mail today. I leave for Taiwan tomorrow. Timing couldn’t be better!
[quote=“Chris”]I got my FBI background check notarized by DC TECRO! Came in the mail today. I leave for Taiwan tomorrow. Timing couldn’t be better![/quote]Oh yeah! It’s all downhill from here. You’re almost done! Whew! :bravo:
That last phrase could be misinterpreted. 
:roflmao: [quote=“Icon”][quote=“Northcoast Surfer”][quote=“Chris”]I got my FBI background check notarized by DC TECRO! Came in the mail today. I leave for Taiwan tomorrow. Timing couldn’t be better![/quote]Oh yeah! It’s all downhill from here. You’re almost done! Whew! :bravo:[/quote]That last phrase could be misinterpreted. 
[/quote]I mean…I mean…ummm… :roflmao:
All of the hard parts are over and only the easy stuff remains after obtaining the FBI background check and subsequent authentication from the TECRO!
Ahhh! This all sounds like a headache. I now hear I must do an interview before I send anything stateside. What kind of APRC interview? What do I need to bring to see if I even qualify? Did you guys schedule or walk in to immigration? HELP! 
You have to schedule. There are specific agents that handle APRC applications and they are only available at certain times on certain days.
The extent of the initial interview is sitting down with the agent and going through your entry records (which they will direct you downstairs to have printed up) to make sure that you have had residence for the required period. They also run you through the checklist of what documents are necessary and how they need to be notarized/officialized. Take everything you already have and show it to him, as he will be able to tell you what or if any further needs to be done.
In my case, I found a lot of the information online beforehand and had most of my documents ready in the correct form. This seemed to surprise the agent, as he said I might have wasted a lot of time on this, had it been determined that I didn’t qualify. I just told him that I was pretty confident I qualified based on the information I found online and had been back to my home country in the preceding months and decided to take care of most of the busywork while there.
Overall, they were very helpful and informative. You really shouldn’t worry too much about all of this. There are a lot of procedures to follow, but in my experience, the NIA agents were all very nice.
[quote=“Dangergyrl”]Ahhh! This all sounds like a headache. I now hear I must do an interview before I send anything stateside. What kind of APRC interview? What do I need to bring to see if I even qualify? Did you guys schedule or walk in to immigration? HELP! [/quote]No. You’re not required to have an interview first. However, the NIA encourages you to go in to consult with them first in order to see if you’re qualified to apply so that you don’t end up wasting your time and their time in the event you end up not being qualified. But it’s not required except when it comes time to submit the whole package and make an application. Case in point. I just set up an appointment for my latest APRC package tomorrow morning at 9:30am with Miss Zhou at the Banqiao NIA. My friend will take the APRC package I put together for him and submit his application for the APRC without first having an interview. I’ll be sure to let you know if it gets rejected for failing to have an intial consultation first.
If you’re not certain that you are qualified to apply for the APRC, consulting with the NIA is a good idea and you should do it. You need to take your passport and ARC and they will check your residency record and let you know whether or not you are eligible to apply. They will also give you a checklist with instructions, etc. It’s painless and there is no intrusive inspection or interview. If you’re not familiar with how to apply for the APRC, I highly recommend an initial consultation with them. I had a friend waste a bunch of time and money gathering all his documents, endorsements, and then finding out he wasn’t qualified because of a two month break in residency which he had forgotten about! Duh!
Is there a list of hospitals in Taipei City designated for the health exam?
Is Chang Gung Hospital on Dunhua N. Rd. one of them? (If so, that would be very convenient for me!)
Thanks!
[quote=“Chris”]Is there a list of hospitals in Taipei City designated for the health exam?[/quote]I usually send my friends to the Mackay Memorial Hospital for the health check. They have a floor almost all to themselves where they perform the foreigner health check. It’s clean, orderly, professional, and quick. If it’s not too far for you, give them a try. 
台北市中山區中山北路二段92號
電話: 02-2543-3535
No. 92, Sec. 2, Zhongshan N. Rd.,
Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City 10449, Taiwan.
Well thanks surfer u are very helpful.
I have 1 last question for anyone that knows.
I am hearing 3 different stories about the FBI paperwork.
A. You send to FBI HQ and they can send it straight to TECO, then TECO back here? 
B. Send to FBI HQ, they send to your USA address (S.F. CA). Family sends it to TECO (Cause the feds won’t)TECO sends -here to be translated? :eh:
C. Off to FBI, they to your USA add. Family sends it to me here. I get it translated. They get it back in SF and then they send it to TECO who sends it to me here. 
3 friends have told me 3 things? :s
Which is right???
[quote=“Dangergyrl”]Well thanks surfer u are very helpful.
I have 1 last question for anyone that knows.
I am hearing 3 different stories about the FBI paperwork.
A. You send to FBI HQ and they can send it straight to TECO, then TECO back here?
B. Send to FBI HQ, they send to your USA address (S.F. CA). Family sends it to TECO (Cause the feds won’t)TECO sends -here to be translated? :eh:
C. Off to FBI, they to your USA add. Family sends it to me here. I get it translated. They get it back in SF and then they send it to TECO who sends it to me here.
3 friends have told me 3 things? :s
Which is right???[/quote]Here’s how I do it.
-
Application for background check from Taiwan to FBI HQ.
-
FBI sends completed check to a family member in the US.
-
I email the Chinese translation of the check to the family member.
-
They send my package to the TECRO in DC for authentication.
-
TECRO sends my completed authenticated check back to me here in Taiwan.
I have the Chinese translation for the FBI background check. If you want a copy to save you time, just send me your regular email address via PM and I’ll forward you a copy in MS Word format. You can change the information to reflect yours easily and it will save you a lot of time and hassle.
[quote=“Northcoast Surfer”][quote=“Dangergyrl”]Ahhh! This all sounds like a headache. I now hear I must do an interview before I send anything stateside. What kind of APRC interview? What do I need to bring to see if I even qualify? Did you guys schedule or walk in to immigration? HELP! [/quote]No. You’re not required to have an interview first. However, the NIA encourages you to go in to consult with them first in order to see if you’re qualified to apply so that you don’t end up wasting your time and their time in the event you end up not being qualified. But it’s not required except when it comes time to submit the whole package and make an application. Case in point. I just set up an appointment for my latest APRC package tomorrow morning at 9:30am with Miss Zhou at the Banqiao NIA. My friend will take the APRC package I put together for him and submit his application for the APRC without first having an interview. I’ll be sure to let you know if it gets rejected for failing to have an intial consultation first.
If you’re not certain that you are qualified to apply for the APRC, consulting with the NIA is a good idea and you should do it. You need to take your passport and ARC and they will check your residency record and let you know whether or not you are eligible to apply. They will also give you a checklist with instructions, etc. It’s painless and there is no intrusive inspection or interview. If you’re not familiar with how to apply for the APRC, I highly recommend an initial consultation with them. I had a friend waste a bunch of time and money gathering all his documents, endorsements, and then finding out he wasn’t qualified because of a two month break in residency which he had forgotten about! Duh![/quote]
I just received a phone call from my friend at the NIA. The APRC package I put together for him was accepted! All of his paperwork was in order and he was in and out in less than 15 minutes! He’s got a couple weeks left to wait and then it’s freedom city baby!
Here’s how it worked, based on my experience. Similar to Northcoast Surfer’s experience.
*You send prints and application materials to FBI HQ.
*They send background check letter back to you/your family a couple months later.
*(If your family receives it, your family sends it to you.)
*You translate it into Chinese, or get it translated. (Both NCS and I have posted sample translations.)
*You send original, translation and other application materials to the TECRO in DC.
*They send the original and translation, duly stamped, back to you/your family.
Oh, by the way, now that I’m proceeding with the next steps in the process:
Since I’m going to be converting from a JVRC, is the “Household Registration” the Huji Tengben (戶籍謄本), or the Hukou Mingbu (戶口名簿)? I suspect it’s the former, but it’s good to be sure.
Thanks
戶籍謄本 is the one I used.
I have a question for Northcoast Surfer. Can Americans do the check this way:
- Get FBI report sent to family
- Get report authenticated at TECO
- Receive report in Taiwan
- Translate report into Chinese
- Notarize both translation and original at BOCA here in Taiwan
That’s the way I did it with my British background check (with the additional - and ludicrous - step of authenticating the report itself by the FCO). It’s also the way I’ve recommended my South African friend get his done.
[quote=“Chris”]Oh, by the way, now that I’m proceeding with the next steps in the process:
Since I’m going to be converting from a JVRC, is the “Household Registration” the Huji Tengben (戶籍謄本), or the Hukou Mingbu (戶口名簿)? I suspect it’s the former, but it’s good to be sure.
Thanks[/quote]I know that they require two of the computerized household registration forms that you get from the HHRO, but I can’t remember if they also want to see and take a copy of the hardcopy household registration that is kept in your home.
When I did mine, I brought the original hard copy household registration that we keep in our filing cabinet at home, plus two copies. I also brought three computerized original household registration documents that I got from our HHRO in San-Zhi. My personal policy at all times has been to bring everything they ask for, and a few more things that they don’t ask for in the event they want or need a copy of anything else.
Sensible policy.
I’d like to mention a policy of mine, while I’m at it: Keep a photocopy of every document involved in the process for your own records.
[quote=“spaint”]戶籍謄本 is the one I used.
I have a question for Northcoast Surfer. Can Americans do the check this way:
- Get FBI report sent to family
- Get report authenticated at TECO
- Receive report in Taiwan
- Translate report into Chinese
- Notarize both translation and original at BOCA here in Taiwan
That’s the way I did it with my British background check (with the additional - and ludicrous - step of authenticating the report itself by the FCO). It’s also the way I’ve recommended my South African friend get his done.[/quote]Yes. You can do it this way, too. However, since the original background check needs to be authenticated at the TECRO in DC anyway, it’s just much easier to send the Chinese translation together with the original and have them both authenticated at one time. In fact, the TECRO puts the original and the Chinese translation together with a special “no tamper” binding and put the embassy seal over the top. I feel it’s really much easier to get all of it completed in one easy step.
Chris and I both have recently gotten the FBI background check completed in the same fashion and it was really easy and painless. Also, Chris and I both have the most current and up to date Chinese translation for the FBI background check which we are more than happy to share with any others who might need it. Send one of us a PM and we’ll fire it right off. Don’t pay for a translation, just buy Chris and I a beer sometime!
[quote=“Chris”][quote=“Northcoast Surfer”]My personal policy at all times has been to bring everything they ask for, and a few more things that they don’t ask for in the event they want or need a copy of anything else.[/quote]Sensible policy.
I’d like to mention a policy of mine, while I’m at it: Keep a photocopy of every document involved in the process for your own records.[/quote]Yes sir-ee! Absolutely! I have digital scans of everything! I always want to remember the last lie I told to the NIA so I can duplicate it whenever necessary!