ARC/Residence Visa for Parents of Naturalized Taiwan Citizens

Legal Visa & Residency
1

As I have gathered from reading some of the posts here, Taiwan doesn’t offer the option of Residence Visa (or ARC later) for parents of foreigners. Not even if a foreigner becomes a Taiwanese citizen.

  • The best you can get them is a 3 months visit visa + visa runs
  • You can get 6 months visa for your parents if you have a gold card (but this doesn’t work once you get citizenship and lose your gold card “privileges”)

It’s unbelievable that even a Taiwanese “citizen” can’t get their foreign parents a simple 1 year residence visa (we aren’t even talking about permanent residence). Shouldn’t that be a basic right ? It’s really cruel. Especially when you see how attached local born Taiwanese are to their parents. Most Taiwanese that I know care for their parents, and visit them as often as they can.

So, how come the Taiwanese government don’t see naturalized Taiwanese citizens the same way ? As regular people who may have a desire to be near their parents, and be able to care for them, especially when they are old and frail, and have no where else to go.

  • Someone here said Taiwan used to give ARCs to parents, until this system was somehow abused by Southeast Asian spouses. Instead of reforming they just scrapped it altogether.
  • Is there anything currently being done on this ? Or anything that can be done ?

My dad is 70+ and has a Alzheimer’s and really needs someone to care for him. I am the only one in the family who’s capable financially and otherwise. But it’s just the stupid laws here, ones that assume that a Taiwanese with foreign parents don’t need to see them more than 3 months at a time.

I don’t know if anyone has ever considered leaving Taiwan over this, but I have definitely thought about it. I am hoping something changes by the time I complete by Taiwanese naturalization. If not, I’ll probably have to move to some other country where they have a more humane approach to this. US is looking like a better option then.

https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-citizens

2

Good luck with medical care costs for your parents in the U.S.

3

Very very sad to hear about your dad. It will be rough going.
The costs of Alzheimers for a memory care center in the U.S. can go as low as $5,000 per month (maybe in rural areas) to as high as $10,000 per month or more, depending on how much personal needs he must be given (changing clothes, showering, brushing teeth, etc.).
If you have to leave Taiwan over this, you should research other Asian countries (Thailand, perhaps), because the U.S. is so very expensive, and in Asia, at much lower costs, you can have a daily caregiver (unlike memory care centers where 2 nurses take care of 15-30 at a time).
Again, sad to hear about this, knowing what you will go through.

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@Fuzzy_Barbecue

According to this article, they should be able to apply for ARCs that will allow them to stay in Taiwan for up to 3 years:
https://tw.appledaily.com/local/20200531/CJ3KNSOT2DGOASWAKHOKYIC5ZA/

Here is the relevant law: Regulations Governing Visiting, Residency, and Permanent Residency of Aliens

Article 10
The validity of Alien Resident Certificate issued to an alien, whose residency is granted on the joint-family basis, shall correspond with the validity of residency for the joint-family relative; where the joint-family relative is a ROC national, the validity of Alien Resident Certificate shall not exceed three(3) years.

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It may be treated as a special case(專案處理) based on humanitarian needs.

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[quote=“Fuzzy_Barbecue, post:1, topic:194439, full:true”]
US is looking like a better option then. [/quote]

Green card applications are currently on hold in the US because of the current administration.

Health care costs are super high and CoV-19 spread has not been contained.