I got my work permit and need to go to immigration to change my visa and apply for my ARC. Do I need to change to a resident visa…wait for the paperwork…THEN apply for the ARC or can i do it all in one swoop?
[quote=“zebigbos22”]Not sure because for visa free entry, you need return ticket.
But I guess, depends on the clerk[/quote]
hi, do you need a return ticket if you go on a visitor visa (60 day visa)? or can you just have a flight showing ur leaving taiwan? (ie flight from taiwan to hong kong)
Ping Pang Qiu, when I did my visa run I was told that the authorities only want to see that you have a means out of the country, that you’re not landing here with no way out. I think it might make the visitor visa look suspicious without one. I just went to to an airline office and booked a return ticket to Hong Kong and then a third refundable one-way flight to Hong Kong. I received no hassle in the airport and was able to get my money back for the ticket the next day, minus a refund fee.
Hope this helps.
Peace.
What I’ve always done is just tell the travel agent my situation, and say that I need proof of a flight leaving the country by the time my visa expires. They’ve always been willing to print out a fake itinerary for me, not even book the flight or anything. Once you come into the country you just throw it in the garbage. Also, my last trip to HK a few days ago, no one even asked to see my onward flight leaving Taiwan…although sometimes they may ask, so good to prepare one just in case.
So is it or is it not necessary to buy a round-trip ticket to Taiwan before applying for a 60-day visa? I want to book ticket(s) right away so I can apply for a visitor visa.
I’ve heard that you can just show them a printed itinerary of a round-trip without actually having to buy the round-trip tickets. Do they need to see that you bought round-trip tickets at the Taiwan embassy in the US before they’ll give you a visitor visa?
Can I just buy a one-way ticket to Taiwan without any trouble?
Has everyone on here whose gone to Taiwan for work had to buy round-trip tickets (or one-way ticket plus ticket to Hong Kong), before you could obtain a visa and enter the country?
I did not need a round trip ticket but I also had a signed contract. I did not have enough time to get the ARC before I set foot on TW so I just got the 60 day visa.
[quote=“scaldo”]So is it or is it not necessary to buy a round-trip ticket to Taiwan before applying for a 60-day visa? I want to book ticket(s) right away so I can apply for a visitor visa.
I’ve heard that you can just show them a printed itinerary of a round-trip without actually having to buy the round-trip tickets. Do they need to see that you bought round-trip tickets at the Taiwan embassy in the US before they’ll give you a visitor visa?
Can I just buy a one-way ticket to Taiwan without any trouble?
Has everyone on here whose gone to Taiwan for work had to buy round-trip tickets (or one-way ticket plus ticket to Hong Kong), before you could obtain a visa and enter the country?[/quote]
If you have enough time to allow for a possible visa rejection, I’d say go ahead and try to get the visitor visa with an itinerary. If it’s not accepted, then just purchase an onward ticket and try again.
I had to do my application by mail since I didn’t live close to a TECO office. I wan’t sure how long that process would take, and didn’t want to hassle with a possible rejection, so I bought an onward ticket. It turns out I received my visitor visa in the mail only 6 days after I sent it in.
Steven4nlanguage, when you say that you bought an onward ticket, do you mean you just bought a one-way ticket to Taiwan and another one for Hong Kong, or did you buy a round-trip ticket? Also, did you then cancel the second flight after arriving in Taiwan and get a full refund?
I live in a major US city where there’s a Taiwanese Embassy, so I can apply for my visa in person. For the sake of avoiding hassle and playing it safe, I’m thinking of just going ahead and buying the round-trip (with the return flight scheduled for about a month and a half after the initial flight). I’m hoping as long as I cancel the return flight a month in advance, I can get a pretty full refund and shouldn’t incur much of a charge.
Is that doable? What kind of charge should I expect if I do that?
I myself bought a round trip ticket back to the US. I went cheap and bought a non-refundable ticket, which I ended up wasting. I was just happy to get the job and arrange my living situation so that I didn’t need to return. In retrospect, however, I should have originally bought a ticket to Hong Kong, or at least spent the extra money to get a refundable return trip ticket to the US.
[quote]I live in a major US city where there’s a Taiwanese Embassy, so I can apply for my visa in person. For the sake of avoiding hassle and playing it safe, I’m thinking of just going ahead and buying the round-trip (with the return flight scheduled for about a month and a half after the initial flight). I’m hoping as long as I cancel the return flight a month in advance, I can get a pretty full refund and shouldn’t incur much of a charge.
Is that doable? What kind of charge should I expect if I do that?[/quote]
Yes, that’s certainly doable and I think many people do that. As far as the extra cost of the ticket, or the cancellation charge, I have no idea; you’d have to contact the airlines.
I’ll be coming to Taiwan from the U.S on a visa exempt entry next month. I’m trying to figure out what I should do in regards to applying for a visitor’s visa now or waiting until someone offers me a position while in Taiwan. Not doing so now would save me some money because I would have to book a flight back to New York. I planned on visiting Hong Kong in July anyway to visit some friends and do a visa run and from what I understand, I can apply for a visitior’s visa there. However, if I apply for a visa in Hong Kong, would i still have to book a round trip ticket to the U.S? Or would I just have to book a ticket that says I’m leaving Taiwan to go somewhere?
“If you tell them you plan to look for work, they will probably not approve your visa application.”
I’m American about to apply for a 60 day tourist visa, and what I put on the letter I need to send in with my documents is a list of schools I plan to apply to, though I have no job secured yet. I do have a confirmed, flexible itinerary leaving Taiwan before my 60 day visa expires, as well as proof (bank statements) that I have the funds to leave at any time before the 60 day window is up. Do you still think my visa application would be rejected?
Thanks,
Paul
[quote=“PaulPal1292”]“If you tell them you plan to look for work, they will probably not approve your visa application.”
I’m American about to apply for a 60 day tourist visa, and what I put on the letter I need to send in with my documents is a list of schools I plan to apply to, though I have no job secured yet. I do have a confirmed, flexible itinerary leaving Taiwan before my 60 day visa expires, as well as proof (bank statements) that I have the funds to leave at any time before the 60 day window is up. Do you still think my visa application would be rejected?
Thanks,
Paul[/quote]
Paul, if you search this forum and others, you will always see the admonishment to not indicate that you are looking for a job when applying for the visitor visa, just as you quoted above. I don’t know why you would want to risk getting your application rejected by listing the schools you plan to apply to.
Simply tell them you’re visiting Taiwan—going to visit the sites and soak up the culture, maybe even go check out some Chinese language schools while you’re here. This needn’t be lying if that’s what you’re concerned about. Just leave out a few details 
Hi, I have been here for a while (one and a half year) and I´ve been working for one company for one year and one month.
I´m really burnt out. Salary is not great (almost the minimum for a foreigner) and none of their promises including a noticiable salary raise came to reality. I´m considering seriously to leave the company, but that means that I´ll be loosing my small salary, my ARC and related stuff… but may be I could get the ARC back if I started to study Mandarin…
My questions are these:
[ul]
[li]Am I going to loose also the work permit so that I would need to apply for a new one in the case I wanted to get another job? Or can I use the same work permit that I got when I started to work here? don´t even remember if that´s a paper that I already have…[/li]
[li]Can I apply for joining some Chinese language classes and convert my ARC into a student VISA/ARC/whatever, WITHOUT leaving the country?[/li]
[li]I know that if you work for 5 consecutive years you can get a permanent ARC. How about to work, then rest, the work… and so, so I work for 5 years? can I get a permanent ARC by this means?[/li][/ul]
Thanks.
PS: in addition to the previous questions… which office should I address these questions or where can I ask for advice? MOFA? BOFA? FA-ending something?
[quote=“jesus80”]
[list]
[*]Am I going to loose also the work permit so that I would need to apply for a new one in the case I wanted to get another job? Or can I use the same work permit that I got when I started to work here? don´t even remember if that´s a paper that I already have…[/quote]
Under a work-related ARC, your work permit is tied to a particular employer. So yes, you would need a new work permit with a new job.
If you decide to change jobs, the advice I’ve always read is to make sure you have the work permit paperwork going with your new job before you quit/get fired from your old job.
You must hold the same type of ARC (Work or JFRV) continuously for 5 years to apply for the APRC (permanent ARC). A student ARC is not eligible to meet the 5 year requirement.
I don’t know about these last two questions; I expect others on this board and the National Immigration Agency would be able to answer your questions.
I didn’t want to start a new thread as I think my question fits here.
I have a 2 year collage Diploma from a collage in Surrey England. (Its a Diploma in Multimedia Design) Grade PASS.
I completed an advanced TESOL course here in Taipei. The Cambridge one. Grade A Distinction.
I have checked the relevant websites and they all say 2 year diploma plus TESOL course is minimum requirement to obtain the working visa. (This is fact)
My application is in progress now with the school iam working at in Sanchong.
But in a conversation I had the other day with the manager of the cram school, she mentioned a possibility of my application being rejected on the grounds my diploma was not in a suitable area.
This is really worrying me now, I will be contacting the British embassy in Taiwan to see if they have any information regarding my worry, but meanwhile I was hoping someone on here might have some information or even better real experience with gaining the working visa with a 2 year diploma in an art or design area.
Cheers guys
Joe
[quote=“joethetford”]I didn’t want to start a new thread as I think my question fits here.
I have a 2 year collage Diploma from a collage in Surrey England. (Its a Diploma in Multimedia Design) Grade PASS.
I completed an advanced TESOL course here in Taipei. The Cambridge one. Grade A Distinction.
I have checked the relevant websites and they all say 2 year diploma plus TESOL course is minimum requirement to obtain the working visa. (This is fact)
My application is in progress now with the school iam working at in Sanchong.
But in a conversation I had the other day with the manager of the cram school, she mentioned a possibility of my application being rejected on the grounds my diploma was not in a suitable area.
This is really worrying me now, I will be contacting the British embassy in Taiwan to see if they have any information regarding my worry, but meanwhile I was hoping someone on here might have some information or even better real experience with gaining the working visa with a 2 year diploma in an art or design area.
Cheers guys
Joe[/quote]
I work with a teacher who has a 2-year degree and TESOL certificate from the US. He had no problem getting a work permit. That was a few years ago, but I don’t think anything has changed. His degree is in a field called General Studies, which doesn’t sound any closer to education than art or design, so I don’t think you should have a problem.
I don’t know if this applies to you, but I have read about online degrees not being accepted, although I don’t have any first-hand information.
Here’s a link to the relative law at the Council of Labor Affairs: http://laws.cla.gov.tw/Eng/FLAW/FLAWDOC01.asp?lsid=FL028069&lno=42
Hey steve,
Thanks for you reply man,
That has actually made me feel a bit better.
My diploma wasnt an online one but half of my TESOL was. It was an Advance TESOL course which included class room tuition and demo practice so that should be all good.
The thing im kinda learning in Taiwan though is that nothing is clear cut and straightforward, i.e You have this, therefore you can do this.
It always seems to be almost luck of the draw, like who is processing the application/visa at the time and are they in a good mood!
Does anyone else get this feeling about procedures in Taiwan or is it just me
[quote=“Ping Pang Qiu”][quote=“zebigbos22”]Not sure because for visa free entry, you need return ticket.
But I guess, depends on the clerk[/quote]
hi, do you need a return ticket if you go on a visitor visa (60 day visa)? or can you just have a flight showing your leaving Taiwan? (ie flight from taiwan to hong kong)[/quote]
The “law” says that if you are not a resident of the country you are traveling to (resident visa), you need a ticket to leave. The airline will likely check when you board, the Taiwanese immigration official is not so likely to check.
You do not need a criminal background check for either a work permit, tourist or resident visa. You would need one if/when you apply for permanent residence or a marriage-based visa (JFRV)
[quote=“joethetford”] I completed an advanced TESOL course here in Taipei. The Cambridge one. Grade A Distinction.
[/quote]
Do you mean CELTA certification? Can you tell me where you got this certification? A webpage link would be really helpful. I have looked high and low for CELTA in Taiwan and have found nothing 
I’ve come to Taiwan twice on a one way ticket with 2 different airlines and neither the airline nor immigration could care less about it.
The only time I was hassled was when I went on vacation to the Philippines. I had a Taipei/Manila and Manila/Taipei flight booked. They had no problem letting me go to the Philippines but when I tried to return to Taipei, the airline agent stopped me and asked where my exit from Taiwan was.
I advised her the other airline and immigration had no problem with it before, but she kept insisting they couldnt let me board.
I finally got upset, asked for a manager and simply said that if you don’t let me on this plane, I will overstay in the Philippines and your airline will get in trouble for letting me on to come here in the first place without a return. That solved the problem.
But from my home to Taiwan never a problem.