I have searched and searched over this forum for answers but everyones situation is a little different so here it goes.
I worked for a year in Taiwan and HAVE a valid arc. I am in the US now. I am planning on returning and getting a different job when I return. My ARC expires a day after I return to Taiwan-I have heard after that I have 7-14 days after that to leave the country. ok fine
In that case- While I was back in the US- I applied for ANOTHER visitor visa because I HEARD that once you have gone through the process of getting a ARC-which my school did for me- the VISITOR VISA is invalid. ( I was originally granted a 3 year,90 day,multiple-entry visitor visa).
I get a call from the TECO office in the midwest saying that my visitor visa is valid and “why am I applying for a new one”. I was caught off guard and said “well i was working”-but she said there is no residence visa in here- I told her I had a ARC. She called me back and said did not give me the VISITOR VISA as I requested and would send back my passport. QUESTION: Is it valid by just looking at it or valid by looking it up in the computer. I have seen my other coworkers VISAS and they said they were cancelled.
I am confused as what to do when I get back to Taiwan- my current employer knows about this situation and cannot offer much explanation.
Will I enter enter Taiwan on my ARC-seemingly valid looking visitor visa-or visa-exempt stamp on my passport?
Will I have to make a visa run now? If I make a visa run to HK- the HK TECO office will see my “valid” visitor visa and will say the same thing as the US TECO office-and that leaves me with a denied visitor visa! AHHHH!
Oh and is it 7-14 days I have to leave the country after expired ARC?
Ok, I just went through a very similar situation. I had a visitor visa in my passport with dates that were still valid, no residence visa in my passport, no stamp or anything in my passport indicating that the visitor visa was canceled. I had to go to Hong Kong for a few days and returned the day before my ARC expired. My plan was to enter on my visitor visa (if it was still valid) or on the visa-exempt entry, then renew my ARC on Monday (I entered on a Friday evening). It didn’t work out; I got screwed by getting an immigration officer who had no idea what the rules were. I wrote the visitor visa info on the immigration form, she asked to see my ARC, I pointed out that it expired the next day, and she entered me on the ARC anyway, claiming that the expiration date was really an enter-by date. Not true. On Monday, at the immigration office, I was fined 2000 NT for overstaying. I fortunately had no other issues, but I also had my ARC renewal stuff ready to submit that day.
So, you do NOT have a free 7-14 days after your ARC expires. You are overstaying immediately and will be fined. I didn’t have to leave, but I’m not sure if it would be different if you’re switching jobs, or overstayed longer, etc.
Second, don’t trust the people stamping your passport at the airport, they don’t necessarily know the rules. Make sure they don’t enter you on your ARC.
What time does your flight arrive? If I was doing this again, I would have just sat in the hallway or something until my ARC expired at midnight, then entered. Then they’d have to enter you on visitor visa (if still valid) or visa-exempt and you’d be set.
The airport immigration officer did tell me that my visitor visa was still ok, but she obviously was pretty clueless, so I don’t really know.