Converting VISA types--so confusing!

Hey Everybody,

I’m getting so unbelievably confused about VISA types and converting one to another. After looking through tons of posts on here the Consular website, and TECO, I’m no better off. Could somebody please give a basic explanation to the following questions, and any others that might seem pertinent?

  1. Can the visitor visa to go along with a work permit be acquired during a 30 day visa-exempt period?

  2. Can a student visa be converted to a visitor visa?

  3. Can a visitor visa be converted to a student visa?

  4. Can you enter Taiwan in visa-exempt status after having been rejected by TECO in my home country for a visitor visa (that hasn’t happened, but I’m just checking)?

  5. I’m in a funky position where I could likely gain admittance into NTNU’s MTC again, and I also have an interview for a non-teaching job lined up, or I could apply to some English schools, probably including HESS, before I come. I’ve already got a plane ticket for the end of August, and I’m STILL trying to figure out what to do with the visa situation. My aim is to live and work and study Chinese, but I still don’t know what the best way to do this is. which leads to my last question: would it be better to wing it and come to Taiwan on a visa-exempt status, or would it be better to apply for a visitor VISA here in the United States and risk getting turned down because I have only $2,000 - $3,000 in my bank, or some similar reason?

I’ve been posting a lot lately, and I’ve gotten a lot of good ideas, so thank you to EVERYONE who has helped me out so far – much appreciated! – but I still need some help, so thanks in advance to everybody!! I was a little worried before, but I’m not now – just trying to figure out what’s the best way to go.

Matt

I am confused as to why you are confused. The staff at your local TECO usually have quite good english and are quite capable of answering any questions.

As long as you dont enter the country on what is called a “landing visa”, and as long as you never let any visa run out, you will be fine. You have two options:

  1. Get a visitors visa before you arrive.
  2. With the help of a school, arrange for and get a student based visa before you arrive.

[quote=“pqkdzrwt”]I am confused as to why you are confused. The staff at your local TECO usually have quite good english and are quite capable of answering any questions.

As long as you dont enter the country on what is called a “landing visa”, and as long as you never let any visa run out, you will be fine. You have two options:

  1. Get a visitors visa before you arrive.
  2. With the help of a school, arrange for and get a student based visa before you arrive.[/quote]

What about the visa exempt? Can you convert that into something else/renew it?

Some people from some countries can fly to Taiwan without a visa, this is called “visa exempt” entry, however if you do this, it means you don’t have a visa.

If you do this you can’t then get a new visa without first flying out of Taiwan and back in again.

As I said earlier, you must enter taiwan with your visa already organised prior to your flight. You must go to TECO and get a visiter visa or some other visa as per this site:

taiwanese-secrets.com/taiwan-visa.html

As per this official government site on visa exempt entry:

boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=144 … e=116&mp=2

“The duration of stay starts from the next day of arrival and is not extendable. Visa-exempt entry can not be converted to a visitor or resident visa.”

Same goes for what is called a “landing visa”

“The 30-day duration of stay starts from the next day of arrival and is not extendable. The above-said visa cannot be converted to visitor or resident visa.”

You MUST get a proper visa before you trave lto taiwan if you wish to convert your visa. Your TECO office will explain to you the same thing. They know their stuff, they do it every day!

Thanks PQK. Helpful info – I didn’t know about the Taiwanese Secrets site. But the thing is, there are exceptions in the fine print. For example, from boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=144 … e=116&mp=2 :

However, aliens entering the R.O.C. through visa-exemption may apply for a visitor visa within the visa-exemption period on the following conditions at the Bureau of Consular Affairs and branch offices of MOFA. 。 in case of severe acute diseases, natural disasters or other force majeure reasons, which hold them back from leaving the R.O.C. 。 white- collar professionals obtaining the work permit within. the visa-exemption period, plus their spouse and minors (under age 20) entering the R.O.C. together.

So that’s why I’m confused. The main rules are easy, but finding your way around the seeming-labyrinth that lies underneath is the tricky part. Maybe I think too much, though! :smiley: At any rate, do you know if a visitor visa for touring purposes can be converted to one for learning Chinese purposes? I’ve read on boca.gov that it can’t, but, just as is the case with the above example, I’m wondering if there is an exception of some sort.

Matt

[quote=“mattyj”] At any rate, do you know if a visitor visa for touring purposes can be converted to one for learning Chinese purposes? I’ve read on boca.gov that it can’t, but, just as is the case with the above example, I’m wondering if there is an exception of some sort.

Matt[/quote]

On my visa, nowhere does it state WHY I am there. The “visitor visa for touring purposes” and the “visitor visa for learning Chinese purposes” are the same ole visa (I believe, if I am wrong someone please correct me).

A visitor visa is a visitor visa, some are multiple entry some are single. some are extendable and (if you get the short straw) some are not extendable. I do not think the purpose you got the visa matters ONCE you got it, it only helps them decide how long to let you stay (60 days is the usual) and if they will allow you to extend it. if you tell them you’re gonna ride roller coasters for 60 days and they still give you an extendable visitor visa, if you find a chinese language program while there they will likely extend it (as long as it is for 15+ hrs a week and government approved). So can a visitor visa be changed to a visitor visa…not really since it is already a visitor visa :sunglasses:

[quote=“mattyj”]Hey Everybody,

I’m getting so unbelievably confused about VISA types and converting one to another. After looking through tons of posts on here the Consular website, and TECO, I’m no better off. Could somebody please give a basic explanation to the following questions, and any others that might seem pertinent?

  1. Can the visitor visa to go along with a work permit be acquired during a 30 day visa-exempt period?

  2. Can a student visa be converted to a visitor visa?

  3. Can a visitor visa be converted to a student visa?

  4. Can you enter Taiwan in visa-exempt status after having been rejected by TECO in my home country for a visitor visa (that hasn’t happened, but I’m just checking)?

  5. I’m in a funky position where I could likely gain admittance into NTNU’s MTC again, and I also have an interview for a non-teaching job lined up, or I could apply to some English schools, probably including HESS, before I come. I’ve already got a plane ticket for the end of August, and I’m STILL trying to figure out what to do with the visa situation. My aim is to live and work and study Chinese, but I still don’t know what the best way to do this is. which leads to my last question: would it be better to wing it and come to Taiwan on a visa-exempt status, or would it be better to apply for a visitor VISA here in the United States and risk getting turned down because I have only $2,000 - $3,000 in my bank, or some similar reason?

I’ve been posting a lot lately, and I’ve gotten a lot of good ideas, so thank you to EVERYONE who has helped me out so far – much appreciated! – but I still need some help, so thanks in advance to everybody!! I was a little worried before, but I’m not now – just trying to figure out what’s the best way to go.

Matt[/quote]

  1. Can the visitor visa to go along with a work permit be acquired during a 30 day visa-exempt period?
    You can get a visitor visa, and then within the validity of it, you can get a work permit and get the visa changed over. There is a cost to this.
    You cannot do this on the 30 day visa exempt period as this is not a visa, you need to get an actual visitor visa first, then exchange it in Taiwan for a resident visa once you get your work permit.
  1. Can a student visa be converted to a visitor visa?
    No… not even begging will make them make an exception for this one.

  2. Can a visitor visa be converted to a student visa?
    No… see number 2

  3. Can you enter Taiwan in visa-exempt status after having been rejected by TECO in my home country for a visitor visa (that hasn’t happened, but I’m just checking)?
    I don’t see why not, but this would depend on why you were rejected.

  4. I’m in a funky position where I could likely gain admittance into NTNU’s MTC again, and I also have an interview for a non-teaching job lined up, or I could apply to some English schools, probably including HESS, before I come. I’ve already got a plane ticket for the end of August, and I’m STILL trying to figure out what to do with the visa situation. My aim is to live and work and study Chinese, but I still don’t know what the best way to do this is. which leads to my last question: would it be better to wing it and come to Taiwan on a visa-exempt status, or would it be better to apply for a visitor VISA here in the United States and risk getting turned down because I have only $2,000 - $3,000 in my bank, or some similar reason?

As others stated, the visa exempt is not a visa, and if you wanted to study Mandarin or work, you would need to leave and come back. You cannot be in Taiwan on a student visa and work in the first year at all. So if you want to work and study, its best to get the visitor visa and change it in for a resident visa when you get a work permit. Then you can work and study on the side.

(note: this info was valid in 2009, hopefully still is today)

Thanks Dan – that’s good info, too. That brings up another question: can a visitor visa be obtained by a TECO office other than one in your home country? For example, if I enter on visa-exempt status and then leave to Hong Kong or Macau or wherever, could I apply for a visitor VISA in one of those places? Or would I have to return to the United States?

I just did my third visa conversion on Tuesday, and this was my experience each time I’ve done this.

I’ve come in on a 30-day visa-exempt entry stamp when I was either seeking work in Taiwan for the first time, or my ARC nearly expired and I had to exit and re-enter the country. Each time I’ve did this, I either already had a job lined up before my arrival, with Hess for example, or I was able to successfully find a job before my 30-day period was up.

At the NIA, as long as I was able to present a copy of my work permit application receipt and a certificate/letter of employment/sponsorship by my school, I was able to convert my 30-day entry into a single entry visitor visa without ever needing to leave the country. This conversion cost $5000, which (I’m not sure, but) I think may be more than what you’d pay at TECO. Then, when I was granted with my visitor visa, I applied for my ARC, which was another $3200 or $3400. About $1000 of that was the application fee for a yearlong ARC, and the rest when to converting my visitor visa into the ARC/resident visa.

In the three years I’ve been here, NIA has never given me a hard time about converting my 30-day visas. I don’t know much about student visas, but I’ve been told that you can’t apply for it or convert your visitor or resident visa into it in Taiwan–you must apply for it overseas. And if you want to convert your student visa into a visitor or resident visa, I think you’d be out of luck there too.

Also, a friend of mine attempted to get a visitor visa in NY three years ago, but was rejected before she even applied because she was suspected of seeking buxiban work. But, she flew over to Taiwan anyway two weeks later, passed through immigration without any questioning, got her 30-day visitor visa, and went through the same process of converting it into a visitor visa, and then a resident visa. I suspect she just wasn’t reported in the system, and that was how she managed to get past immigration.

There is a lot of mis information in this thread, you really need to talk to a TECO rather than asking strangers on the internet.

For example, you CAN convert a vistor visa into a student visa. Its the visa exempt entry that cant be converted to a student visa.
For example, what may be true for some people in this thread is not true for others, it depends on which country you are from.

[quote=“pqkdzrwt”]There is a lot of mis information in this thread, you really need to talk to a TECO rather than asking strangers on the internet.

For example, you CAN convert a vistor visa into a student visa. Its the visa exempt entry that cant be converted to a student visa.
For example, what may be true for some people in this thread is not true for others, it depends on which country you are from.[/quote]

You put an awful lot of faith into outdated English websites and TECO. I’ve done this enough times to realize that English websites are very rarely up to date, no one ever really has the “right answer” and the rules are never black and white. It really doesn’t matter what office you talk to, whether it’s TECO, NIA, or the immigration officers themselves, you will always get a different answer and opinion from each of them. The TECO officers in NY were incredibly paranoid and unhelpful because they didn’t want foreigners seeking work. I’ve once called BOCA and when I spoke to the officer on the other line about student visas, her info in English was vastly different from her info in Chinese. And this was during the same phone conversation. What may shock you even more is that many of these departments don’t even communicate with each other, and that’s why lot of their info doesn’t match. I choose to speak directly to the people in NIA because they know all the loopholes, actually care enough to share that info with you, and deal with your paperwork when you are physically in Taiwan.

I’d like to believe that my own experiences with this process aren’t misinformation, especially when I’ve successfully gotten a visitor, and then a resident visa each and every single time. If I were the OP, and I really needed to make sure, I’d call the Taiwan NIA directly and ask THEM what the processes really are, especially since they’re the ones who ultimately control your visa situation and have the power to fine or deport you.

Hi Matt…

I tried to go to the Philippines to get a visitor visa but they are stingy there. They only gave me one once I got a letter from one of my friends in Taiwan that I was specifically visiting him and a interview with the head of the consulate.

I would highly recommend that you get the visitor visa before leaving because it is hit and miss when you are in another country. What would you do then if they said no?

This is an addendum to my earlier response about a visitor visa (for tourism) and a visitor visa (for study) being the same thing…

I just realized that it looks like you are confusing the visitor visa and the student visa…which are not one and the same. I have never heard of a visitor visa FOR studying Chinese…though if you are on a 60 day visitor visa, one of the best ways for them to extend it for you is if you are studying Chinese. But it is not a different “visitor visa”, its still the same visitor visa for riding rollercoasters.

The student visa is an entirely different thing, which after a certain amount of time gets you an ARC for as long as you are enrolled in a government approved program for at least 15 hrs a week.

The conversion process is something I do not really know about though (from visitor->student or the other way around) as I just have my visa in hand and have not gone through that process yet. BUT, from everything I have seen, a visitor visa can be “converted” (actually your visitor visa is cancelled…from what I have read in this forum) into an ARC once you find work 15 hours or more a week.

What I did:

We are arriving in Taiwan with no jobs lined up, but we want to stay for a couple of years. So from living on this forum and searching through all the threads for hours a day the past month, the best option seemed to be:

  1. Get a 60 day, multiple entry, extendable visitor visa
  2. Plan on getting a job ASAP once in Taiwan (15 hours a week or more)
  3. Get the ARC through the employer

So a visitor visa (according to all the information I have seen) CAN be “converted” into an ARC for work. As there is a student ARC, I do not see why this would be any different, but you never know… :ponder:

[quote=“pqkdzrwt”]There is a lot of mis information in this thread, you really need to talk to a TECO rather than asking strangers on the internet.

For example, you CAN convert a vistor visa into a student visa. Its the visa exempt entry that cant be converted to a student visa.
For example, what may be true for some people in this thread is not true for others, it depends on which country you are from.[/quote]

There is no way to transfer a visitor visa into a student visa. I have tried unsuccessfully to do this at many offices, it is impossible.

[quote=“Confuzius”]This is an addendum to my earlier response about a visitor visa (for tourism) and a visitor visa (for study) being the same thing…

I just realized that it looks like you are confusing the visitor visa and the student visa…which are not one and the same. I have never heard of a visitor visa FOR studying Chinese…though if you are on a 60 day visitor visa, one of the best ways for them to extend it for you is if you are studying Chinese. But it is not a different “visitor visa”, its still the same visitor visa for riding rollercoasters.

The student visa is an entirely different thing, which after a certain amount of time gets you an ARC for as long as you are enrolled in a government approved program for at least 15 hrs a week.

The conversion process is something I do not really know about though (from visitor->student or the other way around) as I just have my visa in hand and have not gone through that process yet. BUT, from everything I have seen, a visitor visa can be “converted” (actually your visitor visa is cancelled…from what I have read in this forum) into an ARC once you find work 15 hours or more a week.

What I did:

We are arriving in Taiwan with no jobs lined up, but we want to stay for a couple of years. So from living on this forum and searching through all the threads for hours a day the past month, the best option seemed to be:

  1. Get a 60 day, multiple entry, extendable visitor visa
  2. Plan on getting a job ASAP once in Taiwan (15 hours a week or more)
  3. Get the ARC through the employer

So a visitor visa (according to all the information I have seen) CAN be “converted” into an ARC for work. As there is a student ARC, I do not see why this would be any different, but you never know… :ponder:[/quote]

You are correct, a visitor visa can be converted into an ARC

The student visa is technically a visitor visa too, but it cant be converted to anything. You can’t even change schools without leaving the country and reapplying if you find you don’t like the university you are studying in.

[quote=“dan2006”][quote=“pqkdzrwt”]There is a lot of mis information in this thread, you really need to talk to a TECO rather than asking strangers on the internet.

For example, you CAN convert a vistor visa into a student visa. Its the visa exempt entry that cant be converted to a student visa.
For example, what may be true for some people in this thread is not true for others, it depends on which country you are from.[/quote]

There is no way to transfer a visitor visa into a student visa. I have tried unsuccessfully to do this at many offices, it is impossible.[/quote]

I wonder if we are having confusion in what a “visistor visa” is, by visitor visa do you mean “visa exempt” entry? I was explicitly advised by teco that if I want to come to taiwan I should first get a “visitor visa” and then I can convert it to a student visa. This advise matches what is printed on university web sites, such as clc.fcu.edu.tw/index.php?id=17

[quote=“Confuzius”][quote=“mattyj”] At any rate, do you know if a visitor visa for touring purposes can be converted to one for learning Chinese purposes? I’ve read on boca.gov that it can’t, but, just as is the case with the above example, I’m wondering if there is an exception of some sort.

Matt[/quote]

On my visa, nowhere does it state WHY I am there. The “visitor visa for touring purposes” and the “visitor visa for learning Chinese purposes” are the same ole visa (I believe, if I am wrong someone please correct me).[/quote]

Correction: Under the 註記/remarks section on your visa, if you are here for study it should say “FR - [name of your Chinese center].” If it does not, you may have trouble renewing it and applying for a resident visa/ARC later on.

[quote=“pqkdzrwt”][quote=“dan2006”][quote=“pqkdzrwt”]There is a lot of mis information in this thread, you really need to talk to a TECO rather than asking strangers on the internet.

For example, you CAN convert a vistor visa into a student visa. Its the visa exempt entry that cant be converted to a student visa.
For example, what may be true for some people in this thread is not true for others, it depends on which country you are from.[/quote]

There is no way to transfer a visitor visa into a student visa. I have tried unsuccessfully to do this at many offices, it is impossible.[/quote]

I wonder if we are having confusion in what a “visistor visa” is, by visitor visa do you mean “visa exempt” entry? I was explicitly advised by teco that if I want to come to Taiwan I should first get a “visitor visa” and then I can convert it to a student visa. This advise matches what is printed on university web sites, such as clc.fcu.edu.tw/index.php?id=17[/quote]

As odysseyandoracle correctly stated, the student visa has the FR line and the school on it.

A visa exempt entry is not a visa, but it is permission for you to visit Taiwan and then leave without the hassle of the visa process.

If you intend to study in Taiwan, you cannot get an open visitor visa and convert it into a student visitor visa in the country.

If you want to call me on the phone for me to explain it better, PM me. Hopefully this answered your question.

[quote=“odysseyandoracle”][quote=“Confuzius”][quote=“mattyj”] At any rate, do you know if a visitor visa for touring purposes can be converted to one for learning Chinese purposes? I’ve read on boca.gov that it can’t, but, just as is the case with the above example, I’m wondering if there is an exception of some sort.

Matt[/quote]

On my visa, nowhere does it state WHY I am there. The “visitor visa for touring purposes” and the “visitor visa for learning Chinese purposes” are the same ole visa (I believe, if I am wrong someone please correct me).[/quote]

Correction: Under the 註記/remarks section on your visa, if you are here for study it should say “FR - [name of your Chinese center].” If it does not, you may have trouble renewing it and applying for a resident visa/ARC later on.[/quote]

Thank you for the correction!

Does this “trouble renewing it and applying for a resident visa/ARC” also apply if you find a job teaching 15 hrs a week with a school that will apply for your ARC? Or is it related to the OP’s original question and the issue of converting a visitor visa with “P” under the 註記/remarks section to a resident, student visa?