I applied under economy/salary, and used a K-1 form (US tax form showing share of business income). At least two others have done this and been approved but they didn’t accept mine…
"Application result: documentation is insufficient. 1. The Individual Income Tax Return of 2019 (1040 form) shows the amount of the wages, salaries, tips. For that it is not certain how much of the amount is income on salary, please provide the W-2 form for reference. 2. The Form 1120S Schedule k-1 states the shareholder’s share of income, deductions, credits, etc. However, it is not certain which amount is income on salary. Please explain if the tax statement filed has the information required (amount of personal income on salary as to the definition aforementioned) and provide more supporting documents if necessary. 3. Or please supplement other tax statement or salary certificate showing that within three years prior to applying you hold a position with monthly salary of at least NT$160,000. (the tax statement or salary certificate refers to either one of the following: 1. Tax withholding statement or official tax certification. (In the case where the official certification is not available according to tax related regulations, the tax certification, after detailing that regulations, may be replaced by the employer’s statement.) 2. Employment contract with potential future employer in Taiwan.) Documents should include the stamp, seal or signature of (the representative of) the entity by which the paper was issued. "
I had K1 income well above the requirement, plus a little bit of W2 income from the same company. I didn’t submit a copy of my W-2 but submitted my 1040 as well, plus a cover letter stating that my income at my company (at which I am co-owner and one of many employees) as an executive was reported on the K1. Same as one person who was accepted so it’s quite disappointing.
Not really sure what to do. My W2 income is at my company doesn’t meet the threshold. We only pay me a small amount in w2 wages, so that the rest is distribution instead. I could reapply based on merit but that’s iffy and would take another full month.
The only thing I can think of is to submit the (non-qualifying) W2 along with a letter explaining it’s common to pay yourself minimum w2 wages for tax purposes.
I could also just give myself a new higher salary temporarily and submit a contract and/or paystub for that but it’d be dated as now which looks like bs
it’s common to pay yourself a minimum salary for tax purposes
This is probably not the kind of thing the ministry of labor wants to hear from applicants. Presumably the salary requirement and the need to submit tax withholding forms is to show that you’re likely to contribute a good amount of money to the government in the form of income taxes. So it’s easy to see why they would reject based on a low amount of taxable income
I’m no expert since my application is still being processed, but I had some success getting it moved along by calling the ministry of labor and talking through it. I’d recommend doing the same to see if there’s anything else you can provide
well, pay yourself in January 1.92M salary and submit - if it’s your own company and you deem it is worth it. Problem solved.
I was actually prepared to add up Salary in December to meet that number (but in the end they approved my income from self employment - which of course was highly taxed - as up to 2020 I had been self employed and I could show that a) I paid a lot of taxes b) I paid the max contribution to the social healthcare/pension system ). Or better for others - pay yourself a high salary for a month - then use that to try it out. Be prepared to up the salary for the full year to high enough… I would actually support that they only accept a full year salary if you’re the company (part-)owner.
Maybe you misread some people above - and what they accepted was a W2 from self employed people? Or do they show their income on W1 - dunno how it works in the US…
I don’t think the “pay yourself for a month” thing works because they’ll probably want a contract or a tax statement. Especially since they’ve already seen that my w2 portion was lower, it’d be odd to suddenly and conveniently have a large salary.
I think what I’m going to do is explain that it’s standard practice for an owner/employee to have minimal w2 wages and the rest on the k1. There’s no way that someone in a management position at a successful company (with the annual revenue they can see) could otherwise be hired at a salary of 25k/yr or whatever it was. The market rate would be well over the threshold, and thus the K1 portion contains that.
I can also offer to provide a new contract stating a set w2 salary, but I think it’d be better to offer that rather than just doing it.
Submitted my explanation. I found some comments in this thread that adding additional documents always sends you to the back of the line again, but others have had their additional info processed within a few days, so I’m crossing my fingers.
As an update. I called local health officials who were able to find a room for the 11th in taoyuan. They wouldn’t let me know hotel name until agreeing to stay there as hotels don’t want to be associated as a quarentine hotel. So pending negative covid test, I’ll be flying out this weekend.
Also, Taiwan is wanting to add 1000 more rooms as people return home for holidays. Some cities like Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung will only allow residents of that city to book rooms from 1/11-1/28. Other cities either give preference to residents or don’t yet have same restrictions. Not if already having a room, they won’t cancel it on you.
Does anyone know how the government quarantine facilities work? Do you just turn up and they send you to one, or do you have to contact them to book it in advance? I can’t find any info on them
I made it to Taiwan in December, finished my quarantine and the 7 day self-management and am now enjoying normal life again, which honestly is a bit surreal.
FYI, if anyone needs help with applying for the Gold Card or the Entrepreneur Visa: I got help from a great local person via a referral. She’s not an immigration agent (who are expensive), but rather a former language teacher (for foreigners learning Chinese) who has helped a bunch of people apply for and get the Gold Card and the Entrepreneur Visa. I found her to very detail oriented, great at calling up the relevant people at the government agencies to ask questions and pushing them as needed, and finding creative solutions to fulfill the requirements. She also created all the templates for me (employment verification letters, etc), translated my cover letter to Chinese, and also filled out the Gold Card application for me online. And yes, she’s fluent in English.
I can’t recommend her enough; she’s shy about marketing herself and I’d like to help her get more clients (no, I’m not getting anything out of it). She was amazing in helping me apply for both the Gold Card and the Entrepreneur Visa (yes, I applied for both simultaneously).
I think this only applies to people who choose to stay in them though, rather than those coming from the UK who have no choice. I had heard that the costs in this case would even be covered, but not sure if that’s true. Once I got my gold card approved I’ll get in touch with someone to clarify
Dang sorry to hear that @baconreffic . Hope you’re able to get answers and get the work permit or some other path that resolves the issue for you! I’m probably going to be applying in the next couple of weeks, as soon as I receive the letters of rec from my references.
I believe it has more to do with your title; the employment gold card document says, “the central competent authority determines special expertise needed by the state and those who are eligible.” Whatever that means ¯_(ツ)_/¯.
Other than that, you can find what you need in the requirements on the application site here, but be warned, there are no guarantees.
I’d suggest you call the local consulate first and ask which process is faster, as I’m not an expert in this whatsoever.
If I was to be in your position, I’d bring every document that I think would be helpful; you wouldn’t necessarily need it, but go prepared.
Have you called?
