Filing for an APRC card. Married...for the time being

Legal Visa & Residency
1

Hello,

I’m hoping to get some advice from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation. I am in the process of filing for an APRC card. I currently have an ARC card through my employer and I meet all of the requirements for APRC eligibility. I am also married to a Taiwanese citizen.

However, the marriage of 20+ years is all but over, and my employer, unfortunately happens to be my in-law. That said, I am quietly and very carefully preparing an exit strategy. We have a child together, and I have every intention of staying here to be a part of my child’s life. However my spouse is doing everything in their power to alienate me from our child.

I obviously have no guarantee that I will be able to maintain my current employment, post divorce, being that my in-law is my boss. While I do have a decent relationship with my in-law, I have noticed them growing more distant towards me over the past year or so. That said, I don’t want to be in a situation where my resident status is reliant on them.

I’m hoping to get my APRC card under the radar so to speak, before things get awkward and or contentious. So here’s my question. The APRC application has a line for, “Information about your relative/friend in Taiwan”

If I write my spouses name in as a reference, and they receive a call from the immigration office, my cover will be blown. I could just write in a friend, but I’m worried that the immigration agent may question why I didn’t write my spouse in.

Am I over thinking this? Should I just write my friend in as my reference and be done with it?

Thanks in advance

2

You’re not 100% reliant on them. If you lose your job, you can get a 6 month job seeking ARC. You are OK.

Better record every interaction and get everything written or on email traceable etc…

And make sure you exercise your rights under the Labour Standards Act

Then write the friend in.

Your ARC isn’t about marriage. So… They don’t care because it’s not marriage fraud.

Maybe they do ask. Unlikely, but who cares if they do? Why you didnt choose your wife? Things going rough.

5

I never fill in that little box asking for a friend or relative in Taiwan. No one at the immigration office has ever asked me to fill it in either.

6

I wrote my friend’s info and she never got a call. It’s unlikely that they’ll call if your documents are in order.

7

I’ve been called several times, even after not answering the phone across multiple days

They never called the friend I listed.

8

During one of my ARC applications, I ran into some work permit issues. I missed their call and they called my friend’s number from the application the following day. So if there’s some problem, there is a chance they call that number

9

To be fair, after getting my APRC I hardly fill in three quarters of the form.

just my ID number, address, name (I once left my Chinese name off though and they removed it from the ARC so always fill that one in!)

And then whatever is being updated, like a new address.

I never fill in the relative/friend info, company info, degree information since that stuff doesn’t seem relevant to APRC holders. They’ve never asked me to add that info either.

10

As a spouse of a Taiwanese you must have a Chinese name, but wasn’t aware to can elect to take it off the ARC.

as a spouse, you can file with the income/wealth exemption. That’s handy, just need to give copy of your spouse ID, or the excerpt the HHR (as spouse you are allowed to request it even without your spouse consent as your are an interested party) or certificate of marriage if married in Taiwan. I just gave my wife’s ID front and back (so they see your Chinese name in the back as 配偶) and done.

11

Thanks for all the input guys.