Going from a Visa (Visiting Relatives) to Work Permit/Resident Visa: Are there any issues with this?

Legal Visa & Residency
1

I’m planning on going to Taiwan in July in order to look for a job teaching English. Are there any problems with going from a visitor’s visa (for the purpose of visiting relatives) to a work permit/resident visa? I’ve heard that going into Taiwan on a student visa has a four month wait before a work permit can be issued, and I’m worried that applying for a visitor’s visa (as opposed to the ‘30 days visa-free’ tourist visa) will actually make my plans of living and working in Taiwan more difficult.

I don’t think I’ll have any problems getting a visiting relatives visa, as my mother was a Taiwanese national, but since my main goal in going to Taiwan is finding a teaching English job in July/August, I don’t want to accidentally imperil those plans.

Any help or information at all is much appreciated!

2

Personal experience: It is not a trouble to change as long as your employer is ready to apply for a work permit. Visitor visa is in fact better than visa-free entry.

3

Thank you, Isha! I’ll go ahead with my visa plans now that I know it won’t cause me any problems!

4

When I “made the transition” to resident, it was far better to have the visitor visa than to have entered visa-free. Holders of visitor visas need only do the paperwork, whereas those who entered visa-free needed to leave the country. I’ve seen posts, though, that suggest they no longer have to leave, but still sounds better to have the visitor visa.