I am planning to come to NTU as a visiting scholar with my family for about 7 months in 2022. The Office of International Affairs at NTU is saying that they will deal with my visa, but not those of my husband and daughter. (I understand that right now visa applications of any kind are pretty much frozen due to the pandemic, but I am hoping things will be better by late January 2022).
My husband is studying online for a degree now and the visa he’s on won’t affect him much. My daughter is in elementary school and my understanding is that to enroll in public school, she needs an ARC. (We would also consider private schools, but it would be nice to have the option). She knows Chinese pretty well (attended Chinese immersion school where we are currently living, South Korea).
If the university office says they’ll deal with my visa but not theirs, I’m trying to understand what this means in terms of getting an ARC for her, and how long it might take.
Finally, since even after this 7-month stay in Taiwan we will likely spend a few months in Taiwan each year for research/study, I checked and it seems like I would qualify for the Gold Card, and this would also solve the ARC and schooling problem for my daughter. But I am trying to figure out 1) how long it will take to process (should I try to pick it up in the next two months I am in Korea? Or wait until I am in Canada for the next 6 months?), and 2) any disadvantages of the Gold Card. I will not make any money in Taiwan as a visiting scholar (and will in fact pay an affiliation fee), but will make my regular salary in Korea, paid to my Korean account.
If the “private schools” means private elementary schools, your daughter also needs her ARC.
They may prepare documents just for you, and not for your defendants. You should apply for their visas by yourselves.
due to the current situation in Taiwan, it may be hard to tell now. Though, maybe you can change the passport control and card pick-up locations later, so I would apply for the card now.
How can I change the passport inspection location or Gold Card pick-up location?
There may be no disadvantage.
If you apply for a normal resident visa, you can apply for your dependant visas at the same time. If you will get a gold card, most probably you will need the physical card to apply for your dependant visas.
Thanks so much. I learned that as a visiting scholar (unpaid) at NTU I am not eligible for an ARC, and so neither is my family. So they recommended the Gold Card. So that is what I will do! I know there are other posts about it, but does anyone know:
How long is processing taking from abroad right now? Since I have just 2 months left in South Korea before I fly to Canada, I wonder if I should a) say I’ll pick up in Seoul, 2) say I’ll pick up in Vancouver (maybe tricky as I won’t be that close to Vancouver), or 3) say I’ll get it on arrival in Taiwan in early 2022.
Are there any negative tax implications of having a Gold Card? We will have no Taiwanese income, and will be in Taiwan 6-7 months (I don’t know our exact arrival and departure dates yet).
It will probably take in excess of two months given the current COVID situation here in Taiwan. You don’t actually need the card to travel to Taiwan - a printout of the receipt is sufficient. You can then pick the actual gold card up in Taiwan.
If you stay longer than 90 days in Taiwan in a calendar year, you will have to pay Taiwan taxes. You will ideally want to stay over 183 days in a calendar year, since you will then be eligible for deductions. Otherwise, it’s a flat 18% of income (including income earned abroad which will be prorated based on the time you stay in Taiwan).
Obtaining a gold card has a lot of advantages, since your husband and daughter will qualify for ARC through your gold card. Also, legislation has passed that allows Gold card holders to earn permanent residency status after 3 years, as well as waive the 6 month waiting period to qualify for national health insurance (not sure when legislation takes effect though).
Yikes, 18% is pretty bad on just foreign income. I think we will be there right around 183 days–that’s good advice to make sure we stay that long. Then it would be 50%, so 9%, correct? We also tend to spend January in Taiwan, but since it’s less than 90 days that should be okay in the future. So I guess the take-away is less than 90 days or more than 183 (given that we have to pay Korean taxes already and also file US taxes).
Between 90-183 days, it’s 18% but prorated for your time in Taiwan. Also, the count is the total number of (doesn’t have to be consecutive) days you stay in Taiwan. You should be able to claim a US tax credit for foreign taxes paid. There’s useful info on the Gold Card slack channel or taiwangoldcard.com.