I am staying in Taiwan since last August, have been studying Chinese during three months (with a student visa) and got married last October with my partner (we spent 5 years together before that in my country). I went to Hong-Kong to change my student Visa into a Visitor one. I needed to make Visa extension until I go back to my own country, at the end of March.
Then, this morning, I went to make the visa extension. There the officer said that I overstayed during 27 days : I made a very very stupid confusion between “Enter Before” date and the expiration of the Visa.
I didn’t work during my overstay, I just lived with my personal ressources.
So, I need to go to HK again as soon as possible in order to ask for a new Visitor Visa.
But I am worrying a lot : paying the fine (I plan to go tomorrow to Foreign Affairs Police in order to pay the fine before leaving the country) and making a letter of apologies will be enough ? I am scared of being trapped in HK and not being allowed to come back Taiwan…
Is your spouse an ROC citizen? If so, then you probably won’t have any serious problems.
If not, then how well you’re treated might depend on where your partner is from and if s/he has a good reason – from the standpoint of the immigration authorities – for being in Taiwan, which would affect your own status for being in Taiwan, since you don’t seem to be studying or working legally at present.
Be polite, apologetic, sincere, and well groomed. Don’t lie if you can help it.
Yes my spouse is ROC citizen.
I am going tomorrow for paying the fine in advance, will fly to HK the next day and hope to be able to get the new Visitor visa the same day.
I read all the thread in this forum but can’t guess if the fact I am jobless (but with personal ressources) is a problem for solving this issue…
An ability to show those resources will also be rather crucial. Have copies of bank statements at the ready. My experience has always been that you win quite a degree of sympathy if you are legitimate and made a silly error. Taiwan’s grey interpretation of the law can help you here, but only if they think you deserve it. Note carefully the word “think” you deserve it. Cranky’s comments about being clean cut will help, alas. You should definitely get your spouse down to immigration with you.
Ask her to write a letter in Chinese explaining how you made a mistake and won’t do it again. A faxed letter from my girlfriend turned things round when I was refused a visa at the Taiwan office in Singapore.
(If not for the fax, I might have tried flashing this…
[quote=“ynck”]Hello Crancky and thank you for your answer.
Yes my spouse is ROC citizen.
I am going tomorrow for paying the fine in advance, will fly to HK the next day and hope to be able to get the new Visitor visa the same day.
I read all the thread in this forum but can’t guess if the fact I am jobless (but with personal ressources) is a problem for solving this issue…
Y.[/quote]
Do you know you that you can already apply for a resident visa under the JFRV rule? Why settle for a visitor’s visa that needs to be renewed every six month?
Yesterday night my wife managed to find a plane ticket to HK for tomorrow. I prepared all that money for the fines, tickets and visa. We wrote some letters and prepared copies of my ressources. I was still scared that my visa would not be delivered (I read many bad things about HK representation of Taiwan).
Then, this morning we went to Banqiao National Immigration Agency and the very friendly officer spoke some time with my wife. She was completly surprised that we worried so much. She said that it was just a loss of time and money to go to HK right now. She said that my mistake happen sometimes to foreigners. She smiled and advised that I should just wait one month, pay the fine and go back in my country like I was planning (at the end of March). I said that I was worrying about police control eventually asking for passport and then she really laughed. And she said several times (“Bu hui la!”) that I won’t get trouble to have a new visitor visa the next time (because my overstay will be not more that 3 months). When she heard that we were married, she recommended to ask as soon as I came back a Alien Resident Certificate and said that there was no reason to worry.
So we just went out, phoned to the travel agency, and they said that they were late and didn’t open the plane ticket yet. So they will refund me all the money without any problem.
It sounds crazy. I feel like a stupid cheap plastic exotic toy for the Taiwanese Gods.
So I’ll just wait the end of next month, let my passport at home, pay my fines at the airport, and hope I will have my new visa without troubles when I come back this summer.
Crancky, Huang Guang, Juba, Dasaitn, thank you very very much for your advices. I wish you all the best.
Y.
ps : In fact, I haven’t applied yet for ARC because I got wrong informations in HK the last time I asked my visa. They said that because I was not planning to stay more that 6 months in Taiwan, I wouldn’t get the ARC, and should just do visa extensions every two months…
