How to get an ARC renewed/extended

[quote=“annmt”]Thanks so much for the response :slight_smile:

Sooooo, I doubt my situation is exceptional in any way shape or form currently.

But, what I pretty much really, really, really don’t want to hear, but need to confirm: Do I really need to leave, get a tourist visa, and come back? I’ve done a visa run once but found out it wasn’t necessary - I’m just trying to avoid an unnecessary flight/etc.[/quote]
So to be clear, you want to add a few weeks to your ARC to have some extra time to find a job? Just tell NIA that you have to work till the last day and want to spend some time traveling. Plenty of people have gotten extensions for that.

I’d like to suggest that the title of this thread be modified, as it can be a little confusing - extending an ARC and renewing an ARC are quite different things, and this thread is primarily about renewing (ie. going and getting a new ARC card with a new work permit or whatever other documents) rather than extending (ie. having them push the expiration date on an existing ARC back a few weeks).

Awesome! Thanks so much!

True: it’s not exceptional in terms of real life. :wink:
My use of the word “exceptional” is a refernce to the fact that “not having a reason” constitutes an exception to the rules for getting/renewing ARCs.

Exactly…! :slight_smile:

Reducing confusion is a goal i support :wink: Changed the title…

[ edited Dec 01 ]

I currently work buxiban and my work ARC expires June 30th. I have a letter of Termination.
I take classes at TLI. I have the reciepts paid for through the Summer semester.
I received the Huayu scholarship for study in September. (I plan to go to TaiDa)
I do not want to leave the country for the visa run.

I know that I can get a few weeks extension on my ARC for “travel” but does anyone know/think there is any chance that I can convince them to let me stay in-country the whole summer based on the fact that 1) I am still enrolled in Chinese classes, 2) I am Huayu recipient, and 3) I will be going to school in September.

Also, can I get my ARC extended more than once or can I just try to convince them to give me a Visitor Visa without leaving (I’ll pay for it, whatever)?

<3

[quote=“Lili”]I currently work buxiban and my work ARC expires June 30th. I have a letter of Termination.
I take classes at TLI. I have the reciepts paid for through the Summer semester.
I received the Huayu scholarship for study in September. (I plan to go to Tai-Da)
I do not want to leave the country for the visa run.

I know that I can get a few weeks extension on my ARC for “travel” but does anyone know/think there is any chance that I can convince them to let me stay in-country the whole summer based on the fact that 1) I am still enrolled in Chinese classes, 2) I am Huayu recipient, and 3) I will be going to school in September.

Also, can I get my ARC extended more than once or can I just try to convince them to give me a Visitor Visa without leaving (I’ll pay for it, whatever)?

<3[/quote]
Wow, that’s a good question: can you change from a resident visa to a visitor visa without leaving?

I suspect you wouldn’t be able to extend the ARC based on studying at TLI, although if you were studying there at least 15hrs/week, you could extend the visitors visa. I can’t recall reading about anyone extending an ARC for those reasons you mention, but it can’t hurt to go to NIA and ask, right?

If you’re at the end of your ARC and your health check is going to run longer than your ARC validity, here is what you do:

Take all of your employment credentials down to the Labor Office (Yan Ping Road) and open an application. This is tax stuff, work contract stuff, degree copies, passport copies, etc etc. Because you don’t have your health check yet, you will need to go back to complete the application. That said, they will issue you a receipt that looks similar to your work visa saying you’ve got an application in the works.

Take this receipt and another contract/proof of employment down to your NIA office and get an extension for 30 days. They’ll likely take your ARC card and give you a stamped receipt as proof of residency.

If you don’t have proof of employment, and don’t have a certified receipt from the Labor people, you’re not getting an extension. If you do have those two things, you’re good for 30 days.

You can change your ARC status one time, from student to worker, worker to student without having to leave Taiwan and re-start the process. Once you change your status, you will HAVE to leave Taiwan in order to change it again. So, if you are going to stop working and get a student visa with TLI, according to the policy as it is now (9/2012) you SHOULD be allowed to change so long as you’ve got your paperwork in order.

My wife and I have been working in Taiwan for two years, and her ARC is set to expire on 9/26. Now, I will continue to work with the same company at a different branch in Taipei. She will be attending a language program (all paid) at NTU in mid September. Their website states that she should apply for a Visitors Visa, but that means she has to apply for one out of the country, which is a bit ludicrous. Then after four months of study, she could apply for an ARC. (VISA run, right?) We figured we could just get her a spousal VISA, how do we go about doing that? We already applied for our original VISA after getting our license authenticated by TECO in Los Angeles. They kept those documents, which means I have no proof of marriage to use when applying for a dependent VISA. Holy hell, can someone let a ladder down into this hole>?

Question: does renewing the ARC require a copy of your rental contract?

BC

[quote=“bumclouds”]Question: does renewing the ARC require a copy of your rental contract?

BC[/quote]
I don’t know if it depends on the office/clerk you’re working with, but whenever I renewed mine I didn’t need to bring a rental contract unless my address had changed.

I went to the NIA today. The lady told me that to extend your ARC, you need:

An employment certificate (the NIA has a template here)
Your work permit from the CLA.
Passport & ARC

I have a question for you folks; my ARC expires in a couple of days. So does my work permit. But I have a new contract commencing from the expiration date of my ARC.
Will I have to apply for a new work permit?

[quote=“bumclouds”]I went to the NIA today. The lady told me that to extend your ARC, you need:

An employment certificate (the NIA has a template here)
Your work permit from the CLA.
Passport & ARC

I have a question for you folks; my ARC expires in a couple of days. So does my work permit. But I have a new contract commencing from the expiration date of my ARC.
Will I have to apply for a new work permit?[/quote]

You and your school dropped the ball on this one. You absolutely need a new work permit if your old work permit is expiring. You should be able to get a 1 month extension on your ARC to give you time to get a new health check and new work permit though. You will have to have your school call NIA to find out what exactly you need to bring (proof of employment) to get an extension. I was also late getting my work permit for ARC renewal this year. My work permit was actually in the mail and arrived the next day. I don’t think it’s too late but your school will definitely have to call the NIA office to find out what kind of forms need to be brought.

As far as your other question - typically NIA will accept received mail as proof of residence. 2 years ago my school mailed me an empty envelope since I wasn’t on a lease and didn’t have any utilities in my name. No questions asked at NIA.

I plan on asking to extend my ARC for time to travel, but how much time could I ask for (I saw someone get 90 days)? What are the chances of getting the extension?

Also, if you want to extend your ARC (mine is currently for working purposes) what should I take in order to have the best chance of getting my ARC extended?

I think you are typically allowed up to a 30 day extension to get your affairs in order (work permit related ARC). Somebody did this at our school this May and he said it was easy and was upset that he didn’t ask for all 30 days. You will have to call NIA to find out the specific paperwork but it sounded like you needed the typical end of contract paperwork for the extension.

For those seeking a 30-day extension on their ARC, so they can renew it (valid as of Oct 2013, for a work ARC):

You absolutely must have a receipt from the CLA to show that your work permit application is processing. It’s an A4 white piece of paper with three blue diamonds forming a cube shape in the middle.
Go to the NIA. Fill out an application form for an ARC extention (居留證延期). You’ll need:
a) an “employment certificate” (在職證明書) within 1-month of issue;
b) the “blue diamonds” CLA receipt mentioned above;
c) the typical stuff you always need for immigration (passport photos, a valid passport, some money);
d) … and you’ll also need to stay calm if you’re a silly git like me who left it until the last minute.

This post is a little old, so I’d like to provide an update just in case someone come across this particular statement in the future.
This morning my girlfriend and I went to the NIA office in Taipei to extend our ARC. Since my girlfriend had an unexpected urgent matter in Tokyo, she needed to go to Japan within 4 days. So we explained the situation to the immigration officer and requested for the re-entry stamp. The officer told us that they cannot issue that kind of stamp, because my ARC IS my re-entry permit. She also said that they NEVER issue such stamp. I asked 3 different officers and all of them said the same thing. So we ended up with 2 options, either wait for the new ARC (the extension process takes 2 weeks) or get a new Taiwan visa in Japan (which would cancel the current ARC extension process and probably reset all our residency records in Taiwan).

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