Invitation letter of emplyment & an almost full passport Qs

Legal Visa & Residency
1

A friend has been offered a legitimate job teaching English.

A couple of questions:

  1. He has been in Taiwan for just over a couple of years. Previously studying and now for the last 6 months or so, entering on 30 day ‘landing visas’.

He believes there is no way a visa office will give him a 60 day visitor’s visa (as he’s been here so long) so he suggested the school write an invitation letter for employment.
Now are these letters viable?
What details should be in the letter?

  1. His passport has 5 pages left (5 years until expiry). The passport can not have extra pages put in.
    Are 5 pages enough for the visa etc?
    Should he consider a new passport before he applies for the visa?
    If he arrived with the almost full passport what happens when he needs a new one?

I appreciate any help.

Thanks

2

I don’t understand why the passport cannot have new pages put in. The passport is not legit?

3

It’s a UK passport.
New rules state old style passports (non biometric) can not have pages added.
You have to apply for a new biometric passport.

4

It’s a UK passport.
New rules state old style passports (non biometric) can not have pages added.
You have to apply for a new biometric passport.[/quote]

Ah. okay. Well, makes sense then, to apply, right? He’s gonna need it sooner rather than later anyway.

I’m not in Taiwan at the moment and haven’t dealt with this in a while, but I’m not sure what a letter of invitation to work will get him. One cannot enter Taiwan on a visitor visa for work. I’d think such a letter would actually keep him out of Taiwan until he had a work visa, which would be much harder and longer gotten.

5

He can get a new passport from the British Council in Taipei once he arrives, but then if his visa is in his old passport he will have to carry both around if he travels abroad until he gets a new one put in his new passport the following year. No biggie really, and I would think that 5 pages would be plenty to come to Taiwan with. But he will probably have to get a new passport during the next year anyway, so he may want to just be done with it and get a new one before leaving the UK.

6

Cheers, so Question 2 is answered.

What about Question 1 regarding the invitation letter?.
Any more clarification with what housecat said?