😷 COVID - Is it safe to travel on a plane to the US from Taiwan?

Employment. My ARC is three years duration.

yes, if you are not fired before the ARC expiration date while you are abroad.

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Thank you! :slightly_smiling_face:

Ah, but I take no responsibility if the information is wrong. You may want to confirm at NIA.

Okay, will do.

Then it really depends on your employer because they are your work-permit sponsor and you are their employee. By extension, your basis for residing in Taiwan and being granted an ARC is employment.

So, if your employer is cool with you taking a 2 month vacation to go back to the US to look after family members and you expect to come back and resume working for the same employer, then it’s not really a problem.

However, if you work for a bushiban as an English teacher and you want to depart Taiwan right before the busy time of summer, your employer might not be good with that. You might need to find a substitute who has open-work rights for your classes while you’re gone. Some small schools have a limit on the number of foreign work permits that they can sponsor and having you on their rolls, but you not actively working for them might be an issue. They might have to cancel your work-permit in order to sponsor someone else to take your place. Not all employers have the luxury of being able to sponsor a ton of work permits. There are limits.

Here’s a real life example to which I am personally familiar.

A Canadian named Mike had a work-permit from the largest English bushiban in Taiwan. After he had completed 1 year of employment, he took a 2 month vacation back to Vancouver. They had enough foreign teachers available to substitute for his classes during his vacation. However, that vacation was not permitted during the summer months. He ended up taking it for the months of September and October right after renewing his work permit for another year. He then came back on November 1st and resumed his teaching duties.

Conclusion: It’s all about your employer and whether they are willing to let you go back to the US, but still keep sponsoring your work-permit. If they cancel your work-permit, then the happy little date on your ARC doesn’t mean squat. Remember, as an employment based ARC holder, your employer owns you.

Ok?

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Thank you for your thoughtful response. I should’ve made it clear that I am a manager of a representative office.

Oh…well that’s very good. You are your own boss. Neato.

Aside from visa problem, the people who have taken the vaccine in Taiwan are advised not to travel abroad in the interim between shots.

This is a subject near and dear to me, as I’ve taken over a dozen flights in the past year, most of them international, all prior to being vaccinated. Considering I’ve transited through hotspots while the pandemic was raging, I have no doubt some of those flights had infected passengers on board.

First off, if you can get a direct flight from Taipei to California, your flight will probably not be filled. Since Taiwan has minimal community spread, it’s extremely unlikely there will be infected passengers - with the possible exception of flight crew - on the plane.

A few things I’ve done which served me well:

  • Wear at least an N95/KN95 mask. I wore an N99. Wear it properly, and fit test it.
  • Wear goggles that cover your eyes completely - top/bottom/side coverage. You can also get some plastic glasses that also do the same, and don’t look as funny as goggles.
  • Do not take off the mask at any point during the journey, except when required for ID checks, if you’re thirsty, etc. Absolutely don’t take it off in the bathroom to avoid aerosolized risk.
  • If you’re flying a short flight, don’t eat and drink. Two of my flights were 16 hours, so this was impossible. To minimize risk, I waited until others had finished their meals and put their masks back on, then had my meal.
  • Turn on the overhead vents and direct it so it’s blowing in front of your face. Cabin air is mixed with outdoor air and HEPA-filtered recycled air, which flows from the ceiling to floor.
  • Optional: Bring sanitizing wipes, and wipe down the arm rests, buttons, window, etc. Surface risk is estimated to be responsible for 1 in 10000 cases, so this is far less important than a mask.

Some people may think this too extreme, but I considered the risks, and decided to sacrifice comfort for safety. I’ve been tested before and after each flight, and was always negative.

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Problem, from what I heard and read, China Airlines will not be flying to North America right now.

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