JFRV vs APRC

I have a JFRV and was wondering if there is any point in changing to an APRC.

I’m not about to divorce, but I have children and we own our own house (in my wife’s name).

Should the worst happen to my wife, would an APRC give me more legal rights regarding the house and the kids would I be legally entitled to her assets/debts.

My current understanding is that with a JFRV if I became a widower I would be up the creek without a paddle and would have to leave the country and have no recourse to our property, or other monies, I don’t know about guardianship of the kids.

I did a brief search but didn’t turn up much.

Also - can you write a Will here?

When I got my JFRV they said that death of a spouse doesn’t cause it to be canceled, only divorce.

It’s a $10K application fee plus the headache of a background check and another medical. But you own your own destiny, and that peace of mind must be factored into the equation, imho.

You require a background check and health check for a JFRV, and the cost is NT $ 1000 a year!! APRC is cheaper as I believe the charge is once off.

Craig, do you know anywhere where this is written?

My understanding is that it will not be cancelled if your wife dies (you still have the same expiration date) but it cannot be renewed. If this is the rule it is ridiculous. It means that if I am 97 and my wife dies I have to leave the country.

Craig, do you know anywhere where this is written?

My understanding is that it will not be cancelled if your wife dies (you still have the same expiration date) but it cannot be renewed. If this is the rule it is ridiculous. It means that if I am 97 and my wife dies I have to leave the country.[/quote]

We are unfortunate enough to have a widower amongst us. In fact, the government was unusually human about his visa situation. They were extremely accommodating and he has never had his residency be an issue. He may or may not chime in on his own, but ya…he never had to doubt his residency.

Craig, do you know anywhere where this is written?

My understanding is that it will not be cancelled if your wife dies (you still have the same expiration date) but it cannot be renewed. If this is the rule it is ridiculous. It means that if I am 97 and my wife dies I have to leave the country.[/quote]

We are unfortunate enough to have a widower amongst us. In fact, the government was unusually human about his visa situation. They were extremely accommodating and he has never had his residency be an issue. He may or may not chime in on his own, but ya…he never had to doubt his residency.[/quote]

Sorry to hear about that. It would be interesting to hear about his residency situation, but fully understand if he does not want to discuss.

Craig, do you know anywhere where this is written?

My understanding is that it will not be cancelled if your wife dies (you still have the same expiration date) but it cannot be renewed. If this is the rule it is ridiculous. It means that if I am 97 and my wife dies I have to leave the country.[/quote]

I have seen it written on a government website somewhere but can’t remember where. I’m out and about at the moment but will try to look it up later today or tomorrow.

For all practical purposes, a JFRV is the same as an APRC, so some people don’t want to go through the hassle of applying for an APRC if they already have a JFRV.

That said, if you really want to get technical about it, an APRC is better than a JFRV, the main reason being that your ability to stay in Taiwan is not tied to anything, job or marriage. For some, that is a great peace of mind.

Remember back in your regular ARC days when you had to work at less than ideal places simply because they were willing to sponsor your ARC? If you switch out “job” and replace it with “wife,” the same would be true of a JFRV. Obviously a marriage is more permanent than a job, but you never really know. And if you’ve already invested this much into Taiwan, it’s nice to know you can stay here as long as you want independent of any factors.

The only drawback to a APRC is that you must remain in the country for 183 days every year or you’ll lose your APRC status. If needed, you can apply for extended periods of leave with the Immigration Agency, and they may or may not approve it.

Most people (~70%) I know have moved up from a JFRV to an APRC. Doesn’t mean they don’t have faith in their marriage, just that they want to be their own person in this country.

My two cents :slight_smile:

You require a background check and health check for a JFRV[/quote]
To maintain a JFRV-based ARC, however, does not require either a new clean criminal record report or a health check. Getting permanent residency, however, requires both.

You require a background check and health check for a JFRV[/quote]
To maintain a JFRV-based ARC, however, does not require either a new clean criminal record report or a health check. Getting permanent residency, however, requires both.[/quote]

Don’t both visas require both hurdles, but one time only? I know my APRC means never getting a health care check done again.

Here’s a relevant thread:
What happens when your local spouse passes away
If I was staying here for a good deal longer, I would probably apply for the APRC just to have peace of mind, and to save the ARC fees beyond 10 years. However, I’m likely not going to stay another 10 years, so I think keeping my JFRV-based ARC is easier in the short term. My marriage is solid too.

You require a background check and health check for a JFRV[/quote]
To maintain a JFRV-based ARC, however, does not require either a new clean criminal record report or a health check. Getting permanent residency, however, requires both.[/quote]
Don’t both visas require both hurdles, but one time only? I know my APRC means never getting a health care check done again.[/quote]
My point is that to get JFRC, one must jump through the CCR and health-exam hoops … once. To go from JFRC to APRC, however, one must jump through those hoops again, which doesn’t happen if one simply maintains JFRC.

Maybe APRC is worth it. But getting it is a hassle.

Thanks scomargo that’s a useful link and provides hope that we could stay and maybe Citizen K can shed light on the financial aspect, if he know that is.

[quote=“StuartCa”]I have a JFRV and was wondering if there is any point in changing to an APRC.

I’m not about to divorce, but I have children and we own our own house (in my wife’s name).

Should the worst happen to my wife, would an APRC give me more legal rights regarding the house and the kids would I be legally entitled to her assets/debts.

My current understanding is that with a JFRV if I became a widower I would be up the creek without a paddle and would have to leave the country and have no recourse to our property, or other monies, I don’t know about guardianship of the kids.

I did a brief search but didn’t turn up much.

Also - can you write a Will here?[/quote]

Sorry guys, I just noticed this; I don’t get down to this end of the forum much anymore.

I was on a JFRV at the time that I lost my wife and was allowed to renew it twice for one year each time after she passed. It was never explicitly stated whether this was protocol or whether they were just letting me slide; I just went in, made the applications and they processed them both times without question. I knew and had all the paper work that was needed and our household registry very clearly stated the date of her death, so I tend to think it was some kind of unwritten protocol, though I have heard of cases where spouses were made to leave once their visas expired. We had been married three and a half years at the time of her death and I was under the assumption that I needed five full years on a JFRV or seven consecutive years (it was seven at that time and I had five and a bit) on work based ARCs. I was a bit confused at the time that I finally went to process my APRC because the agent pointed out that I could have applied some years before based on my record of entry/exit and the visas I had held…no idea how he figure that, but I didn’t look to question anything, since my APRC was pretty much a lock based on the qualifications I applied with. I guess for hard and fast answers, you are best off to consult the NIA directly.

As for the financial part, I was considered the direct inheritor of all assets we acquired while married. This included her bank accounts and any insurance policies on which I was named as the beneficiary. We had (I had, but in her name) bought a car and a house together, and there was about six years left on a ten year mortgage. Her father would apparently have had some right to claim half of that since we purchased it a little before we were married, but as per the instructions in her handwritten will, which is apparently a valid document in Taiwan, all assets we acquired and purchased together were to go to me. I hired a Dai Su, a kind of notary public, to help me probate everything and there was a small amount of money, I think something like $40-50k, paid from me to the father to settle any claims that he could have had to the assets. As to the will, I have no idea if it would have held up if anyone had seriously decided to question the way the estate was being probated. I do know that once I showed it to her family and the arrangements that my wife had made for them with insurance and such, any question of contesting it was quashed.

That was my experience. I can say that I felt very fortunate to have a good friend that works for a very powerful lawfirm here in Taiwan to point me in the direction of one of the partner’s at her firm to help me along with the whole thing. I don’t really feel as though I can give any hard or fast answers as to what the exact rules are regarding wills and such, since I wasn’t really in any kind of state of mind to pay much attention to all of that stuff at the time. One thing that I have to say is that the agents at the NIA and all the many other government/financial offices that I dealt with were all very professional and sensitive to the fact that I was a big mess emotionally from the whole thing.

If you have any question about any of this, I’ll check back here from time to time. I think pretty much everything I had to offer was posted in that thread that was linked to above, but I try to help with any questions here again. One thing that has apparently changed over the years is that joint ownership of property (houses) is apparently now permitted. If your house is paid off or if the mortgage is in both of your names, I would look at getting your name on the deeds, as well. I doubt there would be much contest to the kids, since you are obviously their biological father.

1 Like

Cheers CK that’s very useful information.

I’m renewing my JFRV in August. Regarding the new easier regulations relating to getting an APRC (No CRC or health check) is there anything else that I should consider? Is it possible to get a life-long JFRV or do I have to renew it every year?

Thanks

after your first year you get it renewed every 3 years.

Hijacking this thread for a quick question about the JFRV / APRC issue.

I have been on a employment based ARC for the past three years and am getting married soon. I would like to switch from a stay based on employment to one based on marriage, mainly because of the work rights.

Does anyone know if this would reset my counter towards receiving an APRC or can I just stay on JFRV for another two years and then switch to an APRC based on residence?

Iirc, your counter will not be reset, but you can ask to NIA for more accurate/reliable answer.

How does a foreigner apply for an APRC ?(Serial No. 0903)
http://www.immigration.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1090288&ctNode=30085&mp=2

2 Likes