Time is running out on my current visitor visa: Expires Nov. 7th
My visa has been extended twice within Taiwan for the reason of studying. No more extensions allowed. I can go for a resident visa, but will have to pay and attend for one more semester of Chinese classes. Money is getting tight since I refuse to work illegally until my JFRV is ready. So any way to stay longer without having to pay 16000NT for classes would be great.
I am still waiting for my criminal history report to be mailed to me from the States (taking much longer than I had thought it would), after which I will need to mail back to Seattle to get verified by TECO. I really don’t see this happening before Nov. 7th. So I need to find alternative ways to stay.
All documents have been taken care of for my marriage (except for the medical exam and criminal history). Can I now check the “Joining Family” box on the visa application?Will this enable me to get a resident visa or at least a 3rd extension of my visitor visa?
Once you’ve used up your visa extensions new extensions are granted only in very limited circumstances. Is it possible for someone back home to get a police record letter from your home town police, get it authenticated at TECO and then Fedex it back? That should be possible to do in a few days.
I just got an answer to my own question: But I will leave this post here fro anyone who might be in the same circumstance…
Called FAP:
They said, the extensions on my visitor visa have been maxed out to 180 days total. No further extensions from within Taiwan allowed. I Must leave the country and do one of the following:
Option 1:
Go to overseas TECO and apply for a new visitor visa (180 day total) and check the box for joining Family: must have marraige certificate and household registration. Cost: $100 US (sucks to be american sometimes)
Option 2:
Leave Taiwan and come back on 30 day Visa Free entry with passport.
Of course the 3rd option would be to enroll for one more semester, pay up the 16000 NT, and get a Resident Visa good for the 3 month semester.
I decided to just pay up the 16000 NT and stay, less trouble and can continue learning how to say 我是美國人˙我喜歡台北!
I went the FBI route…perhaps a mistake? cost $16 US…pretty cheap, but takes forever. Still waiting for it.
I called my county police department in Portland and they said they could do one for $25 US without finger prints. This would be the fastest as my family could do it for me. BUT…they said they their experience is that (for foreign visa purposes) a county wide criminal report is not good enough and I should get the state one from the state police.
I called the state police. They said I need to mail them my finger prints on a finger print card (cant get one in Taiwan, I have tried to no avail). ANd pay $45 US and wait up to 60 days to have it mailed to me in Taiwan.
Pain in the friggen ass if you ask me. :bluemad:
If one should happen to have a “county wide” clean criminal report from last April. And one was good at photoshop…and one changed the dates so that they now reflect the 3 month time restraint…and then mail it to TECO to be verified as a real document…would one be really really stupid and probably get caught?
(When in a desperate situation, one tends to imagine out of desperation all ways possible to get out of the desperate situation…please give me a good back handed slap if I am being crazy here).
When I got my JFRV they accepted a Santa Clara (city) Police Department letter. I know others have done this with local letters like this. It only took a few minutes to get the letter, then 1 day processing at TECO.
Just a heads-up here. The job of the FAP seems to be to support the airlines by getting foreigners to go on unnecessary visa runs. IOW the answer to every question is that you have to leave.
Go instead to MOFA with all your documents and plead your case for a new visa. If you have a marriage license they know that it’s just a matter of time before you come up with enough paperwork for a JFV. In many cases they will issue a new visitor visa to tide you over. Just be sure and take your marriage license (this is another reason it’s smart to get married in court) and whatever other supporting paperwork you have, before your current visa expires, and be polite. You may have to write them a letter to explain your circumstances for their files.
I’ve always found MOFA to be very helpful.
jlick: You from Santa CLara, CA???
I grew up in Santa Clara. Graduated from Santa Clara High…even went to Deanza and West Valley for a while before I transfered down to San Luis Obispo…small world. What part of SC are you from? I used to live very close to pruneridge and san thomas : by the golf course.
[quote=“redwagon”]Just a heads-up here. The job of the FAP seems to be to support the airlines by getting foreigners to go on unnecessary visa runs. IOW the answer to every question is that you have to leave.
Go instead to MOFA with all your documents and plead your case for a new visa. If you have a marriage license they know that it’s just a matter of time before you come up with enough paperwork for a JFV. In many cases they will issue a new visitor visa to tide you over. Just be sure and take your marriage license (this is another reason it’s smart to get married in court) and whatever other supporting paperwork you have, before your current visa expires, and be polite. You may have to write them a letter to explain your circumstances for their files.
I’ve always found MOFA to be very helpful.[/quote]
I get confused about this : was walking around in circles for hours one day, lost in a sea of red tee-shirts looking for the MOFA / BOCA
Which office should I go to? There seems to be 3 of them. MOFA, BOCA, or other?
BOCA is the place to go for your resident visa. It’s on Jinan Road just east of Zhongshan Road.
That’s where I lived most recently before coming to Taiwan. I’m originally from Chesterland, OH then my family moved to Santa Barbara, CA when I was 10. After school I moved up to Santa Clara just before the dot com boom. I used to live behind Great America just off Agnew.
BOCA is the place to go for your resident visa. It’s on Jinan Road just east of Zhongshan Road.
That’s where I lived most recently before coming to Taiwan. I’m originally from Chesterland, OH then my family moved to Santa Barbara, CA when I was 10. After school I moved up to Santa Clara just before the dot com boom. I used to live behind Great America just off Agnew.[/quote]
Ahhh, good ol’ Great America…lots of fond memories there. Even worked in their marketing department for a while. Couldnt get enough of the Demon, Top Gun and the Grizzly. Has changed a lot though over the past few years. Now they have that Giant Mercado center with that awesome movie theater: stadium seating, cant go wrong with that! I’m starting to miss home…
Just called MOFA —MOFA said Call BOCA —Just called BOCA —BOCA said call MOFA! :fume:
Hung up and called BOCA again. Was told wrong number, call different number.
Called BOCA’s other number. Man answers phone and speaks Chinese.
Me: I am calling about my visitor visa, can you help me?"
Him: Says nothing and puts me on hold. 10 seconds later the line goes dead.
Called same number. Same guy answers phone.
Me: I just called and was put on hold then the line was cut.
Him: Because my English is not good. :loco: :loco: :loco: (ok so yeah, just hang up on me! :fume: )
Me: Is there someone else that can help?
Him: Yes call this different number.
I call the 3rd number for BOCA. It is a friggen recording telling you to go to the website for information! :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume:
I’m dying here…someone stop me before I go postal!
[quote=“Quarters”]Just called MOFA —MOFA said Call BOCA —Just called BOCA —BOCA said call MOFA! :fume:
Hung up and called BOCA again. Was told wrong number, call different number.
Called BOCA’s other number. Man answers phone and speaks Chinese.
Me: I am calling about my visitor visa, can you help me?"
Him: Says nothing and puts me on hold. 10 seconds later the line goes dead.
Called same number. Same guy answers phone.
Me: I just called and was put on hold then the line was cut.
Him: Because my English is not good. :loco: :loco: :loco: (ok so yeah, just hang up on me! :fume: )
Me: Is there someone else that can help?
Him: Yes call this different number.
I call the 3rd number for BOCA. It is a friggen recording telling you to go to the website for information! :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume:
I’m dying here…someone stop me before I go postal![/quote]
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WELCOME TO TAIWAN…
Yes it’s a hassle… don’t call them ya wally… get on ya bike and go down their with your docs in hand.
You think a visa is a headache… wait till ya apply for ROC nationilty It’s a breeze really if ya just go down to each office…
The phone is a bleep waste of time :help:
PS don’t forget to take them some roast duck fresh from the farm… a bit of grease goes along ways in this habitat
Two years ago I walked into the Beaverton City police department, they wrote I had no criminal record in Washington county and sent me on my way - 25 bucks, I believe, and it took a day.
If you have enough cash, take the missus back to Portland to meet the folks, tour the coast, and have the whole thing done for you up in Seattle. Take you about a week.
If cash flow is a problem, disregard all of this. Going the FBI route was probably a bad idea, though…
Yes it’s a hassle… don’t call them ya wally… get on ya bike and go down their with your docs in hand.
You think a visa is a headache… wait till ya apply for ROC nationilty It’s a breeze really if ya just go down to each office…
The phone is a bleep waste of time :help:
PS don’t forget to take them some roast duck fresh from the farm… a bit of grease goes along ways in this habitat [/quote]
It was like a knee jerk reaction when I got off the phone. You should a been there, bleep hilarious if you were just watching. But for me it was like getting a root canal while in the middle of a migrain…I was pulling my hair out while cursing at the phone. Nearly broke it into tiny little pieces. What the bleep?!?! You beattle nut munching, blue truck driving, chodofu smelling, backwards lilly friggen son of a sea cook desk jocky! You hung up on me and then gave me a friggen number to call a friggen machine to tell me to go to your worthless friggen website!?!?! Is this how you get your laugh for the day? You think its hilarious to jerk around a round eye white boy? I used to feel bad for all the extra security bleep you have to go through to get into the US…not anymore you little bleep, this is war now. You have bleep with me one too many times and now I will be the one laughing my bleep off walking through the imigration line back into the US while you are standing in a line a mile long with your finger up your bleep!
Sorry for the vulgarity, but i have definately lost it for today…maybe even the rest of the week. Lets just call it venting…mods: do with this post as you see fit.
[quote=“Quarters”][quote]HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WELCOME to Taiwan…
Yes it’s a hassle… don’t call them ya wally… get on ya bike and go down their with your docs in hand.
You think a visa is a headache… wait till ya apply for ROC nationilty It’s a breeze really if ya just go down to each office…
The phone is a bleep waste of time :help:
PS don’t forget to take them some roast duck fresh from the farm… a bit of grease goes along ways in this habitat [/quote]
It was like a knee jerk reaction when I got off the phone. You should a been there, bleep hilarious if you were just watching. But for me it was like getting a root canal while in the middle of a migrain…I was pulling my hair out while cursing at the phone. Nearly broke it into tiny little pieces. What the bleep?!?! You beattle nut munching, blue truck driving, chodofu smelling, backwards lilly friggen son of a sea cook desk jocky! You hung up on me and then gave me a friggen number to call a friggen machine to tell me to go to your worthless friggen website!?!?! Is this how you get your laugh for the day? You think its hilarious to jerk around a round eye white boy? I used to feel bad for all the extra security bleep you have to go through to get into the US…not anymore you little bleep, this is war now. You have bleep with me one too many times and now I will be the one laughing my bleep off walking through the imigration line back into the US while you are standing in a line a mile long with your finger up your bleep!
Sorry for the vulgarity, but i have definately lost it for today…maybe even the rest of the week. Lets just call it venting…mods: do with this post as you see fit.[/quote]
Well I guess you just lost the war then. Persevere and all good things will come, in due time. Can’t rush these things you know.
But really, you get the same thing when you call the INS in the USA. 'Cept usually your placed on hold for about two weeks first .
[quote=“Satellite TV”][quote=“Quarters”][quote]HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WELCOME to Taiwan…
Yes it’s a hassle… don’t call them ya wally… get on ya bike and go down their with your docs in hand.
You think a visa is a headache… wait till ya apply for ROC nationilty It’s a breeze really if ya just go down to each office…
The phone is a fucking waste of time :help:
PS don’t forget to take them some roast duck fresh from the farm… a bit of grease goes along ways in this habitat [/quote]
It was like a knee jerk reaction when I got off the phone. You should a been there, fucking hilarious if you were just watching. But for me it was like getting a root canal while in the middle of a migrain…I was pulling my hair out while cursing at the phone. Nearly broke it into tiny little pieces. What the fuck!!! You beattle nut munching, blue truck driving, chodofu smelling, backwards lilly friggen son of a sea cook desk jocky! You hung up on me and then gave me a friggen number to call a friggen machine to tell me to go to your worthless friggen website!!! Is this how you get your laugh for the day? You think its hilarious to jerk around a round eye white boy? I used to feel bad for all the extra security crap you have to go through to get into the US…not anymore you little pricks, this is war now. You have fucked with me one too many times and now I will be the one laughing my ass off walking through the imigration line back into the US while you are standing in a line a mile long with your finger up your ass!
Sorry for the vulgarity, but i have definately lost it for today…maybe even the rest of the week. Lets just call it venting…mods: do with this post as you see fit.[/quote]
Well I guess you just lost the war then. Persevere and all good things will come, in due time. Can’t rush these things you know.
But really, you get the same thing when you call the INS in the USA. 'Cept usually your placed on hold for about two weeks first . [/quote]
Yeah…go ahead and put the IRS up on the white board too, while your at it. My one and only call to them, I was on hold for 3 hours…I kid you not. Like I said, my one and only call…learnt that lesson real quick.
