Greetings! Please excuse me if this is a silly question, but I am having trouble finding what I need, and thought I’d ask the experts. Expats. Expert expats. Whateva.
In short: my wife is Taiwanese, I am from the US, and we are thinking about heading to the 人間的天堂. I intend to do some part-time English teaching there while pursuing some dreams on the side.
So I have been sorting through all the various info, and it looks like if I am going to apply for a visa on the basis of my wife – the “joining family” one, methinketh – (and follow this up with ARC on the same basis, once I’m in Taiwan), I need to have a medical exam at the time of visa application.
But there’s a problem. As an uninsured new graduate, I am really really not in the mood to drop big bucks on the blood tests and exams will cost in the US of A.
Is there a way I can do this stuff in Taiwan and still apply for an ARC on the basis of my wife? I understand that a one-month visa-waiver entry will forbid that, and we’ve been told a tourist visa would, too.
Get a tourist visa – 60-day multiple entry if you can – and come over on that. You can do the shit-in-a-cup thing at a hospital here for far less money. You’re aware of the need for a CCRD, your marriage cert., and the other docs you’ll need, right? All stamped and authenticated by the Taiwan rep. office where you live? You should be able to get everything done on one visa entry, but better make sure you have enough funds to cover a visa run to Hong Kong or someplace, just in case.
Do a search of the forums for the exact documents you’ll need. It’s a subject that has been covered many times.
Watch out for the CCRD as it’s only valid for a limited time and if it expires before the other stuff is ready you’ll have a real headache getting another one if you’re already here.
Make sure that when you do the shit-in-cup thing that you pack it really, really full. Use that little specimen spool like an ice cream scoop. Make sure some squished out a little.
I think we’ve got the other document req’s down. I had also found the stories of other people who did all processing in Taiwan, including medical, but the Foreign Ministry website seemed to forbid it, so I wanted to be sure.
Now I need to start practicing my aim for that poop test!
Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) has a list of local hospitals that you can use for the health check report for your marriaged-based JFRV / ARC application.