Just wanted to end/start the year on a positive note.
I’ve had a bit of a rough first six months in Taiwan in account of foolishly choosing to work for an agent. When I quit they cancelled my work permit, but didn’t bother actually getting in touch with me, as they are supposed to, to give me my official marching orders.
So a combination of my own bloody-mindedness and their intransigence finds me in an awkward situation. I have a new job, work permit (from the Education Department this time) in process, and no time for the paperwork. In fact, a call to the police reveals that I’ve already overstayed by several weeks. Bugger!
The second half of the conversation came as a bit of a surprise: ‘When would it be convenient for you to make a trip to Hong Kong?’ and ‘Is Hong Kong OK for you? That’s the most popular option.’ followed by ‘When you have your ticket, come in and see us and we’ll sort out the overstay.’
I have to admit to being a bit flummoxed by this. It’s not what I’ve been led to expect, but in the belief that optimism is better than despair I duly turn up at the police station with my passport. This is New Years Eve, the place is full of people waiting with sheaves of paper and anxious expressions.
Ten minutes later I walk out with a stamp in my passport saying that I haven’t overstayed. I didn’t have to wait and I didn’t have to pay anything. I had no problems at the airport yesterday, my new visa was issued promptly and with no fuss at all by a very friendly lady at the office in HK, and I breezed through CKS airport this afternoon wondering what all the fuss has been about in the past.
OK, I could have done without the expense, but I have to say that dealing with this crap myself has been vastly easier and less traumatic than leaving an agent to deal with it. All the officials I’ve had to deal with have been friendly, sympathetic, and helpful. I’m starting to like Taiwan!!!
I’m confused, why did you go to Hong Kong if your paperwork is being processed in the goverment? To my understanding so long as your paperwork is in the government being processed for a resident visa then you do not have to leave. Richard is this right? Or did your visa expire before you found a new job?
I recently had a similar experience to tmwc after due to being unlawfully dismissed and then sneetched on by my previous employer, [url=http://forums.segue.com.tw/viewtopic.php?t=2430]Interface Global-Trade Winds
My first ARC was obtained through the Economics Department. Apparently I was writing text books for a company in Taichung, a job I would have been hard-pushed to commute to/from and still spend 50hrs a week in a high school in Jungli.
My new employer has employed me as a teacher, working for them, and applied for a permit for me from the Education Department in Taipei. As we’re dealing with two different branches of the government, in two different cities, I’m effectively starting the process again. (Had to get a new medical cert, etc. too)
This apparently takes some time, and time was something I didn’t have as my visa had been pulled out from under me. So I had to spend an evening in Hong Kong looking at the fat English chicks. Might have to start a new thread about THAT.
Thanks for the interest and, Wolf, congrats on winning the ‘Best Teaching Story’ poll.
Just to re-confirm what Juba said, yes, you do have to leave! I myself was also laboring under the delusion that if your paperwork was being processed by some cute guy at one government branch or other, you didn’t have to, but the very handsome man at Banchiao Foreign Affairs police informed me otherwise as I was handcuffed and “asked to depart”. Sigh…
And, incidentally, as an English chick who was in HK at the same time as tmwc, I must point out that the word is CURVACEOUS, not fat.
It depends on whether you’ve overstayed or not doesn’t it?
Maybe it’s different in Taipei County (but I doubt it). Basically if you haven’t overstayed and you’ve got your papers in to the Ministry of Education (might be different for jobs covered by other miniostires, but again I don’t see why that would be so) you can go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (not the Foreign Affairs police) and get them to give you an extension. I know this is possible, as one school I work with does this regularly. Lots of people seem to think it’s impossible though, so convincing your laoban that it’s possible and that he/she can do it for you might be a problem.
If you’ve overstayed on the other hand though, you’re lucky to get off as lightly as tmwc did.
I was definitely overstayed, and the thread was started in celebration of how easily it was dealt with.
Magnolia:
If you were one of the girls in the same bar as me the word is not curvaceous. Curves I can handle (willingly!) but curves don’t sag over the top of your jeans like that.
Still, if you’re into handcuffs I might be willing to revise my opinion…