I have followed the thread about work permits and APRC and how it seems you still need a work permit even though you have an APRC. So what are the supposed benefits of the socalled “Open Work Permit”, the little piece of paper you get from the CLA that exempts you from certain restrictions under the ESA? Can someone give me some true to life, practical situation where that piece of paper would come in handy? It all seems rather confusing to me.
Hoping for clearer skies,
Yali
If the police or the labour affairs bureau check it would come in handy. You can also show it to a prospective employer.
But if I already need a “proper” work permit for teaching etc, why do I need to show the police a second one? Or do you mean it comes in handy for jobs where there is no work permit, such as selling hot dogs on the street, teaching English in private, etc? In what way would a prospective employer like my OWP? Does that mean it makes things easier for him? Sorry for all these questions. Thanks.
In theory (according to the law) if you have the OWP you will not need another work permit from your employer to teach. You could work for two employers, for kindergartens (who can’t get work permits for foreginers) etc.
Unfortunately, in practice, the MOE see things differently and will try and insist that you need a permit through them too (they’re wrong) and that foreigners can’t teach in kindergartens (they’re wrong too). So your challenge is to convince an employer that you are right and the MOE is wrong.
In fields other than teaching, for example editing and writing, you need to show 2 years of documented work experience in order for your employer to obtain a work permit for you. With an OWP, they just hire you like a Taiwanese person. Saves you a bit of hassle and you may be able to bluff your way into positions that you couldn’t if you needed a regular work permit. 
OWP also give you the freedom of mind to quit a job at any time, or to cut hours at one place if a better opportunity arises at another. Your Taiwanese boss has no hold over you.
You also can avoid those stupid yearly health checks.
I see, so teaching aside, if the job does not require additional qualifications, such as being a doctor, engineer, etc, any Taiwanese boss should be able to hire me with a minimum amount of paperwork, is that right? What about performing for a fee? Is that covered or would I need an additional permit? Thanks for everybody’s input …
[quote=“Mucha (Muzha) Man”]In fields other than teaching, for example editing and writing, you need to show 2 years of documented work experience in order for your employer to obtain a work permit for you. With an OWP, they just hire you like a Taiwanese person. Saves you a bit of hassle and you may be able to bluff your way into positions that you couldn’t if you needed a regular work permit.
OWP also give you the freedom of mind to quit a job at any time, or to cut hours at one place if a better opportunity arises at another. Your Taiwanese boss has no hold over you.
You also can avoid those stupid yearly health checks.[/quote]
Note also that these are all reasons why some employers AVOID hiring people with an OWP 
[quote=“street dog”][quote=“Mucha (Muzha) (Muzha) Man”]In fields other than teaching, for example editing and writing, you need to show 2 years of documented work experience in order for your employer to obtain a work permit for you. With an OWP, they just hire you like a Taiwanese person. Saves you a bit of hassle and you may be able to bluff your way into positions that you couldn’t if you needed a regular work permit.
OWP also give you the freedom of mind to quit a job at any time, or to cut hours at one place if a better opportunity arises at another. Your Taiwanese boss has no hold over you.
You also can avoid those stupid yearly health checks.[/quote]
Note also that these are all reasons why some employers AVOID hiring people with an OWP [/quote]
Yes, it is a bit of a double-edged sword. But at least those of us with OWP have a weapon to fight back against unscrupulous bosses. 
Who’s eligible for an open work permit ? Can I get one ? Does it mean I can work for anyone ? Why do these imbeciles keep changing the rules…?
Hexuan wrote: [quote] Why do these imbeciles keep changing the rules…?[/quote]
Breathe deeply – you are overheating your liver. Change is constant, learn to embrace change, flow with change, bend Tao-like to change. You need a flexible and positive frame of mind to find success and happiness in Taiwan.
Remember, the soft yielding forces of nature defeat the hard; water wears down rock, bamboo bends in the storm, women exhaust men.
I picked up my ARC at the police station in Fengshan last week and then asked them about Open Work Permits. They told me as long as I’m married to a local and it’s on my ARC I no longer need an Open Work Permit.
Can anyone verify this? I csnnot find any current info on the internet about this. Thanks.
Check the old posts, you will find a treasure trove of info on this here.
Also, for your information, if you are married to a ROC citizen residing in Taiwan, and you residency here is based on this, then you do indeed not ned to apply for an open work permit, but will in principle have the same work rights as a local.
It needs to be listed on the ARC as the reason for your stay, though.
[quote=“Mr He”]Check the old posts, you will find a treasure trove of info on this here.
Also, for your information, if you are married to a ROC citizen residing in Taiwan, and you residency here is based on this, then you do indeed not ned to apply for an open work permit, but will in principle have the same work rights as a local.
It needs to be listed on the ARC as the reason for your stay, though.[/quote]
Thanks for the feedback.My residency is based on marriage to a Taiwan citizen and this is stated on my ARC.
I’m just confused by other posts such as the one below mine…, why would people be concerned with OWP’s if they are apparently no longer necessary?
When did the law change?
[quote]why would people be concerned with OWP’s if they are apparently no longer necessary?
[/quote]
Because people with APRC (Alien Permanent Residence Certificate), which is NOT marriage-based, are required to obtian an OWP.
Beware of OWPs these days. I hold 2 of them and recently went in to get a third. I was denied on the grounds that I do not have five years consecutive work permits. Duh! I’ve been working on the OWPs YOU GUYS gave me for the past 2 years! Obviously I did have the five years time BEFORE that as that’s how I got the OWP in the first place.
Sheesh. :raspberry:
So you’re back in Taipei?
If you already “hold two”, why would you apply for a third? They are supposed to be comprehensive, not for specific jobs. Or do you mean that your second OWP has expired? Make sure you get a letter saying they rejected your application. That will be the basis of your appeal. Don’t allow them to just say that they can’t take your documents.
[quote=“sandman”][quote]why would people be concerned with OWP’s if they are apparently no longer necessary?
[/quote]
Because people with APRC (Alien Permanent Residence Certificate), which is NOT marriage-based, are required to obtian an OWP.[/quote]
That’s bonkers. So you’re allowed to live here “permanently”, but not necessarily allowed to work. So to get the APRC you’ve proved you’ve been here 7 years and had an ARC and therefore presumably a job, but you have to submit a second application to prove the thing already proven by your first. Fuck me sideways. 
No, Feiren, I’m still in the USA (and loving it).
I had to apply for another OWP because if you are not married to a Taiwanese, stateless, a refugee or have two heads, you have to apply for one (so-called) OWP for each individual job. Maybe y’all were talking about the true OWPs for married people or APRC?
Anyway, the denial was another reason for me to leave Taiwan. I was getting tired of the way I could potentially be thrown out of the country after so many years for, well, nothing … Just because someone changed the rules, or didn’t read the rules the same way the last person did. And, BTW, if you have seen any of my “Sam” poems on this board, you might understand why I was eager to find another employer. 
My ARC was based on my open work permits (Article 51) so it was an important issue for me and I did not feel my then-employer was reliable considering some of the things he’d done to me and others.
Ironlady’s experiences ring all too true —
The endless Catch-22’s encountered while running around in circles between different government agencies trying to clarify one’s legal position, while at the same time rather resignedly accepting the kafkaesque terror of waiting to be deported at a moment’s notice …
I keep meaning to write to the Mayor’s Mailbox to just clue him in on why I left Taiwan after being such a model citizen for so many years… 
well, a model resident, I guess…
On a side note, I had fun recently translating Taipei City Government materials and maliciously using “resident” instead of “citizen” (well, after all, cities no longer really have citizens, do they) in a tiny effort to include us as well. Gosh, if their plan goes through, the whole city will be wireless, and no way they can exclude those without ARCs or ROC passports from getting on-line, is there??