Australian in TW currently on the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship with a student ARC visa till mid/late June.
Currently looking for ways to stay in Taiwan after the end of my scholarship, I’ve done a bit of reading, calling and asking around and here are some of the options that I have found so far:
- Set up a representative office (I already have an Australian company)
- Find a job (and then quit to go on a job seeker visa - 12 months max)
- Continue studying (Mandarin, Masters, or PhD)
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- Investment routes
- (Marriage) - when I called the foreigner 1990 hotline they mentioned this as a potential option haha
Working holiday visas aren’t currently being given out nor am I that interested in flying out of Taiwan and coming back with quarantine regulations in place, otherwise WHV would be the best option (aside from UK, other countries need to be in their own country when applying for this I believe plus the WHV can’t be changed to other visas at the end of it).
I don’t believe I qualify for the Gold Card given the changes to the Economy field, especially with tightening the restrictions around the 160K NT minimum salary loophole
Posting this here for any feedback, advice, or things I may have missed, and also for future reference for others who find themselves in a similar situation.
I only want to stay on for potentially ~6 to 7 months more, however given covid restrictions and quarantine requirements the options are limited as to what’s available and from the ones that are available, they’re a little 麻煩 (ma fan).
Essentially I want to self-study Chinese and travel during this time and have no intention or interest of working whilst in TW, I have enough saved to fund my expenses. Also not interested in pursuing further studies in a classroom setting for Chinese or in higher university education.
I am leaning towards opening a Rep Office right now but given the process to start and then having to close it to reside in TW for a further 6 to 7 months makes me a little hesitant however this is likely the most viable option that I have.
I could find a job, get a work permit/transfer to work ARC and then quit and go on the job seeker extension visa (6 months + 6 months) but that would not be done in goodwill to my or any potential employers.
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There was a post on focustaiwan that said the Health Minister was considering opening borders without quarantine regulations in July which would open up visa runs as a possibility… but who knows when or if that would actually happen.
Thoughts? Words of advice?