I’m leaving Taiwan and have been overstaying here for 19 months. I came on a tourist visa in January 2003 and had it extended for Chinese lessons in Taipei. I didn’t extend it in June 2003 and have since been overstaing in Hualien.
I got a job in Korea and so that gave me the opportunity to get out since I am really low on funds and they paid for my plane ticket and are paying rent for a year. So, I left for Taipei (and I am still here) and went to the FAP. They told me I would have to go back to Hualien and report to the police there. Since I overstayed so long, I will have to give proof of residence and what I did (how I supported myself). So, I will have to give them phone numbers, addresses of schools (and mabye privates), etc.
My question(s) is(are): The fine is 10000 NT. What reprucussions will I have for teaching illegally. I can’t pay any taxes since I don’t have enough money. I’m a first-time overstayer. I have the plane ticket and the cash for the fine. I don’t really have any way of prooving that I wasn’t teaching. My bank statements would only give proof of receiving some money from my family back home but that wouldn’t have been enough to support myself. I have some proof that I didn’t pay any rent at all for certain amount of time. Would I just need all the proper documents and money for the fine if I’m just up front and honest?
My advice would be to go and visit the Foreign Affairs Police in Taidong – in particular a police officer named Peter Chen. Tell him you love to play music in all sorts of venues and then proceed to take out a “recorder” and volunteer to play a song for him. He’ll get you deported – no problem
Seriously, don’t go back and talk to the police in Hualian. My own opinion is just go directly to the airport. Pay the 10,000 fine, tell them thats all the cash you have, and hopefully the FAP won’t make life miserable for you.
I’m leaving Taiwan and have been overstaying here for 19 months. I came on a tourist visa in January 2003. I didn’t extend it in June 2003 and have since been overstaing in Hualian.
I’m a first-time overstayer. Just up front and honest?[/quote]
This really makes me laugh. I feel so sorry for somebody that works illegally and overstays 19 months. A real heart breaking story.
And all this time you never bothered to save anything for leaving… lol
I have no sympathy at all. Hope Korea takes you in and doesn’t notice the deportation stamp in your passport.
If they’re going to try and do you for working illegally it will be up to them to present evidence that you were, not for you to provide evidence that you were not. If they don’t have any direct evidence of this already, do not give them any.
For many Taiwanese police, if something requires them to either use their brains or expend any energy they will quickly give up. I believe, if you are caught working illegally, you may not reenter the country for a few years. I don’t think there are fines. Maybe some of the oldbies can confirm or deny this.
There will be a fine. 10000 NT. I need to show my plane ticket out of here and fill out the exit application and give a reason why I overstayed. When I went to the FAP here in Taipei, I wrote that I didn’t have enough funds to leave the country. They asked me what I was doing. I said, “I don’t know. Watching TV, going to the internet cafe, hanging out with friends, etc.” I didn’t plan it out or have a good story for them. But they were looking for an explanation of how I could live in Taiwan and support myself. Doesn’t say this on the application though. It only asks, “Reason for overstaying” and I believe I gave that to them. They told me right off the bat though that I have to go back and report my overstay in Hualien. So, that’s what I’m doing. The FAP here (Taipei) sent me over to the closest police station and I talked with a nice fellow over there who said, “Just be honest and things will go more smoothly when you’re in Hualien.” He gave me some example excuses that people have had. One guy claimed he was sick and couldn’t leave and was taking Chinese medicine or something. I won’t go that far but I suppose an excuse and back-ups would work better. He said that if I was getting money from Canada, then I would need bank statements to back that up. That I would need receipts for rent, etc. If I have to give them names of a bunch of schools and privates, are they really going to have to verify each one? Or should I give that to them at all? Maybe they want me to be honest so they can ding me for taxes. I think that the big penalty in this case though is not being allowed re-entry.
and maybe it’s because the government is currently on a crusade against foreign teachers working illegally and the police are under pressure to get results to prove that they’re actually doing something.
Receipts for rent, bank statements, names of schools; all an attempt to prove you must have had an alternative source of income which ‘of course’ is teaching illegally. If you give them such evidence I guess they will then accuse you of working illegally and pressure you to admit as much. Receipts for rent? I’ve never been offered those by landlords anyway.
Yes, but this is for overstay, not teaching illegally right?
Show your plane ticket, fill out the exit application, tell them you were travelling and visiting friends or something and pay the overstay fine. Then all you are guilty of is stupidity.
Book a seat and go to the airport. Immigrations will give you the form for an overstayer, which is like an official apology. Write some cock and bull story on there, pay your fines, and go. The guys at the airport just want to see you get on a plane and be a pita someplace else. No time for tax evasion charges or any other nonsense, cos you’re just small fry to them. Just go in humble like and everything will be cool.
Do not go to Hua1ien and try to sell them your bs sob story. The cops on the east coast don’t like foreigners. My guess is that FAP in Taipei are trying to give their counterparts in Hua1ien a chance to get another arrest and deportation on their scorecard.
You could try to be a bit more organized in Korea eh?
[quote]and maybe it’s because the government is currently on a crusade against foreign teachers working illegally and the police are under pressure to get results to prove that they’re actually doing something.
Receipts for rent, bank statements, names of schools; all an attempt to prove you must have had an alternative source of income which ‘of course’ is teaching illegally. If you give them such evidence I guess they will then accuse you of working illegally and pressure you to admit as much. Receipts for rent? I’ve never been offered those by landlords anyway. [/quote]
Could be but I overstayed a long time and should have reported in Hualien.
I got receipts for rent and threw them away. No lease though. They can just call where I stayed. Never signed anything.
[quote]Yes, but this is for overstay, not teaching illegally right?
Show your plane ticket, fill out the exit application, tell them you were travelling and visiting friends or something and pay the overstay fine. Then all you are guilty of is stupidity.[/quote]
Yes. It’s for overstaying. I get what you said now about getting caught teaching, being deported and not paying a fine. Seems to me that would be better(?). I should just get a job tomorrow in Taipei and then call the police on myself. “Hello, I’m teaching illegally at xxx. Come get me.” Funny system. Anyway…
Yes. It’s not the smartest thing I’ve ever done. Funny how it happened. The day I had to leave for Taipei, my bicycle was stolen outsided my apartment building. I was in a rush so had to take a taxi to the train station. All the way to Taipei I was fuming because I had to get a new one when I got back. When I got to Taipei, I got a taxi to TLI(CLI) and got out only to realise that I was on the wrong street. Walked around for a while and thought, “F*#& it. I’m going back to Hualien because I need the TLI tuition to buy a new bike.” Took the wrong path in that fork in the road.
The police officer (not FAP) in Taipei went through the bit about how it’s impossible to not see all of what Taiwan has to offer in 60 days. What is that? Guess it’s a law built for illegal workers. I spent most my time in Hualien and I considered it traveling. You know, meeting people, learning the language, etc. Maybe that’s my excuse right there. I like going to places and settling in. That’s my definition of “traveling”. Stayed in the same town in Quebec for three years once and harldy moved. Improved my French. Fact is, I am illegal here so…
I have a seat booked. Just not sure about going straight to the airport (I won’t be). The FAP already told me to go back to Hualien and I’ve read after that that’s what I was supposed to do. It’s by the book. I guess there would have to be an investigation of some sort in my place of residence. You know. Make sure everything’s on the up and up where I was living, etc. I’ve heard that they get ticked at you when you try to leave through the airport on a long overstay and send you back to the FAP. Be a lot of running around and it could make my situation worse.
I’m not going to tell them a bs sob story. I’ll be short and to the point.
I’ve been asked for my passport before in Hualien and I told them I didn’t have it. Four times. They just said, “Ok.” and that was it. One time they asked for it and I had the same reply. I was outside with my bicycle buying some fried squid. I guess I looked a little tipsy so they drove me home and one of the officers rode my bike. That was it. Maybe it’s different at the FAP office though.
About them giving their couterparts in Hualien a chance to get another quota: Maybe (?). I don’t know.
Once I get to Korea (I hope), I’ll let you know how it all works out (I hope).
Maybe they want me to overstay even longer. Seems that’s the case, eh. Doomed to stay here forever.
I think you’ve misunderstood me. I am not suggesting you admit to working illegally; completely the opposite. I am essentially agreeing with hsiadogah and I’m suggesting you do not give the FAP any of the evidence they want. If found guilty of working illegally, you will not be able to reenter the country; this is a bad thing, far worse than paying an overstay fine.
Your dilemma now seems to be whether or not to go directly to the airport and get out with minimum hassle. Hsiadogah and Chewycorns already suggested this as your best option and they’ve been around here longer than me. If it was me I’d probably try this as well, the fewer dealings I have with the FAP, the better as far as I’m concerned. I can’t tell you exactly how this will all unfold, though, as I’ve never tried it. Maybe you can find some accounts of those who have by typing ‘overstay’ in Forumosa’s search engine.
So you bought a new bike with money meant for Chinese classes. That’s quite funny actually.
I didn’t misunderstand you. I didn’t think you were suggesting I admit to working illegally. Quite the opposite. It’s just funny that you don’t get a fine when you’re caught teaching illegally but you do when you go in and confess. I realise that deportation is more serious because I may never get back into the country. Am I coming back? Now there’s the question. Maybe it doesn’t matter to me if I come back or not. I’m not dissing Taiwan but I might just move on. Go to Korea, make some money and then go do something else in another country or go back home. Keep moving. Anyway, in my case I would still have to pay the fine and get the exit stamp. I was under the impression that deportation meant getting caught and being forced out. If me going in voluntarily, etc. is, in the long run, considered deportation then what’s the difference? If I confess to teaching illegally, do I avoid the fine? I don’t think so from what I’ve heard. Right now though, I’m not planning on admitting to teaching.
Yes. That’s kind of iffy. I’m thinking Hualien right now. Could be the wrong choice though. Can’t really say.
Not only that, the new bike was stolen in five days. Bought another one and it was stolen two or three months after that. Had the fourth one until I sold it on Thursday. Had it for well over a year.
Penalty for overstay:
Visa exemption rights are invalid for one year from their date of departure from Taiwan.
Foreigners who overstay 180 days but less than 365 days without sufficient cause or reason will be denied re-entry for 365 days.
I pasted this from another poster who’s dealt with an overstay before. You’re considerably over the outer limit here so I don’t really know about your case.
I’ve heard of people being banned from reentry for a year for working illegally but it’s anything up to five years. FAP is on a crusade at present so one might expect something worse than a year. Of course all they know is that you’ve overstayed, god knows what they’d do if they took two offences into account at the same time.
One point in favour of dealing with the FAP now, I suppose, is that if you try and sort this all out at the airport and they detain you for any length of time, you may miss your flight.
One final thing to consider from another knowledgable poster. He should go to the foreign affairs police though to get a deportation stamp on his passport. Otherwise they will stop him at the airport and may detain him until things are cleared.
take it from one who knows…do not go back to hualian unless the airport trip fails. if u do dont cough up any info on students or schools unless those schools or students specifiaclly give u permission…the pigs will prosecute them despite their assurances they just want to know what you’ve been doing here…as mentioned above cops here have quotas set for catching foreigners working illegally so they’ll be rubbing their hands with glee if you 'fess up. better to say you’ve been teaching privates in macD but have lost all the phone numbers…and CGF’s have been drip feeding you cash but they all dumped u and again u lost all the numbers as above…
Yeah, last time you said “Screw it, I’m going back to Hualien” worked out pretty well, didn’t it? Given past history, you might want to take some of the advice here instead.
