Joint income counts toward the APRC.
You can be a househusband, and still qualify, provided that your Taiwanese wife makes at least double the minimum wage.
[quote=“sulavaca”]I’m beginning to wonder why the option of a marriage based A.R.C. if you must leave immediately if your spouse dies and if you have been residing without making an official income. And an income higher than an average wage in order to qualify for a permanent Alien Resident Certificate?
It makes as little sense as it seems fair to me.
So being a house wife or husband doesn’t contribute towards anything? What is that saying exactly?[/quote]
Sula, they did change that part of the law, allowing spouses to stay in case of divorce/death. Can’t look for the link now but it has been discussed before in Forumosa.
[quote=“Icon”][quote=“sulavaca”]I’m beginning to wonder why the option of a marriage based A.R.C. if you must leave immediately if your spouse dies and if you have been residing without making an official income. And an income higher than an average wage in order to qualify for a permanent Alien Resident Certificate?
It makes as little sense as it seems fair to me.
So being a house wife or husband doesn’t contribute towards anything? What is that saying exactly?[/quote]
Sula, they did change that part of the law, allowing spouses to stay in case of divorce/death. Can’t look for the link now but it has been discussed before in Forumosa.[/quote]
Yes, but’s that only in the event that you can prove you have dependants in Taiwan, like a child etc…
…which applies to his case, as he is worried about who will care for his three-year old son.
No worries then. Go ahead and do the JFRV, you’ll be fine.
Wait, so the APRC is nothing more than a 10 year JFRV, along with the same 183 days out the country and you’re back to square one clause, except the clock keeps ticking if you become no longer married for whatever reason?.. Barring the risk of tragedy or divorce, what’s the point for a JFRV holder then, two less trips to the police station every decade?.. 
That’s exactly what I’m wondering, especially as I have a child which would probably entitle me to stay here if necessary. Why all the rigmarole? Is there any advantage at all to applying?
[quote=“citizen k”][quote=“Josefus”]And is it really “permanent”?
I thought it was just for 10 years.[/quote]
My understanding is that it is the card has to be replaced every 10 years.[/quote]
Maybe my wording wasn’t very clear: The residence is permanent. Mine has an issuing date and no date under expiry. You do, however, have to get a new card, the physical piece of plastic with your picture on it, every 10 years.
I was told that when I got my APRC that it was permanent. There is no expiration date on the card. However, I was told that I would need to get a new card every 10 years, but that I wouldn’t have to re-apply, do any background checks or financial disclosure like I had to do to originally obtain the APRC.
I recommend the APRC over the JFRV. You don’t need to be sponsored by your wife. Her name will not be on your card anywhere. If you get divorced you won’t have to leave if you don’t want to. If your wife dies, you won’t have to leave if you don’t want to. If your wife dies and you have children, you won’t need to ask special permission from anybody and plead special circumstances in order to stay and care for your children. It’s nobody’s business what you do. You can apply for an Open-Work Permit and do most anything you want to do to make money. Most of you will scream that the JFRV gives you the right to do the same in terms of work. Oh yeah!?!?! It depends on who you ask, when, and what time of the day it is, and who comes to hassle you. When I was married with an ARC I was always hassled by the cops over not having a work permit and they were unimpressed when showed them my zookeeper’s name on the back of my card. Now, that I’ve got an APRC and an Open Work Permit I get no hassles whatsoever.
Finally, two short stories.
One friend had an ARC through his wife and when he qualified for the APRC I offered to help him apply for it. He declined my help because he assured me that there was no way his wife would die or they would get a divorce. Guess what? Got divorced, had to leave Taiwan and come back and the calendar reset. Although you can go from working ARC to married ARC, you can’t go back to working ARC after divorce. You must leave, come back, obtain employment and the calendar resets again! He has mass regret about not applying for the APRC.
Another friend had an ARC through his wife and when he qualified for the APRC I offered to help him apply for it. He declined my help because he assured me that there was no way his wife would die or they would get a divorce. Guess what? Wife contracted a rare disease and died within six months. No children, had to leave Taiwan. Didn’t come back, but if he had the calendar would have been reset. If he had had the APRC he would have opted to stay. Mass regret.
My conclusion and opinion. It’s a pain in the ass to apply for the APRC but I feel safer having it. I am in control of my own destiny and I can stay in Taiwan or leave without having any hassles from anyone. (as long as my wife says it’s ok) If I had children or ever cared about having children I would feel even stronger about it for the sake and safety of my children.
Conspiracy theories. Since I obtained my APRC they have added more requirements (FED background check), closer financial inspection, and I believe it will just get harder as the R.O.C. government tries to limit the amount of us foreigners who opt to be actual permanent residents who won’t leave after divorce or the death of our spouses. I believe they are shocked and unhappy with the changing demographics of what they perceive and want a resident of Taiwan to look like. Not foreign! Ok…I’m finished.
But still 184 days outside Taiwan and you’re smack back to being a numberless punk with a 30 day visitor visa, or no?..
No, you can stay out longer, but you need to apply for it.
Ah, yes I remember now, thanks…
Is there any idea as to what the criteria might be for a successful application?.. Maximum limit, like is a couple of years okay?.. Forcing ‘permanent residents’ to lodge an application for permission to leave for more than a couple of months seems a little Gestapo to me, but I suppose you’ve got to take the bad with the good…
[quote=“plasmatron”]But still 184 days outside Taiwan and you’re smack back to being a numberless punk with a 30 day visitor visa, or no?..[/quote]No. I just have to go and apply for an extended period outside of the R.O.C. I haven’t done it yet, but if I need to stay out for an extended period of time, say two years,I just need to apply for it in advance. Just know your status and what your legal responsibilities are. Besides, if you want to be a permanent resident of Taiwan, why would you want that status and then go live in some other country?
It’s really not so different from the US and permanent residents there. Green Card holders can leave the US for up to 1 year and then return before any administrative action toward trying to revoke their Green Cards can take place. If they wish to leave for up to two years without returning, they just need to go to the immigration agency nearest their home and simply file form I-131 to apply for a re-entry permit. As long as they come back before the two years are up, they are in no danger of possibly losing their permanent residency. Once back, they can file form I-131 again and re-apply for a new re-entry permit and leave for another 2 years if they so desire.
The US aint that strict either. I know a green card holder who spent probably less then a few weeks over a ten year period in the USA but still got her renewed green card (after ten years) no problemo.
And yet this friend of mine who was married to an American for over six years and still cant get his green card. Got the social security so he can work but no green card as yet.
Thats what happens when you overstay your visa.
I believe it is 2 years; it’s stated clearly in the information they give you when you obtain your APRC, though I can’t dig it up at the moment. I haven’t heard of anyone putting theory into practice with this yet either, though at the information session when they present your residency to you, they make it sound like a formality rather than something that will be heavily scrutinized.
Two things I noted on there: 10,000 fee? 
7 years continuous residency? I thought that had been changed to 5? 
[/quote]
Citizenship cost me NT$1200 :roflmao:
No, you simply would have applied for British Permanent Residency for your son.
[quote=“sulavaca”]I’m beginning to wonder why the option of a marriage based A.R.C. if you must leave immediately if your spouse dies and if you have been residing without making an official income. And an income higher than an average wage in order to qualify for a permanent Alien Resident Certificate?
It makes as little sense as it seems fair to me.
So being a house wife or husband doesn’t contribute towards anything? What is that saying exactly?[/quote]
When I applied for citizenship ( way before 2000 new rules ) my son and I were listed as depednents on my wifes tax documents. Not legally being allowed to work has its advantages 
With citizenship I can leave for years and still come back. Much better than the PARC
Two things I noted on there: 10,000 fee?
7 years continuous residency? I thought that had been changed to 5? [/quote]
Citizenship cost me NT$1200 :roflmao:[/quote]
That was back in the day. 1200nts…?
Ehem, plus translation/certification of documents (50 USD so far) plus express mail for such documents (4000 nts so far and counting) plus transportation and hotel for my father who’s helping me take the stuff to nearby country because we have no relationship with the Renegade Province…(you don’t want to know).
Still, it might be cheaper at the long run.
The Permanent ARC card’s backside states that if you don’t reside in Taiwan for at least 183 days per year, your rights are canceled. So, “permanent” means “as long as you stay half the time in Taiwan”.[/quote]
I quite my job in Sept after living and working here for 6 years, there was a 10 day period between the end of my Job ARC and my new JFRC.
I went to manila and got a visitors visa, however when I applied for my permanent ARC. I was told at the MOFA that because of the 10 day period between my old arc and my new JFRC my time here had been canceled and I went back to zero…, meaning as far as they were concerned I had been here less than one year, I have to wait 6 more years before I can apply for my permanent ARC and I have to pay 23% tax for the next 6 months, nice…
Fucking typical