I’ve heard a lot of variation in responses to these questions as well. I’m also attending school in September (from Canada) and trying to verify all the information. I would love to hear someone’s response to this who knows what he/she is talking about.
Converting landing visa (as in visa-exempt entry).
From what I understand this is not possible; however, there have been cases where it has been done. I really don’t get why we need to apply for a visitor’s visa just to transfer it over. If it is possible to go straight from visa-exempt entry to residence visa I would like to save the bucks and do this.
Onward/return ticket
Also am not sure about this. The visa guy at the Vancouver office told me it’s not necessary for the Visitor’s visa, but I hear they can stop you at the airport or at customs if you don’t have a “permanent” (resident) visa. So the problem isn’t necessarily with getting a visa, but with security/customs at the departing and arriving airports.
I booked a return flight and will just pay the 150 cancellation fee when I get my residence visa.
Proof of funds
For the landing visa (visa-exempt entry) you do not need one. I have one anyway for the visitor visa even though I don’t think it’s required. I think you need one for the resident visa after you arrive in any case.
Usual length/details
I believe it has to be renewed every year. A student visa is just a residence visa with a different purpose attached to it than if you get one when you get a job.
Hey thanks dude. Can anyone else confirm about the landing visa? I swore I heard you could convert it to an ARC now, or something like you convert it to a visitors visa and then to an ARC. Anyone?
Just to prevent confusion, it’s not a landing visa. It’s a visa-exempt entry. As in all they do is stamp your passport. A landing visa would be more like cambodia, where they actually print/staple a visa to your passport.
Anyway, this thread ([Visa Exempt Entry to Work Permit makes it seem like you can do it. However, it won’t be any cheaper. You have to pay to do the visitor’s visa, and then pay again to do the resident visa. There’s no way to go directly from a visa-exempt to resident visa.
I would love it if I could just do the visa-exempt thing.
I had an absoultely horrible experience at the TECO office the other day after the posts. Spent a lot of money and time going all the way there to do the visitor visa shuffle, and they told me they wouldn’t accept my application without the original acceptance letter. I had every shred of proof that I’m enrolled and they still wouldn’t take it. I can’t express how angry I was at the time, the lady at the counter was giving me the ‘logic’ arguments that expats in Taiwan are so fond of. Was not pleased.
So ya, if I can avoid having to go back there and possibly argue more, I certainly would like that option.
Honestly I don’t see why a visitor visa is required when visa-exempt entry is 3 months now for Canadians. It’s like no one’s gotten to the paper work to change the system for us yet. It makes absolutely no sense.
I brought the email acceptance letter, everything with NCTU is done online and through email, the way it should be, so I didn’t even think to bring the hard copy that they sent me a couple months later as I had already been enrolled for 2 months. In addition to this I brought every possible document under the sun saying I was going to school, but she wouldn’t budge. I’m fine now but the excuses she kept giving me were infuriating.
“You should’ve called first” “read the website” “It has to be original” — each of these things I had done, but you already know what the result was. (I count the email as the original since I accepted it and the ‘original’ was sent long after I enrolled.
It was just so impersonal, it was like talking to a robot.
But hands down my favourite part of the conversation was about the plane tickets. I was always told that when you go to Taiwan you have to have a ticket leaving the country or you could face troubles with the border agents. So I asked her if my one-way ticket was fine for a visitor visa or if I needed a ticket leaving the country. She said “well when are you coming home”. I said “Its a long course, I don’t know”. She said “so why would you need a ticket?” I just stared at her dumbfounded as I was pretty clear why I asked.
It’s ridiculous isn’t it. I understand why the administration is bad at the universities themselves as it’s just student employees who are required to do it to graduate and they don’t care about their jobs. But the TECO office employees should be so much better.
I get different information every time I call, and that’s if I don’t just go to someone’s voice mail. The head honcho at the office also told me I don’t need a return ticket. But I’ve heard from many posts on here that you can be stopped at the airport without one so I figured I’d play it safe and pay the cancellation fee once I get my ARC.
Best of luck getting through this chaos…
It seems pretty standard for English teachers, but they still don’t seem to have it sorted out for students.
I’ve gone to Taiwan twice without a return ticket, once on a student visa and the second time on a visitor visa with no issues. Usually its the airline that gives you the problem, the border agents don’t give a hoot.
TECO offices are a laugh and a half. One office in Taipei can tell you something, you do a visa run and the TECO office says “sorry that’s not correct” and you are SOL. Even if you ask them to call Taipei to confirm they won’t do it. They are almost like a mini Taiwan government in whatever country they are in, and their word is the law. They don’t let a pesky thing like guidelines from Taipei get in the way of them denying your requests.
Hey just poked around the Tai gov websites and found this. Clink on the link on the bottom. Unless I’m mistaken, as long as you are at a legit school it sounds like you can convert your visa-exempt entry to a visitor visa…IF you are Canadian or British
