Release Letter Needed?

With regard to the new ARC regulations posted on tealit, do you still need a release letter from your previous employer to get an ARC if you’ve already left the country and returned? Do they have to give it to you now?

the way i read it was that a release letter was no longer needed. just find a new job that’ll hire you full-time and let them hash it out.

i could be wrong and welcome corrections.

I have a question, but I’m not sure where in this forum I should post it. I’ve tried doing a search, but am not sure what parameters to put in to narrow it down enough. This topic seems similar, so I hope you’ll permit me to use it.

You mentioned new regulations and not needing a release letter. Here’s my situation:

My ARC is up at the end of June, about the same time as my contract is up. I am not planning on staying at this job, barring some miracle from on high. I figured that, when my contract was up, I’d take a trip back to the States, as it has been over a year, and stay there for about 3 weeks or so.

My questions:

  1. What are the new regulations in regards to release letters?

  2. If I let my ARC run out, and return to the States for a bit, will I need the release letter to get a new job when I get back? Or, can I just come back on a visitor’s visa, like I did originally, look for a job and start over as a “newbie”?

  3. I’m concerned my current employer won’t give me a release letter (the vice president is a bastards, one of the many reasons I want to leave). Therefore, if I find a new job (probably not in the same field) before I go back to the US, what problems might that cause for renewing my visa, etc…?

  4. How long would I have to stay out of Taiwan to “start all over again”?

Any other (constructive) suggestions or advice you can give me would be helpful. Thanks.

Jonathan aka QuietMountain

Can’t say for sure - my impression is that the release letter is no longer needed, because the Labour Affairs council is now taking care of all that, and the release letter used to go to the Ministry of Education.

I’m not working in the education sector right now. I’m in the corporate world (oh joy! :unamused:). I want to get work in a uni, if I can.

What is the general rule, now, on release letters, etc… ?

And, again, if I go back to the US between jobs, is the applicability of the letter moot?

Thanks for any help.