Spousal Visa or APRC?

Legal Visa & Residency
1

Hello Folks,

I’m not sure if this has been discussed elsewhere but I have a question:

What are the advantages of an APRC over a Spousal Visa?

Obviously, if one is on a Spousal Visa and one gets a divorce, one will cease to have the Spousal Visa. Clearly that’s an obvious disadvantage.

But apart from that, what might be the advantages or disadvantages of a Spousal Visa over an APRC?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

1 Like
2

Well, I think you have alluded to one of the most important advantages when you mention divorce:

Under a JFRV, your residence and work rights, (basically every right that you have to remain on the island as a legal resident), are dependent on your relationship to your spouse. The more important question is, are you comfortable with that? An APRC makes these rights your own. People have argued the merits of each in different threads here, but I think the ultimate answer is highly individual.

3

Not just divorce, but death. No-one wants to think about it, but if anything were to happen to your spouse you’d be on very shaky ground regarding staying here.

Key disadvantages of the APRC are

  1. Cost (NT$10,000 up front, though you avoid the annual renewal fees of an ARC) plus the associated costs (applying for and certifying documentation).
  2. Must be in Taiwan for 183 days a year (may not be very relevant to you).
  3. It’s a galactic pain in the ass to apply for (Police Certificate).

The APRC probably doesn’t give you any significant advantages in the areas of banking, for example. Several banks have shown a tremendous lack of imagination and initiative with such issues as expiration date (“It doesn’t have one, because it’s P-E-R-M-A-N-E-N-T”) and I almost ran into problems with being told that I haven’t been in the country long enough because my APRC was only issued last year (/facepalm… “The requirement to get one of these is FIVE years of residence in Taiwan.”)

You’ll still need someone as guarantor on your credit card unless you happen to already be rolling in money.

You’ll still get the shaft on the amount of money you need to put up when buying a house.

4

Thanks for the advice.

As a Canadian, and in order to get a Join Family / Spousal Visa, I’m still required to get a criminal record check done etc…

That it takes 180 days to complete remotely by the RCMP is very inconvenient.

I’m told that Americans can get there’s done remotely by the FBI in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again.

Cheers

5

Here’s one: You can renew your driver’s license for a full six years at a time, just like a local. Big deal, right? :laughing:

6

[quote=“spaint”]Not just divorce, but death. No-one wants to think about it, but if anything were to happen to your spouse you’d be on very shaky ground regarding staying here.

[/quote]

When I got my JFRV last year, they told me that death wouldn’t necessarily mean cancellation, only divorce.

I ultimately opted for JFRV instead of APRC because of the 6 month residency clause that applies with an APRC. While it’s not an issue now, as business picks up it will possibly become an issue in the near future.