Student visa: Taipei city vs. Taipei county?

I’ve recently signed up for Chinese lessons (10 hours a week). I want to convert my non extendable 60 day visitor visa into a student visa. I was under the impression that I could do this at any police station in Taipei (although I might possibly have to go to Hong Kong).

However, my school has told me not to submit my application to Taipei city police offices, and to get a false address in Taipei County and only go to a visa office there. My school informs me that no-one submits visa applications to Taipei city as they always get rejected. Has anyone any advice on this please, and any other tips on visa’s would be appreciated.

Hey there

Can’t help you on the Taipei info but I do know that the school is supposed to give you papers that you take to the police office whereby you get your visa extended for the duration of your study. Otherwise if you go on a visa run they will give you papers that you submit to the visa officers and then you have a visa for study purposes.

As far as I know if you have papers from the school, have attended classes and haven’t overstayed then police can’t deny your extention. That is as far as I know though.

hello akm83,

it took a while for me to understand this situation too, and now I THINK i do. the taipei city police office has got a new supervisor. and he is stricter than the previous guy - to say the least. getting an address in the county allows them to bring your passport to the county police office in banchiao. there, the red tape is not so red. if you just want to get things done, it is perhaps advisable to listen to your school.

because - as already addressed in previous posts - the visa rules have been changed, there is possibly no one fixed way just to get your admin done and get on with your life here. i think the their rulebook says conversion of visa status requires exit from the country. and i believe that the most to-the-rule thing you can do is fly back to your country (or hong kong - dare you?) and then apply for a student visa using the docs provided by the school. but isn’t that a hassle? so i think your school knows better how to expedite the process and meet your needs and take your money.

oh, i also found out that the hk girl-behind-the-counter is “RUDE” (as described by one school. the school suggested better alternatives like okinawa and thailand.

cheers

My boyfriend had to do the exact same thing - have his visitor visa changed to a student visa. He tried through a Taipei city police department and was turned down. He did end up having to go to Hong Kong to get the student visa.