I went to my local TECO today (in Ottawa, Canada) and enquired about the process of applying for a visitor visa (my real intent being finding a job), but as soon as the person behind the counter found out I had a Canadian passport, she refused to discuss the requirements and continuously turned the discussion towards the 90 day visa-exempt entry option. She added that the office was “extremely unlikely” to issue a visitor visa to a Canadian citizen who was only planning on touring Taiwan for a couple of months when a visa-exempt entry would be sufficient for that. What should I tell them, then, when I do finally apply? I’ve gleaned from others who have posted here that it is not a good idea to tell them that I am planning on looking for work; would they be any more understanding if I told them I was not only going to travel around but also going to check out some Chinese courses while I’m there, and that if I decide to stay and apply to a school it would be more convenient to have the visitor visa? Also, if I just give up enter visa-exempt in order to find a job, will making a visa-run to Hong Kong present the same problems, or will they be indifferent to the question of why I am applying for a visitor visa as opposed to going visa-exempt?
AFAIK you can extend the on-arrival visa for an additional 90(?) days while you’re here. Costs a couple of thousand, I think. If not, no big deal, have a holiday in Boracay and come back again.
Good advice, but do note that by going to Boracay – something I highly recommend – will mean that you will have to deal with TECO Manila. Since you are a Canadian citizen, you should not encounter any trouble getting the visitor visa there, but you should be prepared for the esoteric queuing that is required: either pay a travel agent to handle it for you or go to HK instead and save your visit to Boracay til after you get your ARC.
Getting your Visitor Visa at TECO Manila isn’t impossible - it just seems that way if you don’t know all the little details 
(where to make photo copies, how many queues you will go through, why does the line at Window 1 seem to go much faster 
(I think it’s a special line for labor brokers)). Just be prepared to blow out one morning of waiting to submit your application, and an afternoon to pick it up another day. At least the building has a lot of places to eat (Krisply Kreme!) and there are nice places to eat nearby (go to New Bombay at The Columns across Gil Puyat Ave :lick: )
Jesus you’re a Canadian which means you get 90 days visa free PLUS a 90 day extension, total 180 days, PLUS you can convert your visa-exempt entry into an ARC once you find a job - you DON’T need a visitor visa on arrival to get an ARC, you can get it AFTER you land and find a job. WHY ON EARTH DO YOU WANT A VISITOR VISA???
I’ve read a number of discouraging accounts of teachers who had tried lining up an ARC without a visitor visa, only to be told that they needed to leave the country and reenter on one anyway. All the threads on here plus explanations on the TECO website seemed to suggest it’s a necessary first step in the long process of getting a work permit and that the visa exempt entry is a waste of time and money. If I could find any evidence that it’s equally possible to get to the end result without needing some type of visa on entry, I’d be ecstatic.
Greves is right. Just come here. .find a job and your employer will help you with the rest.