The upcoming tax month is important for me because I plan to upgrade my Marriage-based ARC to an APRC. However, I’m a bit worried because my last year’s annual income falls short of the double minimum wage requirement. I’ve heard that one solution is to declare additional income, such as from freelancing, but I’ve received conflicting advice from friends.
Friend A (marriage-based ARC), who applied for the APRC three years ago, was able to use this method successfully. However, Friend B (work-based), who applied last year, was not successful. I’m wondering if the reason for this difference is because Taiwan has updated their rules, or because my friends are on different visa types. Any insights or advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated!
You are a little mistaken. There is no double minimum wage income requirement to apply for an APRC for marriage based ARC holders. I’m assuming you are married to a Taiwanese citizen with household registration?
(1) A foreigner who has legally and continuously resided in the State for five (5) years and for more than one hundred and eighty-three (183) days each year, or a foreign national who is the spouse or child of an R.O.C. (Taiwan) national residing in the Taiwan Area with household registration, and who has legally resided in the State for ten (10) years or more, during which period they have actually resided in the State for more than one hundred and eighty-three (183) days each year for five (5) years, and who also meets the following requirements, may apply for permanent residency:
A. Is above the age of majority.
B. Is of good character.
C. Has sufficient assets or skills to be self-supporting.
D. Is in keeping with the national interests of the State.
Required Documents:
(1) A completed APRC Application Form.
(2) One color photograph (the same specifications as required for an R.O.C. (Taiwan) ID card).
(3) Original and one photocopy of new and old passports (the original will be returned immediately after verification).
(4) Original and one photocopy of Alien Resident Certificate (the original will be returned immediately after verification).
(5) A satisfactory health examination certificate: the health examination must follow the Items Required for Health Certificate (Form B) announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for current use by listed domestic main medical institutions and their newly added health examination hospitals (pdf file) (xls file). (6) Proof of financial assets or special skills and talents. But this is not required for applicants under Subparagraphs 5 to 8 of the preceding Article.
so it should be smooth sailing for you I am applying for my naturalisation as a spouse in a weekish
You are a little mistaken. There is no double minimum wage income requirement to apply for an APRC for marriage based ARC holders. I’m assuming you are married to a Taiwanese citizen with household registration?
Why do you think so?
(6) Proof of financial assets or special skills and talents. But this is not required for applicants under Subparagraphs 5 to 8 of the preceding Article.
If I understood it right, the Subparagraph 5 to 8 of the preceding Article deals with foreign investors and business related APRCs. Spouse APRCs still are required to produce financial proof.
(5) After a foreigner’s application for permanent residency in the State as an investment immigrant (Plum Blossom Card) is approved, their spouse and minor children may also apply for permanent residency.
(6) Where a foreign senior professional applies for permanent residency under the provisions of Article 25 Paragraph 3 Subparagraph 2 of the Immigration Act, their spouse, minor children, and children over the age of majority who are unable to live independently due to physical or mental disability, may apply for permanent residency with said person.
(7) After a foreign professional hired to conduct professional work has been approved for permanent residency, their spouse, minor children, and children over the age of majority who are unable to live independently due to physical or mental disability, having resided in the State legally and continuously for five years,being present for an average of more than 183 days each year, having no bad character, having no criminal case recorded on a police criminal record certificate, and in keeping with the national interests of the State, may apply for permanent residency.
(8) After a foreign special professional hired to conduct professional work has been approved for permanent residency, their spouse, minor children, and children over the age of majority who are unable to live independently due to physical or mental disability, having resided in the State legally and continuously for three years, being present for an average of more than 183 days each year, having no bad character, having no criminal case recorded on a police criminal record certificate, and in keeping with the national interests of the State, may apply for permanent residency.
I am also currently looking into getting my APRC, but cannot reproduce these financial documents, which is, why I scrapped the idea of an APRC. I don’t really see its benefits to the Marriage ARC anyway. The latter seems good enough to me.
7. Note
(2) Proof of financial assets or special skills and talents:
A. An applicant applies for permanent residency as the spouse of a Taiwan National, and an applicant who applies for residency under the category of the Article 31 paragraph 4 Subparagraph 1 to 5 of the Act, may submit application with one of the following documents which will be subject to consideration of the NIA in the exercise of discretion:
(a)Details of income, tax payment, financial assets and real assets in Taiwan.
(b)A statement issued by an employer to certify employment, or the applicant’s own statement in writing detailing their work content and income.
(c)Qualification certificate of/equivalent to Professional and Technical Personnel Examinations or Class B/above Qualifying Examinations issued by the R.O.C. (Taiwan) government’s competent authority.
(d) Other supporting documents that may show they have adequate means of financial support.
There is no double minimum wage income requirement
Ah, you are right. I misread your post. There is no double income requirement, but there seems to be an income requirement / proof of funds to support oneself. I don’t own a bank account in Taiwan and I don’t have a job in Taiwan. Does this automatically disqualify me or can I produce such proof with my wife’s bank statement?
I personally don’t really see a need for the APRC if the sole benefit is to be able to stay here indefinitely.
I wouldn’t want to stay in Taiwan if my marriage were to fail so the only real benefit of the APRC is out of the window for me. Also there seems to be an option for getting a 5-year-Marriage-ARC, which sounds good enough to me considering the increasingly volatile future of Taiwan as an independent state. The world is changing fast, who knows where we will be in 5, 10 or 15 years.
I’d still consider it, your future you might be in a different position. if you are newly wed and without kids, its easy to move somewhere else if the marriage fails, but if you are here long term things might be different. An American friend of ours divorced her TW huaband after living here for close to 20 years and having 3 kids aged 14 to 20.
In such a situation, leaving Taiwn is more difficult, her APRC allowed her to continue her life here.
From what I’ve read this option to show financial support is pretty flexible. A signed statement saying your wife supports you or that you have income from overseas should suffice. Perhaps with a bank statement or 2
The financial requirement is not really a big deal for those applying as the spouse of a citizen
It’s up to you but I always think more freedom is better than less, more options better than less.
True, if I had kids with my wife, I would likely opt for the APRC.
But then again, if she died or divorced and I would get the kids, I would take them to Germany asap, for some proper education and the support of my own family. It’s better having Cousins, siblings and parents around when you got kids than living on a small chinese missile target at the arse of the world. Also in our culture, your parents support you without interfering in your decisions too much, while here you gotta pay for your parents and your kids. (It’s not like kids asked for their parents to be born into this world, so why effing pay them hong baos?)
I am applying for my naturalisation as a spouse in a weekish