Travel Restrictions, Wife and Residence Visa

Hi Forumosa Family,

My apologies for asking a question that the answer could be so obvious, but trying to seek your advice here.

I am a Gold Card holder and moved to Taiwan last winter. I came here alone while my wife is still in Dubai. In April, I started the process to get my wife over.

I traveled to Dubai due to personal reasons (to ship few of house stuff and close the house rental contract) and took it as an opportunity to personally apply the residency visa for my wife in the Taipei Commercial Office of Dubai.

Due to number of documents requested and have them all attested in multiple government entities, we managed to get everything done for the residency visa submission on May 19th.

On the next day, which was the May 20th, we learned about Taiwan flight restrictions and any new visa requests will be rejected. Therefore, I cannot submit my wife application as it would be rejected now.

Although, I have started the process with the Taipei Commercial Office earlier, and they shared with me some documents to fill, they adviced me not to submit now during my visit on the 20th.

It is our bad luck.

My question is, do you know if there is a way to get an exception for my case?

I am still in Dubai, paying house rents here in Dubai and in Taichung.

The situation came out of the blue and I don’t know how long it will stay this way.

We were so excited to complete this final milestone and move back with wife, and now we are stuck not sure what we should be doing except waiting, and God knows until when.

I know I can go back alone, but I really don’t want to leave the wife again, so I am staying with her.

Any tips, advice or sharing your experience would be helpful.

Thanks,
Raed

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Another question, is there a way I can apply for her ARC out of Taiwan? Like the way I applied for the Gold Card? I can’t find any resources stating that

I don’t think so.

Did you already ask if your case can be a humanitarian case?

No, I have to say that they put it to me in a way that if I proceed with it it will be rejected and hopelessly I left their office.

Do I check with the same overseas Taipei Commercial Office here in Dubai?

You may already know, but here is the latest Restrictions of Entering Taiwan
https://www.immigration.gov.tw/5475/5478/6928/6940/212474/264793/

You could ask to NIA headquarters if joining family could be a humanitarian reason. They might say differently.

If they say no, I think there is no other ways. You maybe just need to wait.

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Thanks @tando I will reach out to NIA and seek their views on this.

I tried to get my mother a visa for Taiwan from the gold card. I gave up when they asked for notarized copies of birth certificates to prove that she is my mother. I wish they would simplify this process, though I’m not familiar with other country’s policies.