Hi, I’m coming over to Taiwan to teach as of next tuesday (from northern ireland/UK). My visa just arrived today, and now my compulsive worrying circuits have gone into overdrive.
See, the visa has a big stamp, NO EXTENSION WILL BE GRANTED on it!
Is this a problem, or the norm or what?!?!?
Help!!!
You didn’t mention what kind of visa, or how long it’s good for. Tourist visas are usually given for two months, either extendable up to six months, or not. It sounds like, if it’s tourist, yours is nonextendable. too bad. That means you’ll have to go out of the country after two months. but not to fear, if you’re coming here to teach legally, you’ll probably have to go out (to HK, BKK, etc) to get your work permit/ARC anyway. I think they still do it that way.
take a look at the page:
Yes, it’s a 2 month tourist visa, and I am going to be working legally.
Thanks! I feel much better already. LOL
If you are going to be working legally then you don’t ‘extend’ it, you get a new one. If you are quick about getting a work permit, you should be able to have it all sorted out in time so that you don’t have to leave the country. Despite what Alien said, you get your work permit and ARC in Taiwan, not HK.
Also if you are studying, a non-extendable 60 day visa (but not 30 day) can be transferred into an extendable (‘student’) visa without leaving the country, but the process can be difficult and uncertain.
Hello
Also if you are studying, a non-extendable 60 day visa (but not 30 day) can be transferred into an extendable (‘student’) visa without leaving the country, but the process can be difficult and uncertain.
Originally, I had posted questions about my bf’s visa (and how to extend, etc.) but I just found out that his multiple entry visa (Canada) is stamped NON-EXTENDABLE! YIKES! Please tell me what we have to do to GET extentions without having to leave Taiwan.
Thanks!
Is it a 60 Day visa?
Bri
If you are quick about getting a work permit, you should be able to have it all sorted out in time so that you don’t have to leave the country.
According to my knowledge and experience this is not possible. NON EXTENDABLE means you HAVE to leave the country, get a new (limited) visa and return to Taiwan, once all the paper work (ARC) is done you get another sticker extending this new visa until the ARC expires, i.e. the visa is only valid as long as you have a (valid) ARC - so bring it along for immgration checks when you travel.
I got kicked out after 30 days (had a 30 day landing visa), then applied at an overseas office for a new visa - once back I applied and got my ARC and the above mentioned sticker, legalizing my stay.
NOTE: Don’t forget to have a valid return air ticket dated BEFORE the visa expires, else no entry!
Thanks for replying!
It’s not so simple - my bf will NOT get an ARC (he does not have a degree yet!) - he will only be here for 4-5 months so it seems impossible for him to get an ARC!
I guess he will have to get a new visa (go to HK) and re-enter on the basis that he will be studying Chinese (and get extensions based on that!). (HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET A NEW VISA FROM HK?)
Somebody told me it might be easier for him to “lose” his passport and get his passport and visa re-issued - anybody know about this?
Thanks again!
(Bri - yes it is a 60 day visa!)
Somebody told me it might be easier for him to “lose” his passport and get his passport and visa re-issued - anybody know about this?
I wouldn’t do that, just hassle with the authorities when you loose your passport. Don’t think they will re-issue the visa then anyway …
Don’t lose it. The non-extendables are hard to get unless you’re already enroled and paid up in a schools or have a letter of invitation from a university. Anyway as of about 2 years ago, it was possible (but not certain) to change the 60 day non-extendable to an extendable. As soon as you arrive, sign up at a school and pay about 3 months tuition (to show you’re serious). You may also have to produce a bank statement with a healthy balance (I’ve known people to do this by borrowing from 5 different friends for a day or two), and a short essay (really short is OK) explaining why you want to study Chinese. You take all this to the Foreign Affairs (Wai jiao bu, not the police) and they’ll change it for you. You then have an extendable which can be extended for 1 month four times with papers from your school. You can’t do this by yourself. You need to get your schol to help you. I recommend CLD as they are good at this. Ask for Fei Fei, she knows everything about it and has good guanxi. (Don’t confuse with CLI). Remember it might not work and you have to be prepared for that trip to HK.
Bri
Thanks Rascal and Bri,
Actually, I just called CLD last night (I studied there for a few months!) and talked to Monica. I know Fei Fei and Monica are both SUPER nice (and very helpful!) She said the same as you are saying - that it may be possible to get the Non-extendable changed into an extendable - based on being a student. (It just depends on whether or not they want to give it or not!)
So…we’ll keep our fingers crossed…otherwise, we’ll have to hop over to HK to deal with all that…
KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR US!
Thanks again (and again) for all your help!
My understanding of the current situation (current as of about 2 weeks ago at MOFA) is that if you can show that your work permit papers are IN PROCESS (that is, you have a receipt for their having been turned into the proper authorities) then you can “extend” a non-extendible visa (that is, at least buy yourself 30 more days in Taiwan) by going to MOFA and showing them the receipt.
My former British flatmate did this just about 2 weeks back (I went with her on another visa-type matter) and they did charge her NT$2000 but it’s cheaper and less disruptive than a trip to HK, and you don’t face the uncertainty factor either. They told her it would take 6 working days.
She will then have to go back to MOFA again when her working papers come down and apply for a resident visa (another NT$1500), and thence to the police for the ARC and re-entry permits, etc. etc.
It was weird though – here I met this girl 9 years ago doing visa stuff and here we are STILL doing visa stuff 9 years later. Maybe open work permits will finally do away with this weirdness…
Terry