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Official Info found for 90-Day Exempt Visa

 
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wayne1523



Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Posts: 100
Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:54 am    Post subject: Official Info found for 90-Day Exempt Visa Reply with quote

This is for Canadians such as myself and other countries that are eligible for the 90-Day Exempt Visa and those who are looking to go to Taiwan and look for a job and have been confused due to the inconsistency of official and unofficial sources. But I have found that Canadians and other countries CAN use the 90-Day exempt to look for work.

1. http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=103343&p=1364061#p1364061

2. Also, I put my Mandarin-speaking mother on the phone from Canada for a long-distance call with the Taiwan Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) head office in Taipei and she spoke extensively with them. The lady, whom my mom said to be very clear in her answers, told her that the 90-Day Exempt Visa can be used to go to Taiwan first to look for a job. After you get a job and the employer gets you a work permit, you can get the new Visitor's Visa in Taiwan at the BOCA which eventually turns into the Residence Visa and all that other stuff for settling. So, it's not a question of whether or not the 90 Day-Exempt Visa can be directly converted into a Visitor's Visa/Residence Visa. It's that the 90-Day gets you in Taiwan first which then allows you to find a job, get a work permit, and have that work permit be converted into a Visitor's Visa/Residence Visa.

All this makes this official source vague and MISLEADING: http://www.boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1443&ctNode=116&mp=2

It says, "The duration of stay starts from the next day of arrival and is not extendable. Visa-exempt entry can not be converted to a visitor or resident visa."

Well, it's right. It can't be DIRECTLY converted. But when you attain a work permit with an employer, it can.

So, I hope this clears everything up for everyone who's eligible for the 90-Day Exempt Visa, including myself.
=)
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Dr_Zoidberg



Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 406
Location: Not posting on Forumosa.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
It can't be DIRECTLY converted. But when you attain a work permit with an employer, it can.


I don't see anything about that on the Taiwanese government website unless one considers "dancing foreign monkey" a white collar profession.

Random postings on forumosa by anonymous Internet personae are not official Taiwanese government policy.
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creztor



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 476

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wayne, no disrespect intended but I would be very careful about believing anything someone in Taiwan says, even if they work at X office in X branch. Did your mother get the woman's name? I bet you she didn't, and it's not uncommon. I've had people outright refuse to give me their name when they were telling me information I thought was a bit suspect. In one case I was transferred to someone else, apparently to someone who was more qualified and was willing to take the blame if he was wrong. Taiwanese are very adept at dodging the bullet, and I would NEVER believe anything I was told on the phone without getting their full name and a direct number. It's not unusual that these people don't know what they are talking about, and if you don't have someway of chasing the person down, you end up looking like a fool when information you thought was legit turns out to be utterly wrong. Good luck.
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Dr_Zoidberg



Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 406
Location: Not posting on Forumosa.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

creztor is quite right.

BOCA's official position is that a 90-day visa exempt entry allows one to apply for a visitor's visa within country under certain extraordinary circumstances, or if one is a white-collar professional.

The danger here is that they do not define white-collar professional. I can imagine someone seeking to lecture at a university be considered one, or even a licensed teacher seeking employment in the public school system. But working in a buxiban is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

The worst-case scenario would be having to do a visa run.
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yamahuh



Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 1033
Location: Karaoke Hell

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And so - there we have it - the official party line is ....

Question Neutral Confused

Sure would make life easier though - providing that the info is correct of course. Wayne - I'm not saying your mother's understanding of what she was told is wrong but I have to agree with both Creztor and Dr. Z here.

A couple of years back my wife and I were flying out to the Philippines for 2 months of backpacking - we booked our tickets without checking our ARC expiration dates and when we did, we realized we were flying 3 days after they expired. We checked with our employer - she said it was fine - we weren't reassured and had her call the local Govt Immigration office to check and see if there was a grace period during which you were allowed to be in the country with an expired ARC.

3 days? No problem - she was told.

We called a friend who has been here for 20 years to check for us, he was told the same thing by his buddy in his local Govt office.

Guess what?
We were stopped and fined for expired ARCs on our way out of the country; our passports were stamped with an overstay and we were told we did not qualify for visa exempt entry for the next year!

Be aware and leery of Taiwanese misinformation. The concept of 'face' prevents them from admitting they don't know something - they'd rather make something up or offer an 'educated guess' than let the words "I don't know' pass their lips...
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wayne1523



Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Posts: 100
Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is killing me man. But I appreciate the cautionary advice.

I think I'm probably gonna go ahead with the 90 days anyway. I mean, one person (forumosa dude) has said that it can be done. I've had another guy from Dave's (brett) tell me that he's done it successfully from first hand experience. And lastly, the BOCA lady told my mom that it's possible. My mom didn't ask about the work permit directly. Instead, she asked, "I have family over in Taiwan, what could I possibly do to extend my stay beyond 90 days?"...to which the woman thoroughly and "swiftly" replied, "in that case, there's only one thing you can do...and that is to get a job and get a work permit in Taiwan which could then be converted to Visitor's Visa or Residence Visa." So, the lady SUGGESTED it to her.

I know where you guys are coming from though. I think all the bad experiences you guys have had lends partially to the fact that you guys are foreigners and can't speak the Mandarin language. There's definitely a divide not only in the communication, but probably the trust as well. People in Taiwan probably see foreigners in a different light and therefore treat them differently, less seriously. My mom, on the other hand: a kind-sounding lady and a perfectly fluent Mandarin speaker that experiences no cracks or leaks in the communication. Ofcourse, there's no way to know for sure sure...but just pointing out that these are factors definitely needed to take into consideration. I'm gonna be having the same problems too despite the fact that I'm Chinese, because I can not speak Mandarin.

But anyway, I'm probably gonna go with the exempt. There has not been claims and evidence pointing that the 90-day exempt is NOT successful. This is not to mention that in my local TECO, they want me to prove why I would want a 90 day exempt over a 60 day Visitor's. If anything, worst case scenario...like Dr. Z said, is a visa run to HK.
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yamahuh



Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 1033
Location: Karaoke Hell

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You're making a huge assumption that we (as foreigners) either can't speak Mandarin or can't find someone to make enquiries on our behalf who can. I'm pretty sure that the mis-info I received wasn't the result of communication problems but, more likely, the result of asking the wrong person / someone who wasn't up to speed with all the facts / someone who wasn't willing to admit they didn't know the answer.

That being said - I think the 90 day is a far easier choice to explain at your local TECO office than the 60 day.

It's free
It's for longer
From a tourist perspective, which is of course why you're saying you need it, why wouldn't you choose it?


Let us know how it goes.
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dangerousapple



Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 292

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The last teacher I hired came in on a 90-day visa free entry. No problems whatsoever getting him hired. During the process of getting a resident visa (assuming you fit the requirements for working in Taiwan and have filed all the right paperwork) the government makes you "buy" a visitor visa, which is immediately changed into a resident visa (with another fee, of course).

If that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, that's because its government planning. The only constant when it comes to visa regulations here is that they change often and without notice. It could very well have changed since January, when I hired that teacher.
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wayne1523



Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Posts: 100
Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yamahuh, it's not even an option for me to make. That lady at my TECO said, get the 90-Day Exempt or explain to the office why you would go against logic and choose a 60 day's visitor visa over a 90 day exempt, which is then to be considered by their superiors.

Dangerousapple, thanks for confirming. Add 1 more case to the list of first-hand experiences.
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creztor



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 476

PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love it. You brush of the experience of three people and say it was due to us being foreigners and not being able to speak Chinese. Obviously you already know everything about Taiwan and don't need any help. Good luck.
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yamahuh



Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 1033
Location: Karaoke Hell

PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 2:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wayne1523 wrote:
That lady at my TECO said, get the 90-Day Exempt or explain to the office why you would go against logic and choose a 60 day's visitor visa over a 90 day exempt, which is then to be considered by their superiors.


Exactly my point.
Laughing

The info from DangerousApple seems to provide you with your answer though. Good to know.
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