Job Discussion Forums

[koreaprospects]

http://www.tro-taiwan.roc.org.uk/dc/cvfor1.htm

My friend has advised me that I need a 60 day multiple entry visa for Taiwan as this type would allow me to exchange it for a residence visa without leaving the country.

I am a British citizen. Does the type of visa he has recommended exist for tourists? I have seen a multi entry visa for business purposes but can't find one for tourists.

Can anyone advise me? Basically I want to go there, find a job and then get the residence visa without having to leave the country.

Is this possible? Have they changed the visa system recently, the link above is from the taiwan office in the UK.

Any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

[clark.w.griswald]

In order to do what you want to do you need to have a Visitors Visa. These are generally either 30 or 60 days in duration. You don't need to have a multiple entry one, a single entry is fine.

Although a 30 day visa can sometimes be long enough to process through to a resident visa, you are far better off going for a 60 day visa. Additionally, now that you can get a 30 landing visa (visa free entry) in Taiwan, if you apply for a 30 day visitors visa the office may tell you to just get a landing visa. A landing visa is no good as you can't change it into a resident visa within Taiwan.

So go for a 60 day visitors visa, multilple or single entry, but single entry ones are probably going to be easier to get with not as many questions asked.

[Aristotle]

[clark.w.griswald]

I would advise against the advice Aristotle gives above for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the business visa does not entitle you to work and earn and income while in Taiwan. So having a one year business visa is no better than having a visitors visa. If you do work on a business visa or visitors visa then you are working illegally. If caught you could be deported, and in light of the governments recent activity I think that we can likely change this 'could' into 'would'.

Secondly, I can find no evidence in the legislation that a business visa can be converted into a resident visa within Taiwan. I have asked Aristotle to support this claim by quoting the relevant procedure of document that states that this can be done, yet he has failed to produce this. Until such time as he produces it I think it safest to assume that such a document doesn't exist. The legislation clearly states that you can convert a visitors visa into a resident visa without leaving the country and this is what most teachers do. I have never heard, nor seen documented support for, Aristotles claims to the contrary.

Thirdly, why go to all the trouble of trying to find a sponsor company and fabricating an elaborate lie about doing business in Taiwan when you don't have to. Simply fill in the form for a 60 day visitors visa and you will likely get one relatively easily.

[Borromeo]

[clark.w.griswald]

Borromeo, certainly in your case the multi entry was a plus. No doubt. I certainly did not advise against getting a multi-entry as some people such as yourself find that you need one. In most cases though a single entry is adequate and I stand by my earlier comments.

The biggest problem with automatically applying for a multiple-entry regardless of your needs, is that applications for multiple-entry visas are often more carefully scrutinized by the officers involved. I understand that every visa office is different, as is every clerk in every visa office, so experiences will of course vary. What does seem to be fairly consistent however is that applications for mutiple entry visas are often met with the requirement to provide additional paperwork to support your reasons for that type of visa over a single entry. As a single entry, 60 day visa is what most people can get most easily, I suggest that people weigh up the possibilities themselves and make a decision as to which visa best suits their needs.

I believe that the OP in this thread was under the impression that he had to get a multiple entry visa, when in fact this is not correct. I was merely clarifying this for him/her.

[koreaprospects]

Yes I was under the impression that I had to get a multiple-entry visa in order to exchange it for a residence visa.

However I am now under the impression that you can extend a single entry visa to a maximum stay of 6 months?(2 extensions).

Therefore there would be no need to leave the country if you have still not got a job after the initial 60 days.

So if you are not planning on leaving the country before you have got a job sorted then there is not a lot of point in getting the multiple entry visa?

Am I right?

Thanks for your input.

[ramakentesh]

Yes its good to see that every office gives you a different story - one will grant no one multiple entry visas while others will do it on a whim - so taiwanese...

[Wonder]

I hate to say it, but this thread is like many "official" laws here in Taiwan regarding foreign teachers' legal status: Confusing!

OTOH, pretty much everyone who is offering advice in this thread is correct.

What should be noted, above all, is do not simply get on a plane and fly to Taiwan without any visitors visa or mulit-entry visa because you don't want to leave the country if you don't have to.

The likelihood of not finding a job after two months is rare. And if indeed that does happen, then maybe going home is a good idea.