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TheCathedral
Joined: 03 May 2007
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 10:59 am Post subject: TECOs & Visa Runs |
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Hey guys,
Searched through the past threads and read a couple of posts that the TECO in Macau issues visas without giving people too hard of a time. I'm actually going to apply for a resident visa (as I have my work permit). I'm leaning towards Macau but was interested in what some of you have experienced with the TECOs that can be easily reached via a short flight from Taiwan? I was recommended the TECO in Hong Kong, however, searching through the threads, it seems they have given some people a hard time there.
Just want to get this right as the first time I applied for a visa in the US did not go too well. Thanks in advance, guys. |
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dangerousapple
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 292
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 12:23 am Post subject: |
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| I got my resident visa processed at the Hong Kong TECO and didn't have any problems at all. They were friendly, and processed my papers in just a few minutes. They were mean and b****y to the people on either side of me who were applying for visitor's visas. They treat you better if you are applying for a resident visa, because they know you are telling the truth about why you are in Taiwan. |
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BigWally
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 765
Location: Ottawa, CAN (prev. Kaohsiung "the Dirty South")
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| Why do you need to go to a TECO office to apply for your resident visa? If you have your work permit already you just need to visit the foreign affairs office to get your resident visa, then the police to get your ARC? |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 4:30 am Post subject: |
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| dangerousapple wrote: |
| I got my resident visa processed at the Hong Kong TECO and didn't have any problems at all. They were friendly, and processed my papers in just a few minutes. They were mean and b****y to the people on either side of me who were applying for visitor's visas. They treat you better if you are applying for a resident visa, because they know you are telling the truth about why you are in Taiwan. |
Yes, to that. However, that most people are applying for visitor visas as opposed to resident visas is a refection of how things are more often done in Taiwan by employers and is no fault of the teachers' whatsoever. I had something of a discussion with the HK people over this when I did a visa run once. They said I should be getting my resident visa there as opposed to a visitor visa. I replied that I'd love to do it that way but, since my employer is the one handling my resident visa, it's rather pointless to discuss it with me as if I have any control over the issue. The clerk seemed to get my point and then quietly processed my visitor visa as asked. |
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TheCathedral
Joined: 03 May 2007
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 9:38 am Post subject: |
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Thanks guys for the insightful replies.
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| Why do you need to go to a TECO office to apply for your resident visa? If you have your work permit already you just need to visit the foreign affairs office to get your resident visa, then the police to get your ARC? |
I currently don't have a visitor visa to turn into a resident visa here since I came to Taiwan on a landing visa. So I have to leave Taiwan and can now apply for my resident visa since I'll have my work permit. |
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BigWally
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 765
Location: Ottawa, CAN (prev. Kaohsiung "the Dirty South")
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| ah....makes sense...i thought you had the VV already |
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mep3
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 212
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| Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:43 pm Post subject: .. |
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The thing I find curious is:
They don't want you to go into TW on a VV allegedly for tourism, when really you are looking for work.
But if you go in on a landing visa and get a work permit, and then go back out for your resident's visa, haven't you done the same thing? Gone in initially allegedly for tourism, but really to find work? So from their perspective, what's the difference? I'm just curious as to the rationale -- why one is okay in their view and the other isn't.
mep |
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forest1979
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 507
Location: SE Asia
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 9:24 am Post subject: |
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| mep3 - It's called bureaucracy. If it made sense then there wouldn't be any need for it! |
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mep3
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 212
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 12:21 pm Post subject: .. |
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Okay, I'll buy that. So when you go for your resident's visa (e.g. in Macau or HK) and they can basically see from your passport that you went into TW on a landing visa to get your work permit, they don't care? Or if they ask you about it and you just answer them honestly, they won't care?
mep |
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descafinado
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 3
Location: taiwan
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:18 pm Post subject: wounded in Macau story |
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Just a warning if you're counting on the Macau TECO office being any easier than Hong Kong's bad rep. I had the worst experience there of any TECO office to date. There was a right *beep* official there who decided to get his jollies that day by screwing a foreigner. Maybe he was a cast-off from Hong Kong's evil office crew of infamy, who knows.
At the time, I was barely capable of travel ,having just come out of hospital after a serious motorcycle accident and surgery, my arm & shoulder in a sling, held together by assorted plates & screws. Maybe to them I looked like the sloppy drunken foreigner who got in a brawl, but I sure didn't appreciate the treatment I got there.
I had more than enough legit documents, for a resident student visa, but was sent over to the row of bullet-proof glass wickets (what are they afraid of??) for an interview/interrogation. The 'officer' then tried to catch me up on working illegally (I wasn't ) by asking me questions like, "how's your job?" Puzzled, I replied "what job? I'm not working, I'm only a student", and asked me questions in chinese, which unfortunately I hadn't learned in my chinese class at the university. The arrogant puff adder then took obvious joy in telling me that he was not giving me the visa. My next question was "Why?", his answer was......(are you ready)..."No reason." ...NO REASON!! WTF ..Good answer!! ...very professional indeed. I thought, do you always make decisions in your important job, deciding other people's fate,... with no reason? Unbelievable it was. (good thing for this guy he has the security booth I guess)
By a fluke, I think a different person later picked up my paper pile, and in the end since they actually had no real 'reason' to refuse me, I was graciously granted a visitors visa (90 days, unusual) to cover the length of one school term. woo hoo! and a warm welcome to Taiwan!
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:37 am Post subject: Re: .. |
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| mep3 wrote: |
The thing I find curious is:
They don't want you to go into TW on a VV allegedly for tourism, when really you are looking for work.
But if you go in on a landing visa and get a work permit, and then go back out for your resident's visa, haven't you done the same thing? Gone in initially allegedly for tourism, but really to find work? So from their perspective, what's the difference? I'm just curious as to the rationale -- why one is okay in their view and the other isn't. |
There is a difference between the two things you outline above.
A visa free entry (sometimes called a landing visa) is not a visa. It is a privilege afforded to the holders of passports from certain countries. There is no check involved before the right is issued other a quick scan of the local immigration to make sure that you are not blacklisted. As it is not a visa it has no bearing on future visa applications that you may make and does not help you in securing other visas.
A visitors visa is a full visa which involves a complete check and other formalities. As such it is considered a visa and anyone who receives this visa stands in good stead to get an alternative visa if the requirements for that visa can be met.
As to the question as to what reason a visa can be refused unfortunately that is one of the great headaches of visa offices worldwide not just TECO's. They claim that for security reasons we cannot know why we are being refused. |
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BigWally
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 765
Location: Ottawa, CAN (prev. Kaohsiung "the Dirty South")
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject: Re: .. |
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| clark.w.griswald wrote: |
| They claim that for security reasons we cannot know why we are being refused. |
Oh come on Clark....we all know its just cause they don't want to tell us that the magic 8 ball behind the TECO office window said "All signs point to no!"
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