Job Discussion Forums

[logician]

I was accepted into a Mandarin program in Taiwan. Presumably after I am in Taiwan, the job offers will start rolling in.

So I went to the visa office in Houston and asked for a multiple-entry visitor visa.

They said they were willing to give me a single-entry visitor visa to start off with.

Then after I had filled in the forms, I realized that my itinerary listed my arrival date as the first day of classes and the school had asked me to show up early so that I could start Mandarin classes without being jet-lagged.

I asked the clerk if it would be a problem if I were to show up a day or two before the start of classes.

The clerk, whose English was not perfect, said, "Just show the original itinerary."

Now, the Taiwanese strike me as businesslike people. They are not likely to make a huge fuss if I show up on 27 May with a visitor visa that starts on 1 June.

But ...

They might ask me to cool my heels in Hong Kong.

They might ask me to get an additional landing visa, which might cause problems...

They might get annoyed that my itinerary doesn't match my arrival time.

How should I deal with this?

Am I getting all worked up over nothing, or have I made a serious blunder that will cause big problems?

[Wonder]

If you look closely at your visa, it says that the visa becomes active when you arrive in Taiwan and go through customs, not when it is issued at the embassy in your city.

You will be fine my friend. Book a flight and get on with it.

[Aristotle]

You may want to try again at another TECO office.
Try using a travel agent and tell them you are a business person coming to look for industrial machines for your small company.
Good luck,
A

[logician]