Job Discussion Forums

kait · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 93 Location: Lungtan, Taiwan

I have heard that Taiwan is changing its visitor/work visa regulations. From what I understand, they want to make it no longer possible to enter the country with a visitor's visa and switch it to a work visa after you get a job. Has anyone else heard this?

monoxide · Joined: 09 Jun 2004 Posts: 22

I just talked to the taiwanese embassy in chicago on monday morning (june, 28th, 2004) and the woman i spoke with said it was ok for me to do this.

Taylor · Joined: 24 Oct 2003 Posts: 384 Location: Texas/Taiwan

Dear Readers,

Be careful what you ask in Taiwan! The Don't Ask/Don't Tell rule is alive and well in Taiwan.

Also, remember that it is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

You've always heard about China's 5000 years of history. Well, that also means 5000 years of Bureaucracy and Red Tape.

Best wishes to all!

Sincerely,

Taylor
Texas/Taiwan

wood · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 202

If you come in on a visitor visa, you can get permission to work legally and get an ARC without leaving the country. However, if you simply receive a stamp at the airport allowing you to stay for thirty days, you'll have to leave the country to become legal.

espie718 · Joined: 01 Jul 2004 Posts: 1

Does anyone know if it is possible to use a standby ticket? I have a relative that works for an airline and I want to use a companion pass to fly to Taipei. Would I be able to show this pass to my local TECO office to get a vistor visa? I called them earlier and I think they didn't understand what I was trying to ask!

Any advice would be great!!

wood · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 202

Fortigurn · Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 390

Ananda · Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 10

AAC recruiters send me this notice:

"The Taiwanese government has made it quite difficult to obtain work permits outside of Taiwan, so the norm is that candidates now apply for their work permits�after arriving�in Taiwan. If you are accepted,�then we will get your tourist visa�changed into a work permit once you are in Taiwan."

monoxide · Joined: 09 Jun 2004 Posts: 22

at least in america, getting the 60-day visitor visa requires an itinerary which has you leaving the country by the end of the visa. this is probably something that does not come along with a stand-by flight. but, maybe it could work.

when i asked my travel agent about flying on a one-way ticket that would get me out of taiwan and into another close-by country, but not all the way back to america, he told me the carrier might actually refuse to board me. the reason, if i remember correctly was that the place i mentioned (hong kong) also required a visa application, and carriers can get fined pretty heavily if they allow someone to fly into a country without the proper authorization.

also, regarding visitors visa->work visa, the official website states that a visitor visa cannot be changed. so, i'm guessing that you simply apply for an alternate visa once you have a job.