A
kindergarten in central Taiwan.Michael A. Turton
| A
kindergarten in central Taiwan. |
Michael A. Turton |
| Visas |
|
|
|
|
| The
law has recently been changed, and you may now transfer to a second job
without leaving the country. However, you can still only work at
two jobs.
Hint: Just because the law has changed doesn't mean the locals know it. Can I work Illegally? Sure, but it isn't a good idea. A few illegal teachers are successful. Far too many live hand to mouth. |
 The
presence of illegal home factories in every neighborhood means lots of
noise pollution. |
 The jade market in Tainan. |
| If you are married to a Taiwanese, you can get a residency permit and legally work at any job, or any collection of jobs. This is also possible with the open work permit, recently introduced (see below). |  A woman works at a breakfast place late at night, preparing
for the
morning. |
| It used to be that you could renew every two months. This is increasingly difficult. |  A crowded highway rest stop on the new
north-south highway near
Dongshan.
With a 7-11, food court and a Starbucks, it is a little bit of heaven
on
the gorgeous ride through the southern foothills. |
| Crackdowns occur from time to time and in general
the system
has tightened up in the last five years. Fewer and fewer people
are
getting away with this. I'd get the latest visa info when I came in
ASAP by asking on www.forumosa.com or Tealit. |
 Fish
displayed for sale. |
| Important: The date and time on your visa may not be the duration of your stay, but the time period in which the visa must be used. For example, the visa may be stamped "valid for 90 days." This refers to the amount of time the visa is effective and may be used (after 90 days, you must get a new visa in order to enter Taiwan). The visa itself might only be good for a stay of 14 days. There have been several cases of overstays on a visa because of confusion over the dates. Be sure you are crystal clear about what the numbers on your visa really mean. | 
Take
a trip out of Taiwan. It's a great stress reliever. Don't be shy about
taking care of yourself. You deserve it. |
| If you need to have an onward
ticket, but don't want to invest in a return ticket, purchase an onward
leg to Hong Kong or Okinawa. |
 Arranging dried fish in a market. |
 A
large elementary school. Many elementary schools, like this one, boast
thousands of students. |
|
|
|
|
 Two students from an intensive summer
course for advanced high school
students. |
To get a work permit, you will need copies of
your transcripts
and BA diploma. Original copies from the university, not
photocopies
you yourself made. They must be stamped by your local Taiwanese
representative
office.
For either work or residency visas, the visa process is simple, albeit paperwork heavy. Check the details with your school. Basically, the process goes like this: |
 A
statue towers over the Buddhist center of Fwokuangshan northeast of
Kaohsiung. |
1. First, the school applies for a work permit on
your
behalf. You need your BA proof for this.
2. The Ministry approves and gives them a piece of paper allowing you to teach. You then take the piece of paper to the foreign police station in your area, and they give you the permit.
|
 A
Toys'R'Us. |
3.In order to process that permit, you will need to get a health checkup at one of the approved local hospitals. This includes blood, stool and urine tests, and tests for drugs. If you have been in a Third World country and have had something like giardia, amoebas, etc, get your liver cleaned out before you take the test. |
 Descending
into Taichung. A housing development creates neat rows of buildings on
the ridge in the center of the picture. |
If you have a work permit, you can work legally only at the company for which you have the permit. If you work anywhere else, you are illegal. So be careful and tell no one that you are working illegally. You never know when someone may use that against you. |
 Squid served in a Filipino cantina.
|
IMPORTANT: It is a general practice
in bushibans that you begin work while waiting for you ARC to come
down. Nevertheless, despite the fact that it is generally done, it is
illegal, and you
CAN be deported for it. Note these comments from longtime expat
Taffy Canning at Forumosa: I'm sure that there are a few teachers out there who have managed to stay completely legal, 100% of the time. I've just never met one. Done a demo to get a job? Illegal. Worked while your ARC was being processed? Illegal. Entered the country on a tourist visa for the purpose of seeking employment? Illegal. Taught a private student? Illegal. Covered classes at a different branch of your school without an extra work permit? Illegal. Subbed for anyone without a work permit for that school? Illegal. |
 Volunteer
mothers create a corridor of safety for primary school students. |
A
pretty face on every cover.....magazines at a convenience store. |
Also, I have been writing that if you visa is in process and you exceed the 14 day limit, it is OK. But a friend sent me this heads up: This used to be true. I used this loophole myself. However, they are cracking down now. I've had a few colleagues been rejected an ARC until they came in on a valid visa. In this case they had to leave and come back with a current visitor visa, thus paying the overstay penalty and getting that nasty stamp in their passport. |
 Your
trusty writer on the way to Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan.
Taiwan's
mountains offer welcome relief from the island's polluted, stifling,
overcrowded
cities. Sadly, much of this region, including the tourist
infrastructure,
was devastated by the September, 1999 quake. |
NEW: THE OPEN WORK PERMIT:
The Open Work Permit was recently introducted and permits you to work
anywhere at an unlimited number of jobs, if you have already been in
Taiwan several years. |
 Policemen stop motorcyclists on a street. |
The advantage of a work permit is that you are legal with rights and privileges like insurance. However, if you quit your job, you must leave the country. The advantage of being illegal is that you can change jobs in search of higher pay without leaving the country. You also don't pay taxes. |
 Angry
at some Philistine? This man has just the weapon for you..... |
If you have some other visa from some other country, you must leave the country frequently, usually every two months, if you don't have a work permit. Moreoever, the odds are good that your visa renewal may simply be denied and you unable to return no matter how long you have lived in Taiwan or what your connection to the island is. For non-Americans, the best recourse is a legal work permit. |
 Shoes
pine for customers in an evening market. |
|
|
|
|
| To get the extensions, you must have some compelling reason to stay. You must claim you are studying Chinese at one of the local schools. These schools ostensibly exist to teach Chinese, but really they are there only to provide visa renewals for foreigners. All you need is a document from them, and a document from your local police station saying where you live, and bingo, you won't have any problems renewing. Does cost money, though. The schools advertise in the papers. |  A
hotel room in a hotel along Kenting Rd. in Kenting National Park. |
| It's a very Taiwanese system: open advertisement
of illegal
activities winked at by officialdom (although lately they have been
cracking
down on this system). However, since they'e been cracking down, you
actually
have to show up for classes. The best hours for such classes are
1-3 in the afternoons, since it is unlikely you will have teaching
hours
at that time. |
 My son constructs a castle in a recreational farm in central
Taiwan. |
| To get the stamp you need to extend your visa, you need to go to the Foreign Police Station in your area. Your school will know where it is. | 
Don't
worry. The foreign police aren't as mean as this fellow at Leofoo
Village. |
| All in all, it's just easier to get the work
permit
for one job and pay a little tax, than deal with the hassle of
Chinese
classes. Once you have a legal job, many people request to be
paid
in cash at their other places. Most places will agree, since that
saves them money and paperwork. Remember if you accept another job that
files taxes on you, the government might find out that you are
violating your work permit, and deport you. |
 The
waiting area of a Japanese restaurant. |
| Recently a reader wrote in:
I wanted to write to you to say hello and to send you what I believe to be one of the most important web sites for all foreigners who have been asking you questions about working in taiwan legally. It is www.oriented.org/legal/ and shows the exact application process to get your ARC. I wish I had known about it before coming here however it was the best thing a friend sent me when I ran into a few problems during my first 6 months here. When I found this site I printed out the relevant sections and handed it to my Boss, just to let him know that I knew the process of getting my ARC and how long it should take. I needed to give them a 'push' so to speak! |
 My wife looks exotic in Indian clothes. Imported clothing
from India
and
Nepal is increasing popular in Taiwan, and vendors may be found near
large
college campuses. |
| One long-time resident posted this on another website:
The easiest way to get a multiple entry visa is to claim business as your reason for applying. A business card and possibly a letter of invitation from a Taiwanese business to come and see there products works very well. Just contact them and ask for one, they will usually oblige you without hesitation. Acer is a good company for that as is Evergreen, there are thousands just Google for the contact info. You might also try buying tickets to one of the various international trade shows. Use a travel agent and specifically request a multiple entry visa for business purposes. A 5 year multiple entry visa is the best visa that will be available to you just for asking. It allows you to stay in Taiwan for up to six months with extensions and is renewed every time you exit R.O.C. controlled territory, for five years. You can also extend it for study or change it into an ARC. You can extend a single entry visa unless there are prohibitions for this stamped on the visa. Landing visas cannot be extended. Nearly all visas are called tourist visas. That's because there really is little to no international tourism on Taiwan.....The only significant tourism on Taiwan is industry related. Hence why you should apply for a tourist visa for business purposes. |
|
|
|
|
A night market tea and drink vendor awaits customers.
A van ascends a mountain road....