Can anyone tell me about the immigration interview?

[adamstrm]

I am an American female applying for an ARC through the Immigration Agency in Taipei County. I married a Taiwanese man in May. When we presented all of the requested documents today at the agency, they said that we needed to have an interview. Someone would contact us to arrange a visit to our home to interview us within the next two months. After the interview, they would process the application (assuming we passed, I suppose). I have several American friends who have married Taiwanese women and have not had to go through an interview process. Is this something new? Has anyone been through this interview process and can tell me what's going to happen?

[sandman]

I never had an interview, but I'm a man who married a local woman.
Since you're a woman and the man's a local, they'll probably be wanting to make sure he's not importing women for sale into the sex trade. Not uncommon here.

[Okami]

Contact Northcoast Surfer as he has had this done to him and has posted about it somewhere. It's basically make busy work for someone's kid to come to your house, look around and ask annoying questions. It's bullshit, but it isn't worth the hassle of fighting as they may find new and interesting things that they may need or new laws that they could enforce.

NCS rigged his house up with hidden cameras and microphones. He's a great guy on anything ARC-wise, but something about shitting in a bag just makes him a little odd.

Sandman is correct that they could be making sure that your husband isn't pimping you out.

[bababa]

I will post my own personal story regarding my naturalization once it's complete. But I will tantalize you and tell you that I've got an APRC, but the NIA demanded that my wife and I allow one of their agents to make a totally unannounced visit to my home to verify that we are actually married and living together as husband and wife as a condition for my naturalization application. They also required that we allow the agent to take pictures of our home when he rudely arrived at 9:45pm on a Sunday night! My home is completly wired for sound and hidden video cameras and I recorded the whole episode. He really comes off as an unprofessional jerk off who was more interested in asking about things unrelated to whether or not our marriage is simply paper! Very unprofessional in his questioning of us. After 20 years, I think most people would believe that my marriage to my wife is genuine and not a sham marriage in order that I could escape my home in Hawaii to live in Taiwan instead! Are you tantalized, yet?

NIA,,,,criminals not following established law and legislating from the bench!

From the Divorce and APRC thread.
They're just checking that your marriage is a genuine relationship, and not a marriage of convenience designed to get you into the country, away from your life of poverty and desperation in whatever third-world sh**hole you came from. Just like Northcoast Surfer. He was living in Hawaii, but is lucky enough to now be living in, what was it again?, Sanchong.

[Okami]

From the Divorce and APRC thread.
They're just checking that your marriage is a genuine relationship, and not a marriage of convenience designed to get you into the country, away from your life of poverty and desperation in whatever third-world sh**hole you came from. Just like Northcoast Surfer. He was living in Hawaii, but is lucky enough to now be living in, what was it again?, Sanchong.

I thought he lived in Sanzhi, which while a shithole is not nearly as bad as Sanchong.

[Northcoast Surfer]

Maaaaaan! I check out for a couple days and the shit really hits the ziplock baggie!

1. Yes, I had an NIA officer come to my home, unannounced, on a Sunday evening to interview my wife and I to ensure that our nearly 20 years of marriage is not simply a marriage of convenience. Duh! However, my interview was for naturalization, not APRC, but it was still for the same reason.

2. Yes, I'm a total geek-a-zoid and my home is riddled with hidden cameras and microphones and I recorded the whole embarrassing interview in color HD to use as blackmail later if the interview didn’t end up being favorable! The NIA officer was a real idiot and he didn't really know what kind of questions to ask and he asked some really inappropriate questions that had nothing to do with proving my marriage genuine or not. I feel he was on a personal field trip more so than actual government business. You think he'd have a list of questions prepared ahead of time? NOT!

3. Yes, it's an annoying interview, but it's not worth getting pissed off about. Don't be like me. Seriously. Just relax, invite NIA officer "Joe Shit the Ragman" into your home and patiently answer whatever nosy questions come to mind and you'll pass if your marriage is genuine.

4. Yes, I live in Sanzhi, up on the north coast. I don't even look in the direction of San-Chong, let alone go there. I would be too afraid of meeting up with the likes of Jimipresley in a dark alley and...............

5. Yes, I passed the NIA's home interview. Ha ha ha, little do they realize that I only married my wife for a green card and free passage out of that well known hell hole of Hawaii! However, I must leave the lush garden island of Taiwan and return to my grass shack in Hawaii from June 30th ~ August 31st. I'm so bummed out! I will continue to monitor Forumosa whilst I am absent and continue to contribute worthless thoughts and advice, if I am able to find an Internet connection.

6. Yes, I shit in ziplock baggies, but only for good causes like circumventing stupid APRC health check regulations for deserving individuals! Unfortunately, the NIA no longer requires a stool sample from North American countries and my services are no longer needed. I just submitted a new APRC package for an American friend of mine and the "ziplock baggie service" was unnecessary. Sigh......

Okami.......I'm still on standby with a whole box of freezer bag sized ziplock baggies in the event you want me to make you a stool. Just let me know. Afterall, most people say I'm full of shit, but they don't realize just how accurate a statement that is!

Ok....I gotta get packing for the islands brah!

[bismarck]

1. Yes, I had an NIA officer come to my home, unannounced, on a Sunday evening to interview my wife and I to ensure that our nearly 20 years of marriage is not simply a marriage of convenience. Duh! However, my interview was for naturalization, not APRC, but it was still for the same reason.

2. Yes, I'm a total geek-a-zoid and my home is riddled with hidden cameras and microphones and I recorded the whole embarrassing interview in color HD to use as blackmail later if the interview didn’t end up being favorable! The NIA officer was a real idiot and he didn't really know what kind of questions to ask and he asked some really inappropriate questions that had nothing to do with proving my marriage genuine or not. I feel he was on a personal field trip more so than actual government business. You think he'd have a list of questions prepared ahead of time? NOT!

I'm wondering if I'm going to have to endure one of those. Should be interesting, to say the least...

5. Yes, I passed the NIA's home interview. Ha ha ha, little do they realize that I only married my wife for a green card and free passage out of that well known hell hole of Hawaii! However, I must leave the lush garden island of Taiwan and return to my grass shack in Hawaii from June 30th ~ August 31st. I'm so bummed out! I will continue to monitor Forumosa whilst I am absent and continue to contribute worthless thoughts and advice, if I am able to find an Internet connection.

One of the lucky few to have escaped!
Have you managed to get around the getting your citizenship back, or are you going to the US as a "tourist" for the first time?

[Northcoast Surfer]

Have you managed to get around the getting your citizenship back, or are you going to the US as a "tourist" for the first time?

I haven't renounced my citizenship, yet. I just finished my first round of required discussions regarding renunciation at the AIT. They gave me a renunciation package which I need to read through thoroughly and carefully and fill out the paperwork completely. So, no....this year I'm going back to America as a US citizen. I'll continue with my package and my quest for Taiwanese citizenship after I return in September.

There is no "getting your citizenship back" kind of thingy for the US. Once I renounce, it's irrevocable and I will be treated no differently than any other non-US citizen. There is the possibilty of acquiring US citizenship later, but only through marriage to a US citizen, or the annual US Green Card Lottery system, etc. Basically, the same ways any other person can become a naturalized US citizen.

[bismarck]

Have you managed to get around the getting your citizenship back, or are you going to the US as a "tourist" for the first time?

I haven't renounced my citizenship, yet. I just finished my first round of required discussions regarding renunciation at the AIT. They gave me a renunciation package which I need to read through thoroughly and carefully and fill out the paperwork completely. So, no....this year I'm going back to America as a US citizen. I'll continue with my package and my quest for Taiwanese citizenship after I return in September.

There is no "getting your citizenship back" kind of thingy for the US. Once I renounce, it's irrevocable and I will be treated no differently than any other non-US citizen. There is the possibilty of acquiring US citizenship later, but only through marriage to a US citizen, or the annual US Green Card Lottery system, etc. Basically, the same ways any other person can become a naturalized US citizen.

Anchor baby?

Seriously, enjoy your time back home, mate.

[adamstrm]

Thanks for the information. I was a little worried since none of my married friends had to go through this part of the process, but all of them are Western guys married to Taiwanese women.

Northcoast Surfer: Although the questions the kid asked weren't standard, could you give me a few examples so I can see what area they're going to be looking into? Am I going to have to remember the date of our first kiss or all of his extended family's Chinese names, or what?