Effective April 1, 2012 - All American JFRV applicants MUST use an FBI background check.

[Tempo Gain]

Attention all American JFRV applicants: Important News!!

It was just confirmed on 6-27-2012 that the NIA will no longer accept a State criminal background check for any JFRV applications. The effective date of this change was April 1, 2012. Of course there were/are no official announcements for this newest change, per standard Taiwanese operating procedures. However, I just got off the phone with the Taipei NIA office and also the Banqiao NIA office. Both have independently confirmed to me that all American JFRV applicants must use the FBI background check and that the State background checks are no longer acceptable effective April 1, 2012. And no, this is not an April Fool's Day joke.

Criminal Background Check Requirements for Americans

JFRV applicants - FBI background check required. Effective 4-1-2012

APRC applicants - FBI background check required. Effective 7-14-2007

Naturalization applicants - FBI background check required. Effective 7-14-2007

Students - no criminal background check required, yet.

Work-permit - no criminal background check required, yet.

[tandava]

Do you know how strict they're going to be about reviewing these background checks?

Say you have a misdemeanor arrest on your FBI check. Will there be a problem?

[Yoda]

My wife is an American citizen working here in Taiwan with an ARC. We got married here in Taiwan and I would like to go under her ARC. I've heard mixed stories here on what you have to do from different people including different agencies. My friend says that him and his wife were told they needed a background check and in the end they did not. I know getting the background check here and finshed is a pain and takes a long time. One agency told us we couldn't even get married here; that was a lie. They do not even know their own laws. I also would like to know if misdameanors will be a problem on the background check if it turns out I do need to get one? Any information would be amazing! Thank you!

[samkierana]

For the U.S. it can take months for the process. I ended up using this company to expedite the fingerprint background process. It was done to teach in South Korea, but I don't think you have to do it for China. Anyway, all you have to do is go to the police station, take your fingerprints and mail the fingerprints on the FD 258 card, FBI application to Apostille Pros. They will send it to the FBI and the CBC go back to them (for faster process). Then they apostille the docs once they receive it. All in all, it was done faster than me doing it.

[Taiwan Luthiers]

It takes the FBI 3 months to do the background check and they don't necessarily get it right (like if they have trouble reading the prints). In Taiwan a background check takes 3 days and 100nt... how's that for a "developed country"?

I don't see how going to another company will expedite things unless that company is closely connected with the FBI so applications from them receive a little more priority.

[globalgourmand]

I am an American working in Taiwan and my American husband has tickets to join me in two weeks. In Korea he applied for a dependant visa. I can't find anything on the TECO consulate websites that references any kind of dependant visa... but isn't the JFRV only for individuals trying to join their native Taiwanese spouses?

We've been thrown for a loop because the office he's called twice before had never mentioned needing a FBI check UNTIL his latest (third) call to them. Now she says FBI background check but no healthcheck. Just to see, he called another office a few hours away and they mentioned he needed a healthcheck but not FBI background. Okay great, we'll do that except.... he doesn't have healthcare at the moment so a healthcheck would probably be quite pricey....

Can someone confirm that the JFRV is not what we need?

@Yoda-- what ended up happening in your situation?

[greves]

I am an American working in Taiwan and my American husband has tickets to join me in two weeks. In Korea he applied for a dependant visa. I can't find anything on the TECO consulate websites that references any kind of dependant visa... but isn't the JFRV only for individuals trying to join their native Taiwanese spouses?

We've been thrown for a loop because the office he's called twice before had never mentioned needing a FBI check UNTIL his latest (third) call to them. Now she says FBI background check but no healthcheck. Just to see, he called another office a few hours away and they mentioned he needed a healthcheck but not FBI background. Okay great, we'll do that except.... he doesn't have healthcare at the moment so a healthcheck would probably be quite pricey....

Can someone confirm that the JFRV is not what we need?

@Yoda-- what ended up happening in your situation?

Edit: Please see other thread

https://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtop ... 4#p1468874

[Evzob]

Can anybody give me a quick rundown on the process for getting an FBI background check while in Taiwan? Getting married soon....

[Taiwan Luthiers]

Print out a fingerprinting form online from FBI, go to the national immigration agency to get yoru fingerprint, fill out any pertanent info, mail the completed form back to the FBI with a check for the fee, wait 3 months

[Evzob]

Thanks! Does it always take 3 months, or is that the maximum? And I still have to send it to TECO for authentication I assume....bleh.