Spouse Leaving for while. Q about rights and assets.

[Visitor]

I have an ARC based on my marriage that will expire the 17th of June. I also hold a Joining Spouse Visa pasted to my passport that does not seem to have an expiration date.

I am planning to take a job in the states and only return to Taiwan for visits in the next year or two. My wife, a high school teacher, will be joining after her semester is over.

Should delay my plans until I can renew my ARC? Is there any advantage to having one?

What about my bank accounts, bank CDs, credit cards and private life insurance that use my ARC as identification. Can I still keep them with out one?

Can my wife keep me on her health insurance God forbid something happens and I have to return to Taiwan before I

[Visitor]

Thank you very much. I will follow your advice. The first time I went through the hassle of being a "non-person" was enough.

Let me just reflect back to see if I understand:

I can keep my (spouse) ARC valid with no need to spend a minimum number of days on Taiwan.

With my ARC I get to keep all my benefits and responsibilities.

Does that mean I must plan trip to Taiwan every year within 15 days of the expiration of my ARC?

Is there any flexibility to this date, say if I can't get off of work or a problem with a scheduled flight?

Of course this will be a year from now. Hopefully things will improve to be more reciprocal with the US.

Thanks again.

[Visitor]

I would suggest that you apply for a three year ARC.

quote: "Of course this will be a year from now. Hopefully things will improve to be more reciprocal with the US."

Don't hold your breath.

[Visitor]

Thanks for mentioning a three year ARC. This is my first renewal under my spouse's VISA.

When I first asked for a long term ARC, the Pingdong County police officer stated that I was not eligible for three years.

For three years he said I must register every year. Then I can have a long term ARC.

This foreign service police officer is not known for his helpful service. What are my options?

Thanks
Aaron.

[Visitor]

I don't quite understand your situation. You have stated that this is your first renewal under your JFRV.

Hence, it sounds to me that you received your JFRV initially in early June 2000 and applied for your first one-year ARC on June 17, 2000. Now it is expiring on June 17, 2001, which will be your first renewal.

You can renew that as much as a week or ten days in advance. You should tell the police officer there that you want a three-year ARC. If he only issues you a one-year ARC, then make note of his name, desk number, time, date, etc. and the reason(s) he gave, and I could help you file an administrative appeal. You will need to give me a photocopy of your passport, ARC (both sides), the receipt issued, your wife's ID card, a copy of a recent Household Registration, and other relevant documentation.

[Visitor]

In my opinion, if you are planning on returning to Taiwan in the future, say one or two years down the road, then the advantages of maintaining the ARC certainly outweigh the disadvantages.

Every week I get complaints from people about the difficulty of applying for their home country CCRD, and all the other details required to (initially) apply for a JFRV.

However, if you don't object to going through all that hassle again, and being essentially a "non-person" (as you put it) for some period of time, you are welcome to ignore my advice, and use a tourist visa to come and go.

I would note that for a foreigner holding an ordinary ARC, there is no requirement that he/she be physically present in the ROC for any certain number of days per year.

You state that your bank accounts, bank CDs, credit cards, and private life insurance all use your ARC number, however I suspect that this is untrue. Commonly, such accounts use the foreigner's passport number.

If you maintain your ARC, you may continue to have National Health Insurance. In fact, you HAVE TO continue paying the premiums whether you use NHI or not. I get the impression that you want to be able to use NHI during your infrequent visits back to Taiwan in the coming year or two, so I won't discuss how you might apply to have the premiums "put on hold" and your coverage "suspended" during your planned overseas soujourn. (Obviously, all those kinds of details are readily available through your local National Health Insurance Office.)

[Visitor]

In the last post the Moderator stated that there might be some confusion on my documents. I think I have a JFRV visa. It is a pasted inside my passport and has and interesting background pattern with the letters "ROC" on it.

(Moderator note: I have added my comments directly to the text, preceded by three stars.)

When I applied for my first "spouse-based ARC" the officer in charge was quite adamant (almost hostile) stating that I would not be eligible for the three year ARC until I had
renewed my ARC for three more years.
***This is not what we see in Taipei.

Though I know I will win the administrative appeal, I will end up losing since I will not be in Taiwan to personally have the expiry date on my ARC amended (since I will be leaving for the States after my renewal).
***Your wife could act as your agent.

Are there any documents written in Chinese that I can politely present to this officer if he questions my eligibility for the three year ARC. I would like to do it right the first time.
*** See Article 9 of the "Regulations Governing Visiting, Residence, and Permanent Residence of Aliens". This says that the longest period for a foreign spouse ARC may be three years. In Taipei, we typically see three years.

Here is a time-line of important events in my stay in Taiwan.

Event
2001/06/17 One year ARC expires
2000/06/17 Renewed Spouse ARC
2000/04/?? Left job, work ARC converted to Spouse, no extension granted
2000/04/05 JFRV issued after one-year waiting period.
1999/06/17 Current card issued after filling up all the comment fields of the old one.
1997/06/?? First started working in Taiwan; resided continuously with work permit.

If you'd like a copy of my passport and ARC etc. Please give me an address where I can send a photocopy.

(Because my wife is not entirely happy about my move, I must make this transition in the smartest possible way) I need to maximize that chance of me getting full work rights in case she is not happy with our move.
*** I don't know what you mean in this paragraph. Here in mid-2001, in order to have "full work rights" you would have to be an ROC citizen. Is your wife going with you to the States?