A Visitor Visa to Join Family, with Complications...!

[savittre]

Hi All,
I used to live in Taiwan, married to a local girl, we have one child. We split up and I returned to Canada in '98. I tried to bring my child to Canada for education, safety reasons, etc. The child had to go back to Taiwan (a Canadian court decision), so, I haven't seen my kid since '98. Now, I'd like to go back to Taiwan, for a couple of years, to get back in touch with my child. My question: Could I be granted a Visitor's visa on grounds of joining family? I understand a Visitor's visa is good for a maximum of 6 months. Could I get a new Visitor's visa in Hong Kong for another 6 months once the initial visa is finished? I do have my marriage scroll(s) and my child's birth certificate. We were married, and the child was born, in Taiwan.

A point to consider, before deciding whether or not I can get a visitor's visa: My wife (and of course her family) would do all they could to deny me my visa. So, is there anything they can do to thwart me, or are they powerless to intervene?

On the other hand, could I possibly get a Visitor's visa for more than 6 months, on grounds of joining family?

Thanks,

savittre
P.S. If anyone's wondering about me bringing my child to Canada, and the Canadian court letting the mother take the kid back to Taiwan, I'll be happy to share the info I have on that with you. But, don't post saying 'The court shouldn't do that/the court can't do that' etc. The court can do that, and did do that. It's a done deal, there ain't nothing I can do. Gotta live with it. [img]images/smiles/icon_sad.gif[/img]

[Hartzell]

I am actively counseling an Irish gentleman who, from a visa application point of view, has somewhat of a similar situation. His ROC wife died in 1998, but he is still on very good terms with all her family members. He gets a short-term visiting relatives visa (renewable, multiple entry, multiple year) at the ROC Office in Dublin which is good for two months and can be extended twice. Then he goes to Singapore, Tokyo, Guam or wherever and comes back into Taiwan, and "starts over" on the two month visiting routine.

When he goes to Dublin to apply for the visa, he takes all the documentation on his previous marriage, his wife's death, his mother-in-law and father-in-law's household registration, ID card copies, etc., etc.

So, my point is that (I presume) that if you want to visit your ex-wife, it would be a good idea to have copies of her household registration, ID card, maybe even letter of employment from her employer, etc. If you don't have such documentation, you would have a hard time making a case for a visiting relatives visa application, in my modest opinion.

And indeed if so, why not just come as a tourist? You can sort out matters here after you arrive. If you can find a job, then you can leave the country and come back in on a resident visa, based on employment.

Note: I feel that it is important to mention that my Irish friend has (on several occasions) taken the same paperwork as mentioned above to the ROC Office in H.K., however they would only issue him a one-month non-renewable visitor visa. Hence, it is clear that different offices are operating on different principles.

[savittre]

Thanks, Richard,
Although the Irish guy has a different relationship with his former in-laws than I have with mine, in the end it probably doesn't matter.

Thanks for your suggestion, 'Why not come in as a tourist and sort things out after you arrive?' If that's possible (and I do have 2 job offers, both firm), then I can switch over to a resident visa later. Sounds good! [img]images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]