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Letter: PARC is no farce

In reply to Alun Arnold (Letters, March 29, page 8) about applying for a Permanent Alien Resident Certificate (PARC), please allow me to give some tips and advice, as I recently received mine.

It is true that assembling several time-sensitive documents simultaneously is a trick, I agree. Hence, getting the PARC takes some determination and people skills.

First, in applying for a criminal records check, he needed to provide a former permanent UK address, because it is apparent that, unlike Canada, the UK does not have a central crime computer system, so the British police need to start somewhere. Or maybe Taiwan should allow in terrorists or serial killers without any attempt at checking their background? The five-year period [for a clean record] Arnold mentions is incorrect.

Arnold objects to the health check which every certificate applicant is required to take. Well, sir, we don't care who you have been sleeping with or if you have never seen a doctor in your life, but it's reasonable that you prove that you don't have TB or AIDS right now. Remember, if you get your PARC, you won't have to do it again.

As far as using your current ARC as proof of your current residence, that is reasonable and this happened in my case. I found officials very creative in solving difficult obstacles in this somewhat irksome process, as long as they were dealing with someone who demonstrated politeness and patience.

It is apparent that you have not learned much about that in your seven years in this eminently reasonable country.

So good luck, you will need a lot.

John Hanna
Taoyuan
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