The big news at AIT's Travel Services Section (TSS) this summer is the departure of our long-serving Section Chief Ronald Harms, who is leaving to head up the US mission in the Republic of Palau. Harm's replacement, Keith Powell, will be arriving in July from Washington, where he formerly served as Director of the Office of Computer Systems Development in the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Regardless of who is in charge, the main aim of AIT's Travel Services Section is to provide assistance to American citizens and to facilitate legitimate travel to the US. Comprehensive information on all our services can be found on the AIT website (www.ait.org.tw). American citizens in need of help can call American Citizen Services during business hours at 2709-2000. Americans with after-hours requests for emergency services should contact AIT's Duty Desk Office at 2709-2013/14.
People with questions about visas should call our new automated information service at 0204-58858. This service contains complete and up-to-date information on both non-immigrant and immigrant visas. Given the volume of information requests, callers will be charged NT$6 per minute to use the system. Access to our website, of course, is free.
Our most important responsibility at the AIT is the protection of American citizens. We encourage all American citizens to register with AIT's American Services unit. Whether it's a large-scale disaster such as the 1999 earthquake or a sudden medical emergency, registering at AIT will help us help you. Registering is easy.
You can register in person at either of our Taipei and Kaoh-siung offices, or you can register on line at the AIT Web site. We also encourage you to join our new American Citizen Services group e-mail network to receive the latest travel warnings, warden announcements, and other news. Sign up by sending a blank email to aittaipeiacs-subscribe@egroups.com.
AIT's American Citizen Services unit offers a host of other services as well, from accepting passport applications, to issuing reports of American-citizen births, to taking notarials. We can assist you in applying for absentee ballots or in finding an English-speaking doctor or lawyer. We also have a large stock of IRS forms, though specific US tax inquiries should be addressed to the IRS office in Tokyo (tel: 81-3-3224-5466, fax: 81-3-3224-5274, email: irstokyo@beehibe.twics.com).
A note on passports: Effective July 2, 2001, a new US law will require that both parents sign passport applications for children under the age of 14. When only one parent is available to sign the application, that parent must provide documentary evidence that she or he has sole legal custody of the child or has obtained the written consent of the other parent. This law, applicable worldwide, is intended to lessen the possibility that a US passport might be used in the course of an international parental child abduction.
Visa Services
AIT's Visa Unit is one of the busiest in the world. Last year, we issued over 275,000 non-immigrant visas to the US for business, investment, study, and tourism. As part of our continuing effort to make the visa application as quick and easy as possible, more than half of all Taiwanese travelers can apply for a visa without an interview. In addition to the tour-group, visa-renewal, and over-40 applicants, applicants for "H" employment visas no longer need to appear for an interview, provided they have all their documents in order. We have also established a new procedure for interview-free visa application in cooperation with the Taiwan branch of the American Chamber of Commerce. For complete information on all our visa categories and application procedures, visit website or call 0204-58858. Given the sheer number of nonimmigrant visa applications -- during the summer months it is not unusual for us to receive 1,500 to 2,000 applications a day -- we need four working days to process a visa. Please plan accordingly. For those applicants who do have to apply in person, you can reduce the time you have to spend waiting to enter and exit AIT by leaving your cell phones and other electronics at home.
Of course, AIT's Travel Services Section also handles applications for immigrant visas. Applicants whose American citizen or legal permanent resident family members have petitioned for them should check our website to see when their petition will become current. Please let us know if you have changed addresses. We will make every effort to let you know when it is time to begin preparing your documents and to schedule an interview, but we cannot find you if we don't have your address. Applicants for employment-based immigrant visas should double check to make sure that all their documents are complete.
AIT's Immigrant Visa Unit is pleased to have begun processing both Diversity Visas and V visas. The Diversity Visa program -- better known as the "visa lottery" -- has been around for a few years, but is new to Taiwan. Winners are selected at random and the application is free. (Participants should beware of unscrupulous agents who claim to be able to improve the chances of winning.) The V visa is a product of the Life Act of 2000 and is available for certain categories of immigrant visa applicants who have been waiting three years or longer for a visa number. For information on the Diversity Visa program or to see if you qualify for a V visa, call our automated information system.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source