International students seeking to continue their tertiary education in Taiwan or transfer between universities are not required to leave the nation for a “visa run,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Foreign nationals who hold a visitor’s or resident visa for the purpose of studying Mandarin, academic exchanges, joining family or employment can apply within Taiwan for a student visa for degree programs, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
International students with a valid student Alien Resident Certificate can also change schools at the tertiary level without leaving the country, Ou said.
Her remarks followed a petition posted on the Web site Change.org calling for foreign nationals to be allowed to change status without leaving Taiwan, particularly in view of border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Taiwanese government requires foreigners to leave the country if you are changing status (commonly known as visa run),” says the petition, titled Allowing Foreigners Change Status Without Exiting Taiwan.
“Most countries are on lockdown, and there’s very limited to no flight operating. Even though there were flights, why should we risk our lives just to change school or changing status?” it says.
While a visa run is not necessary for students moving from Mandarin language studies to a degree program, it is required for a change in the other direction and a transfer between universities, it says.
However, the ministry said that the information is outdated, as the government in 2018 instituted a new policy to encourage foreign nationals to study and remain in Taiwan.
The only regulation that was retained is that foreign students at the tertiary level are not permitted to switch to Mandarin language study on the same visa upon completion of their studies, Ou said.
This is to prevent foreign nationals working illegally in Taiwan, using language schools as a front, she said.
Foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas are required to leave the nation and apply for a new visa at a Taiwanese embassy or representative office before being allowed to re-enter, she added.
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