APRC finally applied

7 08 2012

Well after all these years not only did I apply, I did it in record time. From start to application meeting, basically 3 weeks. Waiting for approval will take longer! Course the whole, waiting for approval.. eek. Because that means there is some possibility for rejection, not that the officer can make any guarantees, but she said as much as she can it’s gonna happen. It’s just about timing, my boss is saying he will cancel my ARC on the 31st of August and that’s not enough time. So I have to see if he’ll keep it for a little longer if not then I have to do more BS to make sure I remain legal.. sigh.

So when I did it all I had to ask a million questions and drive everyone half bananas, but on the plus side my interview took about 15 minutes and she told me that I was the first person to ever have everything ready to go all at the same time.

I thought it might be nice to write the whole thing up.. so here it is.. (boring to most of you, but useful to some I suppose)

Step By Step Process For Getting an APRC
for a Canadian 2012
I recently went through the whole process and documented it for other Canadians

(Depends, only took me 15 minutes, free) Open through lunch 8am-5pm
Go into your NIA office (National Immigration Agency, where you go to get and renew your ARC # 15 Guangzhou street, Zhongzhen district Taipei city. Tel: 02 2388 9393) And ask if you’re eligible for the APRC, they will do a check and make sure you’ve had an ARC for long enough (5 years) and make sure to ask if you have any gaps in your ARC that you might not know about. Also make sure you made enough money in the last Calendar year… the last I checked it was around 450,000nt but confirm with the agents when you’re at the NIA. You can ask the Tax office for that information if you’re not sure.
(less than 5 minutes, free) closed at lunch 8:30-am-5pm
Go to the Canadian Trade office in Taipei: pick up fingerprinting papers
This was easy as pie, just scooter over, parked by the Mitsikoshi malls zipped up, asked the receptionist and voila.
6F, Hua-Hsin Building, No. 1 SongZhi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei 11047, Taiwan Tel: +886 (2) 8723-3000
(10 minutes, Free calling with Skype)
Call the law office in Canada and confirm what they need from you as well as have them send you the application form for them to submit the check for you. Need to call after 10:30 pm Taiwan time, during Alberta Business hours. You need application form, sign the release to have your criminal record sent to someone in Canada. Photocopies of two pieces of Canadian ID,
Webpage: http://canadianlegal.org/ Phone: 1-800-320-2477

Copies of my driver’s license and Passport (Canadian) as well as my ARC. Printed the Documents, and application forms.
(30 minutes or less, 100nt per fingerprinting set) Friday 13th open for lunch
Go to the NIA office in your area, go to counter 58 in the basement of the Taipei office and have the officer take your prints.
(5-10 minutes, 300nt)
Friday 13th it arrived Tuesday the 17th and was submitted to the RCMP that day
Mail documents to the legal office in Canada, there is a post office in the basement right next to the counter for the fingerprinting. I sent it EMS (express post) and it’s supposed to arrive within 3-5 days. I also took photos of everything that was included in the packet and emailed them to the law office in Calgary to make sure everything was in order.
(10-15 minutes, free with skype)
Converting and Processing of prints costs $78.75 including taxes
Called the law office again and gave them my credit card number. Also called the TECO office in Ottawa to confirm everything needed for them to authenticate my Criminal record check.
http://www.taiwanembassy.org/CA Tel: (613) 231- 5080 ext. 225 or 239
(20 minutes, 750nt) Thursday 19th open at lunch 9am-5pm
Had my letter of power of attorney notarized, allowing my friend (that my Criminal record check was being released to) to apply for the authentication. The notary office was very friendly and easy to deal with.
Phone 02-2729-3139 http://www.twnotary.org (last I checked their site was down, but just call they speak English) The office is just upstairs of the Tavern, on the corner of Keelung and Xinyi, the door is right next to the Hang Ten. You’re also meant to authenticate a copy of your passport, but it was expensive and annoying so I didn’t bother , I sent my passport itself.
(20 minutes, 300nt) Thursday 19th
Arrived in Canada Tuesday 24th, so did the Criminal Record check from the RCMP
Mailed my power of attorney letter, my passport, the TECO application form to my friend who was getting my Criminal Record Check in Canada. Used EMS again 3-5 days.
(2 hours, 1660nt) pick up a 5-10 business days later Friday 20th CLOSED at lunch
You can do it at most national hospitals, I went to He Ping Hospital (because of their quick processing time, 5 days) unfortunately because you need to get health check type B, NOT type A (the one you get for your ARC) which many Taiwanese people need to get, so you might need to do some waiting. Blood test and X ray themselves were quick. Went back on Friday 27th to pick it up.
(Time?, $107 Canadian) Wednesday 25th arrived in Ottawa on 26th (2 days for processing)
My friend took a photo of my criminal record check and emailed it to me (so I could have it translated). She put everything in an envelope and sent it to the TECO office in Ottawa. My friend got a certified cheque or money order, made out to “TECO in Canada” from the bank for $16 Canadian. This link explains everything you need to do http://www.taiwanembassy.org/CA/ct.asp?xItem=170084&ctNode=166&mp=77

My friend went and got a money order/cheque, the application forms, copies of their ID, my passport, my criminal record check, a letter requesting they send everything back to me in Taipei, and the money order for $76 and put them all in an express envelope to the TECO office in Ottawa. Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada 45 O’Connor Street, Suite 1960, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P1A4 (613) 231-5080. $60 for the EMS to send it back to Taipei, $16 for TECO processing plus postage to send it to Ottawa.

(5 minutes, 100nt) pick up in 5 days Friday 27th open at lunch 9am-5pm
Went into the foreign affairs police station in Ximen, gave them my ARC and 100nt and requested a criminal record check. Picked up my Health Check from the Heping hospital.
(an hour or so driving around, gas money) Friday the 3rd
Picked up my Taiwanese Criminal Record Check, went to the tax office (open at lunch) and picked up my blue tax paper, went to my boss and picked up my employment letter.
(an hour or so, 750nt) Monday 6th open at lunch
My passport and authenticated criminal record check arrived in the mail on the 4th. I took them into the notary on Xinyi with the Chinese Translation of the Criminal Record Check AND MY TRANSLATOR (this is very very important they are not authenticating your translation they are notarizing your translator’s signature on the document, which means they must see them sign the document in front of them). Also popped by my work and made a photo copy of every page of both my current and previous passports. Then went to my meeting at the NIA with the APRC agent.

Check list of everything you need to prepare

Fingerprinting document from Canadian Trade Office in Taipei
Photo copies of ID, application form, completed fingerprint forms for your Criminal Record Check (valid 3 months)
Authenticated and certified copy of passport, or original passport, application form, letter of power of attorney to be sent to the person receiving and forwarding your Criminal Record Check to the TECO office for authentication
Chinese Translation of RCMP Criminal Record Check, anyone can translate but you need them to go with you to the notary office to sign their translation in front of the officer (the signature needs to be notarized )
Health check type B (valid 3 months)
Taiwan Criminal Record Check (valid 1 month)
Tax ‘income’ form from the previous fiscal year (it’s blue) (valid 1 month)
Employment certificate (letter from your boss, same one you use for your ARC)
(valid 1 month)
The originals of your work permits, for the past 5 years (at least) and a photocopy of the most recent year.
An ID photo
Photo copies of every page of your current and previous passport and if your ARC on A4 paper (You can copy both of them on the same paper, it just has to be clear).