Tuesday, March 17, 2009

NIA Foreign Business Card: Beware of Robber Wang

The National Immigration Agency is opening a great program for academics and businessmen who come here frequently, a card that lets you stay for 30 days, which lasts three years. Great idea, the kind of thing foreigners have been calling for since the early 1990s.
The NIA, starting from March 16 of this year (2009), will begin accepting applications submitted by foreigners for the Academic and Business Travel Card. The card is valid for 3 years and its holder can make multiple entry and exit while the card remains valid. Each stay is good for up to 30 days and not extendable.
Unfortunately, look at the name on the sample card.

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16 comments:

Anonymous said...

A close cousin of Clubber Lang?

cfimages said...

Notice the DOB. This card is from an 18 year old - it's unlikely that an 18year old would qualify as either a business visitor or academic.

Anonymous said...

This kind of quality control by government officials must have been applied equally on the calendar incidents of mis-printing the PRC's desidnated national holidays, but this time it is a simple stupid mistake while the other was a pure plot?

Michael Turton said...

Anon, there were a couple of calendar incidents, both with the same printing of PRC holidays. What a coincidence, eh?

Anonymous said...

I can't really understand what benefits the card actually offers. Many nationalities are already entitled to 30 days visa free entry on arrival.

Anonymous said...

Whoop-de-freakin-do. Most visitors already receive 30 day landing permits. What value is this card?

The ROC government should have issued 90 day visas a long time ago. Hong Kong, a Chinese territory, has given out 90 day visas for 15+ years. Why can't the ROC "touch their heart" and be more liberal on the visas to the few foreigners that make the effort to come here? They want everything from the outside world, but never give anything in return.

Anonymous said...

Ok, I see its for fulfilling contracts, giving speeches and performing commercial or technical consultancy.

I guess that means Anna Kournikova can come back and be the spokesperson for watches.

Still it is too little too late, imho.

Anonymous said...

Actually, cfimages, if the applicant was an 18-year-old Olympic medal winner, she would qualify (you can apply for the card if you have won an Olympic medal).

Tommy said...

How do you "mistake" another name for robber? Robert? It is a woman.

Michael Turton said...

The card also permits you to breeze through the special entry line at Customs. No standing in line with the hoi polloi

Anonymous said...

Great, Robbers breezing through customs, just what we need ;)

Cary said...

Does anyone else remember the salad days of 5 year multiple entry visas, renewable every 60 days with a run to H.K. or other quick vacation stop?

Anonymous said...

This card will mostly benefit those who are from countries that aren't eligible for a 30 landing visa or visa exempt entry. At the moment only about 40 countries are on the list of eligible countries.

cfimages said...

Anon Great, Robbers breezing through customs, just what we need ;)

Well, robbers already run the country, so maybe this evens things up. lol

Unknown said...

Cary said...

Does anyone else remember the salad days of 5 year multiple entry visas, renewable every 60 days with a run to H.K. or other quick vacation stop?

I remember this policy applied only to holders of US or South African passport holders. Being neither I wasn't particularly impressed.

Unknown said...

Maybe Robber is a typo for Rubber. Er, that is even more inappropriate.