Job Discussion Forums

[JPS]

Specialist in Humanities Visa

I have done some research, but there are a few things I would like to ask you all that I haven�t been able to find. My situation:

To let you know from the outset, I didn�t finish uni, don�t have my degree, and am not going to be in a position to do so for at least a few years. I taught English in Australia for 17 months from September 2002 to January 2004. I then taught in Japan from March 2004 to July 2005, which leaves me just 2 months short of the 3 years required for a Specialist in Humanities visa.

Since moving to London in September 2005, I have been doing admin work, as the pay here for a teacher is lousy and as much as I love teaching, the prospects are not that great for someone in Australia, where I am from and will eventually settle.

My contract at my current job runs out in June next year and ideally, I would like to complete it, after which my (Japanese) girlfriend and I would like to go back to Japan for a few years before we settle in Australia, and this is where I need your advice/experience.
My main questions are:

1. From anyone�s experience, is the Japanese Embassy likely to grant an SHV to someone 2 months below the 3 years experience? If not (which I realise is most likely), my plan is to find a teaching position in London next June and once I have the necessary 2 months, apply for the visa. But I am unsure how the Embassy would view the two-year gap. Any thoughts?

2. The Embassy website says I need a Certificate of Eligibilty, which must be obtained by a sponsor in Japan. However, it is not clear whether it is necessary for the sponsor to be an employer. Is it possible for my girlfriend, who is going back to Japan in December for a year, to act as my sponsor?

3. Does the visa restrict me to teaching work? While a long shot, a lot of this is based on the possibility of getting a non-teaching job at an acquaintance�s company and I want to know the full visa situation before I speak further with him. Basically, I want to know what options would be available to me.

That�s about it (for now). While this is all a year away, I really want to have some idea of what is available to me. While I really want to go back to Japan for a few years, I realise that I have no guarantee of a visa, and another few years of teaching would cause problems for me when I get back to Australia. Thanks.

[furiousmilksheikali]

[kdynamic]

Marry your GF and come on a spouse visa.

[Glenski]

Self-sponsorship, as I understand it, is renewal of a current work visa without the need for a single employer. The OP is not in Japan as far as I can tell, so this doesn't apply.

I would guess (GUESS, mind you) that immigration would be sticklers for those missing 2 months, so get the experience soon. By the way, were the months teaching English in Australia full-time hours? I think all you have to do is prove the total of 3 years, whether they were done consecutively or not. You know bureaucrats. It's case by case.

1. Just to pick nits, I don't think embassies issue visas. It is the Ministry of Justice, through immigration offices.

2. Get off embassy sites and go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site for more accurate visa information. http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
You need a COE, which is issued by immigration, and your sponsor must be your employer, unless your girlfriend happens to run her own business with 5 or more employees.

3. Yes, the visa restricts you to work. What sort of non-teaching position were you thinking of? Read the MOFA web page for qualifications for the various types of work visas, but I think you'll probably find that you'll need even more than 3 years for most non-teaching jobs if you don't have a degree.

[furiousmilksheikali]

[JPS]

Thanks very much for all this. As I said, nothing is definite as yet, just a lot of ideas which have been playing on my mind for a while.

Question 2 re:Sponsor � Thanks Furiousmilk� . Had figured that it would need to be the employer. The Embassy website had listed employers and spouses as those needing to lodge the Cert of Eligibility and while I figured the spouse would just be for a spousal visa, wanted to check anyway. And yes, I did use the WHV last time. I like the idea of studying on a student visa, but at this stage of my life I feel I need to work full time.

Kdynamic � thought about it, but these are not the circumstances I want to marry in.

Glenski � Yes, Australia and Japan teaching were full time. I really don�t expect to be let off the 2 months, but I am still a little apprehensive about the two year gap.

What I meant by Question 3 is: Assume I work the extra 2 months to get the SHV. Am I then bound to the same employer, or am I free to find other work as I please once I am in Japan? (Note - This is not what I intend to do, but I just want to get a better understanding of this).

The possible position is an office job with a company manufacturing products which they have just started exporting overseas. I don�t have experience in this area, but due to my background and skills, the company president has expressed that he may be willing to employ me in the future. As a result, I would be looking to get the visa from my teaching experience, and then work in this role, which is completely unrelated to teaching. Would the authorities check up on this?

Thanks again.

[furiousmilksheikali]