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ElleB
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 20
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 Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:30 pm Post subject: visa renewal question |
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Hi. I searched for information on this topic, but unless I missed something I didn't see what I'm looking for.
I'm happily employed and my current contract ends the first week of June. My work visa expires about 6 days later. I'm looking for a job with better pay and a location in Tokyo.
Here's the thing: my friend is getting married back in the States early in August and I'm going to be in her wedding. I may as well spend the summer in the States visiting and wait until late August or early September to find a job here, since I imagine there will be more jobs opening around that time.
My questions are:
1. Do I have to leave the country by the time my visa expires? Is there some way I can stick around longer to travel?
2. Is there some way I can extend my visa another year so that I don't have to worry about that when job searching in August? It seems like such a hassle to go from work visa and back to tourist visa.
I'm trying to figure out how feasible it would be to go home for an extended visit during the summer; maybe I'm better off starting a new job immediately after my current one and requesting time off. Any ideas? |
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rampo
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 97
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Apply to Nova. Then take the visa and run. |
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canuck
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 1921
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 2:22 pm Post subject: Re: visa renewal question |
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| ElleB wrote: |
My questions are:
1. Do I have to leave the country by the time my visa expires? Is there some way I can stick around longer to travel?
2. Is there some way I can extend my visa another year so that I don't have to worry about that when job searching in August? It seems like such a hassle to go from work visa and back to tourist visa.
I'm trying to figure out how feasible it would be to go home for an extended visit during the summer; maybe I'm better off starting a new job immediately after my current one and requesting time off. Any ideas? |
1. You will have to leave before your visa expires or on the day it expires. You can go to immigration and ask for an extension. I don't know if there is a fee associated with it.
2. The only way to extend your visa is too get another job lined up and start the paperwork process. Realistically, just end your job, go back for the summer, and come back to Japan afterwards on a tourist visa and look for a new job.
| rampo wrote: |
| Apply to Nova. Then take the visa and run. |
Obviously you're still looking for a job and giving bad advice.  Nova doesn't often hire within Japan, and the process is long and domestic hiring doesn't happen often outside of Tokyo or Osaka. Shame on you. |
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rampo
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 97
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 3:32 pm Post subject: Re: visa renewal question |
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| canuck wrote: |
Obviously you're still looking for a job and giving bad advice. Nova doesn't often hire within Japan, and the process is long and domestic hiring doesn't happen often outside of Tokyo or Osaka. Shame on you. |
Still making assumptions about my life?? 
I know of about a dozen teachers who were recently hired in Japan by Nova. Four waited only 2 weeks for their work visas and were asked when THEY wanted to start. Many teachers are dropping from there like flies - haven't you read the news lately? A quick perusal of online TESL job sites will unearth many of their ads- some are even repeated weekly.
I have an electric bike now, btw- but you can repeat your lame tourette-ish jokes if you want. |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:57 pm Post subject: Re: visa renewal question |
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| ElleB wrote: |
1. Do I have to leave the country by the time my visa expires? Is there some way I can stick around longer to travel?
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As others have said, you can add a 30-90 day tourist visa onto the end of the work visa. It used to be free, but it pays to check before you front up for it. Takes about twenty minutes to get one IME.
| Quote: |
2. Is there some way I can extend my visa another year so that I don't have to worry about that when job searching in August? It seems like such a hassle to go from work visa and back to tourist visa.
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Stop being an Ugly American.  If you want to see hassle then try doing anything in the US with the US INS. Then, once you're done in thre years and several thousands of dollars later, get back to us. If you're really concerned then the easiest option IMO is apply to NOVA (or equivilent) as soon as you get back and get the new visa through them.
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I'm trying to figure out how feasible it would be to go home for an extended visit during the summer; maybe I'm better off starting a new job immediately after my current one and requesting time off. Any ideas? |
The easiest option all round, I suspect, is to tack on the tourist visa, then go home, mess about to your hearts content and then go back on the back via one of the big eikaiwa companies. Simple, easy, gets you back, and lets you move on once you get there. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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| If you return to the USA with a valid work visa, just remember that you need to buy a reentry permit before you go. Otherwise, your visa will be invalidated. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| Although I don't recommend taking a job with Nova and then running- timing probably wouldn't work for the OP anyway, I agree that Nova does plenty of hiring here in Japan. They have an ad in the Monday Japan Times pretty much every week, and when I worked there I met plenty of local hires (lots of ex-US military). They aren't that picky about who they hire, as we all know, and can't afford not to hire locally. |
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canuck
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 1921
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:23 am Post subject: Re: visa renewal question |
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| rampo wrote: |
I know of about a dozen teachers who were recently hired in Japan by Nova. Four waited only 2 weeks for their work visas and were asked when THEY wanted to start. Many teachers are dropping from there like flies - haven't you read the news lately? A quick perusal of online TESL job sites will unearth many of their ads- some are even repeated weekly.
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Sure you do. That's a flat out lie. I know a few of the people at Nova that help/do the hiring, and there wasn't more than a couple people hired domestically in Osaka. (where they do the hiring)
Don't you think Nova knows that people try to use them? Most people don't get interviews if their visa is close to expiring. You haven't been around long enough to notice that Nova hires people with little or no experience, getting them their first visa. It is an unwritten rule that Nova won't hire someone where their visa is ticking with 4 months or less. |
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ElleB
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:12 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the info about adding a tourist visa to the end of a work visa. I didn't realize you could do that.
I won't consider Nova or any other company just for the visa.
I'm wondering what will happen with my gaijin card, health insurance, and such if I leave the country on a tourist visa. Will I have to get a new gaijin card when I come back, or can they just renew the old one for another year like they did last time? Is my national health insurance good for a year from the time I started paying it (July 2006), regardless of my visa? |
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rampo
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 97
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| Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:20 am Post subject: Re: visa renewal question |
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| canuck wrote: |
| rampo wrote: |
I know of about a dozen teachers who were recently hired in Japan by Nova. Four waited only 2 weeks for their work visas and were asked when THEY wanted to start. Many teachers are dropping from there like flies - haven't you read the news lately? A quick perusal of online TESL job sites will unearth many of their ads- some are even repeated weekly.
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Sure you do. That's a flat out lie. I know a few of the people at Nova that help/do the hiring, and there wasn't more than a couple people hired domestically in Osaka. (where they do the hiring)
Don't you think Nova knows that people try to use them? Most people don't get interviews if their visa is close to expiring. You haven't been around long enough to notice that Nova hires people with little or no experience, getting them their first visa. It is an unwritten rule that Nova won't hire someone where their visa is ticking with 4 months or less. |
No, yours is the lie. How do you think I got my work visa, with 2.5 months remaining? And I knew I was going to get hired even though I was battling a cold and my interview sucked. You don't need to "be around long enough" to know this- you only need to read forums like this. They asked me to inform them while I was waiting for my visa if I had to leave the country (didn't say that it was not OK), and also asked when I wanted to start. I could have given myself two holidays before receiving my visa and before starting work. I returned to HR several times and met others who were hired under the same visitor status (and told me this laughingly), and who mentioned friends, flatmates, etc. who were hired. If you still don't believe me you can check the ads at KFM, KTO, KS, etc. They're hiring domestically on a massive scale because teachers are quitting left and right. Maybe you haven't been around long enough to know about the recent scandals?!
How naive. The anti-fraternization clause remains in their books even though the courts decided that it was illegal. That's a written rule. Canuck would rather believe what he wants to believe, scooter and all.
Last edited by rampo on Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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canuck
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 1921
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:21 am Post subject: |
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| ElleB wrote: |
Thanks for the info about adding a tourist visa to the end of a work visa. I didn't realize you could do that.
I won't consider Nova or any other company just for the visa.
I'm wondering what will happen with my gaijin card, health insurance, and such if I leave the country on a tourist visa. Will I have to get a new gaijin card when I come back, or can they just renew the old one for another year like they did last time? Is my national health insurance good for a year from the time I started paying it (July 2006), regardless of my visa? |
I believe you will have to hand in your alien registration card and when you come back, get a new one when you have reestablished yourself in a new ward. You will then have to deal with the insurance issue at the new ward office. I think your national health insurance is only valid as long as you're making payments, and that you aren't covered automatically for a year.
If you do come back, the national health insurance will be calculated on your past year's income, until the next fiscal year, and then will jump once they calculate your income from working in Japan for a year.
Good luck. |
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