Job Discussion Forums

uberscheisse · Joined: 15 Nov 2004 Posts: 94

1. i arrive on march 2, and my job starts on march 13. i have a certificate of eligibility that is dated 1.16.2008. does this grant me the same entry to the country as a tourist visa, or will my 11 days of sightseeing before my job starts up be a problem?

2. will i need to bring my diploma with me, or can i leave it in a safe-deposit box back home?

3. does anyone have a line on a really cheap guesthouse in kyoto?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

1. Immigration will see that in your passport, give you a stamp on the day you arrive, and your work visa period begins then. I don't think there is any way around it. If you are worried that you won't be here for the full 52 weeks under that visa, don't be. Just renew a month or so before it expires.

2. You won't need your diploma. If you are concerned that you might, scan it to disk, or make a certified copy to take with you.

3. I don't know. Doesn't your employer?

uberscheisse · Joined: 15 Nov 2004 Posts: 94

fluffyhamster · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:10 pm Post subject:

Aren't you supposed to go to your nearest embassy or consulate and trade the COE in for a work visa (i.e. the COE entitles you to have a work visa entered into your passport, which gets converted into a "Period of Stay" stamp once you land in Japan)? It could throw a spanner in the works if you land in Japan without an actual visa...just checkin'. Wink

As for losing some of the period that you'll be able to stay to initial sightseeing rather than work, that might appear to be a problem if you haven't told your employer that you'll be arriving so early, and they are expecting you to be able to work pretty much the full term no problem, but if you intend to stay on in Japan beyond the year, either with them or with a new sponsor, it won't ultimately matter.

uberscheisse · Joined: 15 Nov 2004 Posts: 94

oh and maybe i should clarify -

the certificate of eligibility is a form that was mailed to me. it is not in my passport.

what i'm curious about is that if i enter as a tourist but don't bother disclosing the fact that i'm eventually going to be working after processing my COE at immigration, would that cause problems?

fluffyhamster · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:17 pm Post subject:

Get the work visa entered into your passport before you leave for Japan! You don't want to be refused permission to land for any reason (and that's assuming that you come from a country that doesn't require you obtain a tourist visa) when you could've sailed straight through on your work visa, plus I wouldn't be at all sure that Immigration once you are INSIDE Japan will be able to make use of a COE that was issued for use OUTSIDE Japan. You seem to be wanting to "save" your work visa for until you've finished sightseeing, but it is your guaranteed entry to Japan, and you can worry about renewing etc later (as Glenski said). I would at least look up the regulations for entering as a tourist (from whichever country) if you are going to insist on not using your COE in what I would imagine is the only approved way.

uberscheisse · Joined: 15 Nov 2004 Posts: 94

fluffyhamster · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:41 pm Post subject:

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html

uberscheisse · Joined: 15 Nov 2004 Posts: 94

the guy at the consulate said they could probably put a rush on it if i come in first thing tomorrow and bring a plane ticket for proof of "whoops i screwed up help me please!"

and if that doesn't work, well, 200 dollar penalty and 3 less days of sightseeing and quality time with m'lady. crappy but not a disaster.

uberscheisse · Joined: 15 Nov 2004 Posts: 94

update- all is well. thanks for the direction and advice whomever helped. i got the visa on the friday morning and am now in noda, chiba, the town of kikkoman soy sauce.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:49 pm Post subject:

Hey, Noda-shi! I used to pass through it on the way to Nagareyama and Kashiwa.

Good to hear everything worked out, uber. Don't forget to get your Alien Registration Card and at least enquire about 'Kokumin kenko hoken' (national health insurance - I assume you'll be unable or unwilling to afford the more expensive 'Shakai hoken', which includes pension payments (!)) at your City Hall.

ripslyme · Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 481 Location: Japan

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:54 am Post subject:

Thanks for clarifying, rip, but that's pretty much what I was implying/leaving unsaid: the better (indeed, best) jobs will ensure that you'll be enrolled in Shakai hoken (and then have enough left over as net pay), while the worst employers will leave you with little or no decent health insurance cover and may fail to even mention the possibility of enrolling in Kokumin kenko hoken for at least the first year (I know that it's strictly illegal to stop paying into it after that first cheap year, but unfortunately that is what many teachers are forced to do - take advantage of the system while they can). Obviously, if one intends to stay in Japan long-term, it is best to (be) enrol(led) and remain in whichever scheme strikes one (and/or most of one's present and potential future employers) as affordable (but I am still not sure why anyone other than e.g. uni lecturers seeking tenure and perhaps permanent residency, or JETs with the possibility of claiming lump-sum pension refunds, would want to be enrolled in Shakai hoken - surely the Kokumin kenko hoken payments work out cheaper over the length of the average person's stay in Japan). One thing is for sure, though: the way entry-level wages and benefits at least are going, adequate health insurance is becoming something of a luxury. But all this could be irrelevant in uber's case (given a decent employer)...let's hope it's so!

ripslyme · Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 481 Location: Japan

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:49 am Post subject:

No worries, rip. It's good that you're helping make things clearer (for the benefit any newbs reading), and although I got Shakai on JET, then Kokumin at an eikaiwa, I then got dodgy or nothing(!) with dispatchers for a few years and was therefore getting a bit hazy on a few details, so I for one appreciate the input!