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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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 Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| However, especially after reading the replies in this forum about the requirements to extend the Specialist in Humanities visa, I don't think the visa situations are equal. |
The renewal is not "finicky". As Apsara wrote, it's as straightforward as it comes. You have an employer sponsor you from renewal to renewal, or you have enough PT work to self-sponsor. If you think that losing a job & sponsorship is finicky, then you are disillusioned.
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| They set a floor of 200K yen per month for a renewal |
There is no such requirement. Each immigration office decides how much income a person needs for a basic subsistence living, whether on a sponsored or self-sponsored status, yes, but that's all. People have held visas on less money. It just depends on where you live.
Moreover, if you think you'll only be raking in 200K or less (!) after a year or 2, then you again are disillusioned. It's just not that hard to make what used to be the standard 250K out of the starting blocks, and after a short time, with networking and perhaps side work, that can go up significantly. Besides, you're not going to get a housing loan with only 200K. |
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Sour Grape
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 241
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 2:29 am Post subject: |
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| Apsara wrote: |
You seem to have got the idea that it's hard to renew a Humanities visa, but that's not the case at all. They would not decline your visa renewal if you had a "rewarding career" as that implies you would have a job, unless you had been arrested for a pretty serious offense in the meantime.
As I mentioned, I have left the country for close to the year in the middle of a 3 year visa- I have also changed employers numerous times, been sponsored by tiny companies with no other foreign employees, not had all the documentation at renewal time, and applied for renewal with only a day to spare on different occasions, and never have Immigration hesitated to give me a further 3 years in the country- I was on my third 3-year visa when I switched to a spouse visa, with 2 one year visas prior to that.
Provided you do have a job, or several jobs equalling a full time salary, at visa renewal time (and you can renew up to 2 months in advance of the expiry date), it's pretty smooth sailing really. Have you heard of someone with a stable job being suddenly declined a visa renewal? I don't think anyone here mentioned that scenario, did they? |
This limit is quite new. A few years ago I renewed more than 8 months in advance. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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I was told in 1999 when I first renewed a working visa that it was maximum two months in advance, so it can't be that new.
So you were able to extend your period of stay on the same status (to give it its technical name) 8 months before your visa would have expired? Can I ask why you wanted to? |
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Sour Grape
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 241
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| Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 3:38 am Post subject: |
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Ah, perhaps the mystery is becoming clear. I was changing my status from Humanities to Instructor, about a year after it should have been done. There were roughly eight months left on the visa, so I thought I'd apply for a new one at the same time, and got a 3 year extension of stay.
I wasn't actually extending on the same status. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:01 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, status changes can be done at any time- I switched to a spouse visa several months before my humanities visa was about to expire too and was given 3 years starting from when I changed. Extensions of the same status they tend not to accept more than 2 months in advance though. |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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Well guys, thanks for your input.
I may consider Japan. We'll see. I keep on reading about Naoto Kan and his political party planning to reform the PR system (including an article on Debito.org early last month). If they slash it to five years (with enough points on their proposed points system) as they've been claiming they'll do for nearly two years now, I'll definitely strongly consider it.
In other words, there's a lot that can go wrong in ten years, but much less that can go wrong in five.
I think I'll just need to stay in Japan for a few months early next year and try the place out to really know if it's decisively better than Korea. If it is, maybe I'll work on getting a job there rather than Korea.
| Sour Grape wrote: |
Ah, perhaps the mystery is becoming clear. I was changing my status from Humanities to Instructor, about a year after it should have been done. There were roughly eight months left on the visa, so I thought I'd apply for a new one at the same time, and got a 3 year extension of stay.
I wasn't actually extending on the same status. |
Just out of curiosity, isn't the Instructor visa more limited? Why would you want to change from Specialist in Humanities to Instructor? I'm sure you had a good reason, but what is it? |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| Sour Grape wrote: |
Ah, perhaps the mystery is becoming clear. I was changing my status from Humanities to Instructor, about a year after it should have been done. There were roughly eight months left on the visa, so I thought I'd apply for a new one at the same time, and got a 3 year extension of stay.
I wasn't actually extending on the same status. |
Just out of curiosity, isn't the Instructor visa more limited? Why would you want to change from Specialist in Humanities to Instructor? I'm sure you had a good reason, but what is it? |
Instructor visa limits teachers to ALT positions and public school jobs.
Humanities visa is more wide-ranging but does not include the same positions as the Instructor visa. If you have either one, you can get special permission to do side work in the other field, but with Humanities visa, you don't necessarily have to teach. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| Just out of curiosity, isn't the Instructor visa more limited? Why would you want to change from Specialist in Humanities to Instructor? I'm sure you had a good reason, but what is it? |
If someone changes jobs from eikaiwa teacher to ALT, I don't think they have a choice in the matter- legally they have to change their status to Instructor- someone correct me if I'm wrong. |
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