Job Discussion Forums

[Lady Optima]

So it is Monday, and my non refundable one way to Japan is scheduled for Thursday.

Is there any hope?

What I have been able to gather is that I will qualify for a 90 day visitor's visa (or what have you) if I arrive without the proper visa in hand and that I will be required to leave the country and come back in with the proper papers.


Should I just pay the fees and reschedule my flight to accomodate this? Or is this par for the course and not truly a big deal? No luck calling the school yet.

Thank you

[fluffyhamster]

I don't understand why you've booked a flight if the necessary~promised paperwork (I assume you mean a COE, certificate of eligibility for a work visa) hasn't arrived or been forthcoming from the employer (who applies on your behalf, as your sponsor). How long ago did you submit your part of the paperwork? (A COE can take a month or more to process and be issued). I hope you have not been rushed into starting work illegally (the plan might be to string you along and get free work out of you until you twig the visa isn't going to materialize and you haven't got a leg to stand on!).

Apparently you can nowadays get a work visa issued to you within Japan (you don't have to leave the country), even if entering the country as a tourist to look for work is technically a no-no. At least that's what I recall reading at least a few times here on the forums and elsewhere. Personally though I always liked to get the work visa in hand before flying in i.e. have a job already set up and waiting.

[Pitarou]

Three facts I can confirm:

1. Passengers with a one-way ticket to Japan are usually required to present a valid visa / COE before they board. This is because the airline knows that, without a visa, the passenger will be refused entry at Narita.

2. It is perfectly possible to convert a tourist visa to a work visa. I did it. Just don't tell them you're job hunting when you arrive.

3. Sadly, what fluffyhamster said about teachers being ripped off is true.

Now for some speculation:

1. Maybe buying a forward ticket to fly to Korea at the end of May would be enough to satisfy immigration?

2. Notwithstanding what fluffyhamster said about scams, nothing you've told me so far rings any alarm bells. It sounds more likely that your employer simply screwed up. If that's the case, and if the employer is honorable, there's a fair chance they'll pay for the extra costs incurred.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Does this job begin on April 1st? Did anyone actually tell you to arrive on the 14 / 15 th for a job two weeks in advance, if that's the case? It could be that the school hasn't actually even screwed up, but you're just very, very early. It isn't uncommon for people to arrive less than two days before the beginning of a contract- especially if the apartment is in the employer's name. The person finishing the job will still be packing right now, and will have paid rent until the end of March. That person will have to be gone before the new person moves in.

OTOH, if the school did tell you to arrive two weeks early, then you might want to send an email and start pressing redial on the phone until you actually get a hold of somebody.

[kah5217]

If you are in the US, it takes at least 4 days for the embassy/consulate to convert your CoE into a visa. If you have to do this by mail, add another two days to that (one to get it there, one to get it back). Depending on the state, you might have to get an agency to physically take the passport to the office, which may incur some more fees.

[hagiwaramai]

So long as you've signed a contract and the school seems trustworthy it should be all right. Give us some more details though. Have you signed a contract? What have they told you about the visa process? You'll probably be able to get in on a one-way. It's more a fact that you can than you can't, even if there is tiny risk as it's all up to the immigration guy on the day, but there's no explicit law regarding it.

[Glenski]

[Pitarou]

[Lady Optima]

fluffyhamster: I don't understand why you've booked a flight if the necessary~promised paperwork (I assume you mean a COE, certificate of eligibility for a work visa) hasn't arrived or been forthcoming from the employer (who applies on your behalf, as your sponsor). How long ago did you submit your part of the paperwork? (A COE can take a month or more to process and be issued).

Update: So everything seems to be sorted; phoned the Japanese Consulate and travel agency (rrrr!), and wrote the school.

The Consulate says no work visa = no work (of course).

School says working with Local Immigration Office to get COE, should be no problem getting a visa conversion once over there. Which assauges my concern over an unexpected trip to Seoul (or better yet Malaysia, hey if I must spend Golden Week in exile, why not spend part of it at the world's largest water park?)

Airline says ticket non refundable but not non changeable. Can still panic and bail for later rescheduling.

As for why I bought the ticket when I did, as a former student abroad, the country I travelled to previously would not issue my Student Visa without proof of a R/T ticket, and I presumed that was standard anywhere, so not wanting to hold up the works I purchased it. What I hate about travel regs now is that you can no longer purchase a R/T for return a year away which would not do.

I scored my ticket for $390.00, and lucky for me because the sale ended the next day and the price jumped $600.00 over night.

I sincerely hope it is not a scam of course, (I do have a signed contract) if it is, I guess it will be a fun vacation in Japan instead (sic)! As long as I will not be arrested or jailed I think it will work out. Luckily I have friends in Chiba I can stay with until I figure my next plan...

Thank you everyone for your advice, I guess I have the jitters, though maybe it will help others too!

[hagiwaramai]

That's good to hear. Does the school have a professional looking website? Or have one at all? Is it a small/big eikaiwa, or a dispatch company? Do you get anything on google?

[Glenski]

[Glenski]

[Pitarou]