Job Discussion Forums

BradS · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

A friend of mine from work was recently fired, and I was wondering out od curiosity what the different ways to renew a working visa are.

Any ideas?

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

Get another job that will sponsor him/her when his visa is close to running out.

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

Since he currently holds a work visa, he can also try to string together several PT jobs and use that total guaranteed income to self-sponsor his work visa. Private lesson income will not be accepted, I believe, because it cannot be guaranteed.

BradS · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

How do you go about self sponsorship? (that's the first I've heard about it). Thanks for the info and replying by the way. It's appreciated.

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

You go down to immigration and show them contracts and/or tax receipts that prove you are making at least 250,000 a month. I did it before.

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

Sweetsee is mostly correct. I have not done self-sponsorship, but from what a few people have written on discussion forums, there doesn't seem to be any exact figure as a minimum that you must meet. One person reported doing it with only 170,000 yen/month. (I'm sure he picked up private lessons to supplement that to a much higher level, but as I wrote earlier, you can't use earnings from privates for self-sponsorship.)

One thing, I don't know the name for such special visa status, but immigration won't recognize the name "self-sponsorship", so explain your situation clearly when/if you go.

Self-sponsorship in itself is a misnomer, because you aren't sponsoring yourself. You still need those PT jobs with tax receipts, etc.