Job Discussion Forums

[lajzar]

My job is about to end with over a year left on my visa. My current employer thinks I have to change my visa status to tourist if I don't immediately find another employer to sponsor me for a new visa.

I think that as long as I am not doing any work which violates the visa, I can stay until the visa expires without needing to do anything further.

I expect teh truth is somewhere in between. Anyone have a better opinion on this?

[Willy_In_Japan]

Your visa is yours. You don't have to do anything.

Get a job. Tour....whatever.....they sponsored it when you got the visa, but you now have the visa and its yours. If you get a job with another company, you dont have to do anything at Immigration until it comes time to renew. Of course, you should go get your Gaijin card updated at City Hall.

[Nismo]

Theoretically, you can get sponsored for a visa by a company, fly to Japan, and immediately quit the company. You won't have to give the visa up - it's yours. You won't be able to renew it unless you get sponsored again, but you can work anywhere for the duration that your current visa is valid (I would question your morals, though).

So the answer is no - you don't have to change your visa status to tourist.

[stillnosheep]

The visa is yours, not your companys. You will need a new sponser (you CAN sponser yourself) when your visa expires. Until then you have a visa and can work for whomsoever you choose, as long as you work in the same field (humanities and languages?).