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in_japan
Joined: 20 Feb 2006
Posts: 14
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 Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:46 am Post subject: job-hunting after the eikaiwa... |
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First I'll start by saying 'Hi'. I've been lurking on this site for a while now (6+ months) and I've finally gotten around to registering and making my first post.
I'm currently employed by one of the 'big 4' eikaiwa. I am on a sponsored work visa. When my contract ends I would like to move cities and find a new job. However, I am a little confused by the whole visa situation.
a) Will I need to leave Japan as soon as my job ends/visa expires?
b) Can I search for a job on a tourist visa, and then change my visa to a sponsored work visa? Is this common?
c) Many jobs say a valid visa is necessary before applying. How can you have a valid visa without company sponsorship? Are they referring to a tourist or spousal visa?
d) Can you apply for a working visa without company sponsorship?
Thanks. Sorry about the barrage of questions. I'm just a little confused at the moment. |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 11:10 am Post subject: Re: job-hunting after the eikaiwa... |
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| in_japan wrote: |
| a) Will I need to leave Japan as soon as my job ends/visa expires? |
No. You can not stay in japan on an expired visa so you either renew your work visa, change to another status (e.g. get married and get a spouse visa) or leave Japan before visa expires.
| in_japan wrote: |
| b) Can I search for a job on a tourist visa, and then change my visa to a sponsored work visa? Is this common? |
You can look for a job but dont tell immigration at the airport you come to look for a job. You can only work legally when you make an application to change your visa and get an application stamp in your passport. Until then you are working illegally in Japan.
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c) Many jobs say a valid visa is necessary before applying. How can you have a valid visa without company sponsorship? Are they referring to a tourist or spousal visa? |
You can't. You need to arrange sponsorship of your visa in your own country, or be living here but have an existing work visa and no job (i.e. you quit your job/sponsor but still have a valid visa in your passport)
Spousal visa is not actually a work visa but it is legal to work on it by virtue of your marital status.
| in_japan wrote: |
d) Can you apply for a working visa without company sponsorship?
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You dont really apply for the visa, you get a a job offer, they arrange your visa through immigration and the embassy. When the visa is ready they send you a certificate of eligibility. You then change that for your work visa which is stamped in your passport. the visa is prepared for you, you don't apply for it. Immigration will want a sponsor for your visa, and ergo, if you have no sponsor (employer) immigration will not issue a visa via the embassy. |
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in_japan
Joined: 20 Feb 2006
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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| doglover: thanks! its starting to make sense now! |
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kitano
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 12:23 pm Post subject: usually |
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| Usually your contract ends before your visa ends. You find a new job before your visa ends then you are renewing your visa which is a bit easier to do than applying for a new visa and you can work legally from day one. This is why many jobs ask for a valid visa. I wasn`t clear from you post whether you understand that when you job contract ends your visa does not end automatically. |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 12:25 pm Post subject: |
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| in_japan wrote: |
| doglover: thanks! its starting to make sense now! |
I just want to point out several visa categories do not require an employer to sponsor your visa but they are valid visa categories (or more technically legal period of stay)
Spouse visa: Japanese spouse is 'sponsor' of your visa
working holiday visa: sponsor not required
permanent resident: sponsor not required
Spouse or dependent of a Japanese national: sponsor not required (except parent or spouse)
Student visa: Japanese language school is your sponsor
They can be valid visas, not strictly speaking 'work' visa (there is no such visa category as about 12 of them allow you to work in japan e.g missionary, journalist, entertainer etc)
Visa comes first, then the job. With no valid visa you can't work here and most visas except those above require a sponsor. |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| If possible, try to land another job, before you leave your current one. Take a few days off (if possible) and interview. This is much better than leaving and re-entering Japan as a tourist; that should be a last resort. |
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in_japan
Joined: 20 Feb 2006
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:07 am Post subject: |
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kitano, Doglover, Gordon: Thanks for all the advice and information.
Gordon: Job-hunting on a tourist visa would definitley be a last resort. |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 6:14 am Post subject: |
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| in_japan wrote: |
kitano, Doglover, Gordon: Thanks for all the advice and information.
Gordon: Job-hunting on a tourist visa would definitley be a last resort. |
It probably goes without saying, if you tell immigration you want to stay in the country on a tourist visa to find a job you will find yourself headed to the nearest airport instead.
Do not under any circumstances mention 'tourist' visa and 'job' in the same sentence to ANY immigration official dealing with your visa. They dont take kindly to foreigners flouting immigration laws just because they want and need a job. |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 6:28 am Post subject: Re: job-hunting after the eikaiwa... |
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| in_japan wrote: |
a) Will I need to leave Japan as soon as my job ends/visa expires? |
Only if your visa expires around the time your job ends. See the thread about overstaying your visa for more details on this. Otherwise, if you have time left on your visa, your ex-employer is virtually powerless to prevent you from staying up until the end of the term stated in your passport (even though they are your visa sponsors).
| in_japan wrote: |
b) Can I search for a job on a tourist visa, and then change my visa to a sponsored work visa? Is this common?? |
What is LEGAL and what is COMMON are two different things. It is definitely ILLEGAL to look for work on a tourist visa -- in other words, don't get caught doing it. However, it is very common that people do so and it's a fact that almost everyone knows that.
| in_japan wrote: |
c) Many jobs say a valid visa is necessary before applying. How can you have a valid visa without company sponsorship? Are they referring to a tourist or spousal visa? |
These jobs are looking for people who are already living in Japan and have time left on a previous visa OR someone on a spousal or dependent visa. If you don't fulfill this requirement, don't even bother applying, as there are MANY people who fit into that category for the company to choose from. On the other hand, the REAL question that concerns you is: Is the company willing to help RENEW your valid visa when it DOES expire? It should go without saying, but things like this are worth verifying beforehand.
| in_japan wrote: |
d) Can you apply for a working visa without company sponsorship? |
Of course. However you cannot get your first work visa this way... What you are referring to is called self-sponsorship. Yes, you can self-sponsor but it's a pain in the butt and you have to demonstrate that you will be earning a certain amount of money to support yourself. The most common situation for self-sponsoring people is someone who has pieced together a number of part-time jobs, none of which by themselves could legally sponsor a visa for them. There is also a thread somewhere on this site with a link to someone's blog who has recently done this. |
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