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Appletreesrtall
Joined: 09 Oct 2007
Posts: 56
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 Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:43 am Post subject: Clarification on Visas (sorry for repeat) |
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Alrighty, here's my situation:
I live in the US, and I found a job in Japan for a private school. I already sent out my signed contract and diploma so that my employer can take the information to the local embassy and start my Certification of Employment. I plan to arrive in Japan March 24th. This may be before my COE is sent back to me, so I've already planned on making my flight a round-way trip. Hopefully I will be able to start work at the beginning of my contract, April 1st.
My question is something my employer brought to my attention. It was under my impression that I could come into Japan under a tourist visa, and once my COE was complete, I would just take that to my local immigration office and have that changed to a working visa. I've even thumbed through some old posts and saw people mentioning it. I tried looking on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, but I couldn't find anything specific about that. And my employer just talked with the immigration office about my situation (in Sendai I believe), and they were still mentioning that I would have to leave the country and then come back with my COE. Am I missing something??? Does anyone have specific information about this, instead of just being in-the-know or word-of-mouth? I feel like I can trust everyone who's had the experience here, but I want to reassure my employer as well, and she wants facts.
Thanks in advance!! |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:12 am Post subject: |
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What is it with some of these immigration offices? That route has not been official policy for 3 years or so.
You shouldn't have to come here, pick up a piece of paper, leave for Guam or Seoul to finish processing, then return to start work.
Ask again. If they are that stubborn (be sure you talk to a SENIOR officer there, not a new flunky), then don't come early but wait for the COE to be mailed to you. |
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Appletreesrtall
Joined: 09 Oct 2007
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for finding this post Glenski. Basically I've searched through the forum and found that you made the most mention of the COEs and Visas. Only problem is I didn't specifically call, it was my employer who got all this information from the immigration office. Thats why I was wondering if they had this stated in any official literature, so that when -I- go, if they try to make me leave I can instead give them some hard facts. Unfortunately I don't have a choice with my ticket right now too, cause I have other events that are planned around my arrival on the 25th.
So does anyone have any links or references I can print to take to the immigration office about this? |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:02 am Post subject: |
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I don't think you're going to find any official documentation on this.
Go to gaijinpot.com and pop the question in the visas forum. Hope for the guy named "bland" to answer. Trust him. |
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taikibansei
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 811
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| I don't think you're going to find any official documentation on this. |
The really strange thing is, the Gaimushou office used to have this information up on its website! However, fortunately, there are a number of specialized legal offices dealing with "在留資格変更許可申請," and several mention on their websites that you no longer need to leave the country to make the change. E.g., here's just one example:
http://www.jiyuu-office.com/syougai/tetuduki.html#anchor2
| Quote: |
| この手続により，我が国に在留する外国人は，現に有している在留資格の下では行うことができない他の在留資格に属する活動を行おうとする場合には，我が国からいったん出国することなく別の在留資格が得られるよう申請することができます。 |
We've done it twice for incoming faculty at this university--they both were able to get their work visas the next day. How we did it in both cases was to call the local immigration office and explain the situation before the teachers arrived in the country. (It helped that, in the first instance, an error by the immigration office had resulted in our teacher not getting her visa in time.) Keep in mind, though, that we're a university and located in the backwaters of Kyushu--such things apparently matter when attempting to get immigration to follow its own rules in a timely and professional fashion.  Unfortunately, people in larger cities (or backed by less prestigious and demanding employers) can have wildly differing experiences--especially if you try to get a tourist visa changed to a work visa immediately (say, within one week) upon arrival. Hence, to the OP, I'd show your employer the above site and suggest they "reconfirm" the situation with Sendai's Immigration Office. Otherwise, you could be run through a few extra hoops.... |
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