Job Discussion Forums

[c-way]

Hello to everyone on the Japanese forum,

I am jumping to this forum from the Chinese forum because I will be leaving China for Japan at the beginning of October. I just had a couple questions about the VISA and working situation in Japan that I'm sure all of you have heard a hundred times before, but it would really help me out if you would fill me in.

1. I will be taking a ferry from Shanghai to Osaka and am under the impression that as an american with a valid passport I will not need a VISA to enter the country. Is this correct?

2. I am looking for a teaching position, but if I do not have a sponsor for a working VISA before I arrive, will they really care if I get sponsored after I am already in the country? In China, working as a teacher on a business traveler's VISA (F-Visa) is technically illegal, and yet 80% of the teachers stay on this kind of VISA while they work, and the government turns a blind eye to this.

3. Once I have sponsorship, will I need to leave the country to have my VISA approved. My girlfriend has told me the law has recently changed and that I would not have to leave, but I just want to make sure.

4. Will I need copies of my ORIGINAL degree or can I have a FAX copy sent from home.

I appreciate the info. Look forward to posting here in October.

[randerso]

I am working in China right now, and will be starting a contract in Japan in August. I just had to go through the Visa info process, and I can confidently say that I know more than I ever wanted to or thought I'd need. But be warned: it is highly complicated - not because the Japanese side is particularily picky, but if you do it from China there are a billion extra loopholes.

Work Visa: If you plan to get one in China (for Japan) you need a Certificate of Eligibilty, photos, contract, passport and a whole lotta luck. You have to find the right Consulate/Embassy as each city has a region they belong to (Xi'an is in the Beijing region. ????) The Certificate of Eligibility needs to be processed in Japan by your employer, and they need your degree (copy or scan is ok), the contract in Japanese, 2 of your photos and mounds of paperwork.

Traveller Visa: As an American citizen (and the same is true for many nationalities) you can enter Japan without a pre-approved Visa. Your passport will be automatically stamped when you get to the airport (Canucks get 90 days, I think Ameriacns are at 60 right now). As for working with any kind of Visa other than a Work Visa - I would strongly caution against it. I worked for a year in Japan before and I've been watching this forum for a while. I haven't heard of anything close to 80% of teachers working illegally. Japan is very competitive compared with other Asian nations (in terms of ESL teaching) and from what I've seen they can afford to be picky. I.E. they will get rid of people not following the rules. You rarely hear of a teacher in China getting the boot for improper paperwork (you just need Kwai and guanxi) but in Japan I've personally seen them get quite nasty (deservedly so I guess)

As for changing the Visa, as far as I know you will still have to leave the country (at least for a day). Apparently a good destination for the Visa run is Busan, Korea. My next employer told me that if I was denied for some reason my the Embassy in Beijing, or if it wasn't done in time (more likely) that I could come for a week then do a run. She said she got this info from Yokkaichi Immigration. The change-over rules may depend on Province, though.

PM me if you want specifics about my experience.