Job Discussion Forums

Fina1 · Joined: 19 Oct 2009 Posts: 22 Location: Philadelphia, PA

I received my working visa and I have a question about the expiration date.
Next to date of issue it says "Date of expiry 12 May 10" (I think this means that I must land in Japan before May 10th).

However, on my visa and on my COE it says "For stay(s) of: 3 years".

I thought a working visa was only good for 1 year?

Hakushoon · Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 7

Yes you must use the Visa before the date indicated and you got a three year visa. Congratulations!

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

Work visas are good for either one year or three years. You got lucky.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Confirmed. Some people do get 3-year visas for their first visa, and you are one of the lucky ones.

Inflames · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 486

Bread · Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 318

I want a 3 year visa Sad

Is there any way for me to get one when I renew? Does it just cost extra money or what?

Hakushoon · Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 7

It used to be people would get a three year visa after they renewed their one year. I was actually told by a guy at immigration in around 2003 in Kobe (The cool guy with greying Kurt Cobain hair if you have been to that office, not sure if he is still there...) that all foreign instructors and haigusha applicants are supposed to get three year visas but due to some internal and regional differences many foreigners end up with one years first and get a three year if they stay.

It is hard to say what the real reasoning is behind this (Discuss.) and this information I got may be totally wrong or that guy's view point, I found I would always have to check stuff with immigration three or four times before I got a "real" answer. It could be that the policy is so complex that it is up for interpretation so some offices or individuals issue out three or one year visa based on their own judgement.

seklarwia · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:50 pm Post subject:

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

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I have extended my visa quite a number of times and there is no box to tick that I recall. As Glenski says, you can request 3 years for your period of stay, but there is no guarantee that they will give you 3 years. When I got my first 3 year visa about 10 years ago I had actually requested 1 year because I didn't know there was a 3 year option, but was given 3 years anyway.

As people have said it's case by case how long you are given. I know people who have been on consecutive 3 year working visas but were then only given one year when they changed to a spouse visa. It seems quite arbitrary, but no doubt Immigration have some kind of criteria they work with.