Job Discussion Forums

[the4th2001]

Not sure how new this is, but it was brought to my attention earlier today. Seems like they finally have slightly more concrete information about the new immigration system.

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/newimmiact_1/en/point_1-2.html

Enjoy.

[Rooster_2006]

I'm normally the first to get excited about new immigration announcements, but to this stuff (which I have seen before), I say "Meh." I was really hoping that 2012 would have some actual stuff that we could use, like shortening the time to eijuuken or that sort of thing. These changes are of extremely limited usefulness, honestly. There is nothing on the list of changes that will dramatically change my life in Japan.

A new resident card will be issued? Big deal. I already had a gaikokujin touroku shomeisho that worked just fine. Didn't really need a new card...

The re-entry permit system will be changed? I guess that's good, but it wasn't exactly an extreme hardship to walk a couple of miles to the Yokkaichi immigration office and shell out 3,000 yen once a year...

The alien registration system will be abolished? I couldn't care less, and besides, "abolished" is a misnomer. "Renamed" would be a better way to put it. They're going to replace it with the "resident card" system, which will be exactly the same thing, just with a different name.

It's like if I changed my name from "Charles" to "Bob," and continued to teach the kids at my school, just insist they call me "Teacher Bob" instead of "Teacher Charles." And tell the kids that "Teacher Charles was killed in a fiery car wreck, and now this man, Teacher Bob, who coincidentally looks exactly like Teacher Charles, except that he now wears a red fedora, will teach you now!" And that's how I feel about the "Resident Card" system.

The period of stay will be increased to a maximum of five years? This would be great, if:
...they gave us a hint as to the criteria for getting the five-year extension, rather than having the whole thing being "case-by-case," likely with 99% of the cases continuing to receive a 1- or 3-year extension.
...they hadn't also introduced three-month extensions (in other words, your extensions could be SHORTER from 2012 than they were in the past when one year was the minimum extension).
...it didn't make permanent residency (eijuuken) potentially more difficult to get:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=93213&highlight=

So...these changes don't really seem to change anything significant. Most of them are just for the J-government's administrative convenience. A few of them are actually a step BACKWARD (notably the new three-month period of stay extensions and the possible negative ramifications of the five-year extension on eijuuken).

[Glenski]

Being a permanent resident now, I'm not really affected by most of the proposed changes.

Going to immigration for a new card does affect me, tho. It's a 2.5-3 hour drive/ride where I live.

I don't understand why special permanent residents are under a different set of rules.

Yes, it should be made clear what language requirements are to be accepted for people to get a 5-year visa. Nothing is described so far AFAIK.

Putting that IC chip into our cards can be seen by some as an act of invading privacy or controlling a certain population or just simple discrimination (see Debito Arudou's web site).

It's nice to see that penalties will be imposed on employers who knowingly have people working illegally for them, but what penalties? And, does this apply to the illegal interns/trainees that the government itself allows to come over?

I'm also not clear on why they created a 3-month work visa option. Would be nice to know what circumstances called for that.

I agree that many/most of the changes are administrative to presumably help out the immigration offices. However, I would also like to have seen something that evened the playing field a bit, so that each immigration office wouldn't have so much individual interpretation of some of the rules, and so that there was clearer paperwork for foreigners who want to marry foreigners here. (Some thread I've read recently show that embassies and ward offices don't agree and that they may even say people should contact the other, a vicious circle.)

[Rooster_2006]

[Inflames]

[Rooster_2006]

[Glenski]

[Apsara]