Job Discussion Forums

[jamo22]

Hello,

I have been working in Japan for 5 months, and I want to change jobs. If I take a string of part-time jobs, or a different full-time job, how will this effect my visa status-ie. do I have to get my new employer to sponsor my visa?

If this is the case, how keen are new employers on sponsoring visas? Is it alot of responsibility and effort to do so?

thanks

[Glenski]

As long as the PT or FT jobs are within the bounds of your visa, or you have special permission to take them when they are, it should not affect your current visa.

How keen employers are in sponsoring someone will depend on the employer. Look at it from their standpoint, though. Someone coming in with a track record of bailing on a job after less than half a year is not a secure thing for them, either in terms of visa sponsorship or employment.

Sponsoring a work visa takes very little effort by an employer. The responsibility is there, of course, mostly for your behavior as a foreigner in a foreign land.

If you are willing to discuss why you want to leave your current job, perhaps that would help resolve something. You may just be feeling they typical culture shock symptoms that some do.

[jamo22]

Thank you for the reply.

I have actually been offered a ft position. My question is, is it a requirement
that I get my visa sponsored by the new employer? What will happen should I discontinue working for my current employer, and start work with a new employer without getting them to sponsor my visa?

thanks again

[Mr_Monkey]

You should be fine, I think, for the rest of the length of your visa - it belongs to you not the school and as long as you are able to support yourself within the bounds of the conditions of residence, you should be able to stay.

That's what I understand at least, although I could be wrong.

[Glenski]

If you have been offered a FT job, it makes no sense to leave sponsorship with the previous employer. Not to me, anyway. You should ask the previous employer for a Letter of Release anyhow, because you will need to present that to immigration when you change sponsorship or extend/renew your visa.

You don't have to change the sponsorship, I think, but I bet your old employer would rather not remain responsible for you after you are no longer working for him.

[Apsara]

I have changed jobs (or transitioned to several part-time jobs) mid-visa several times and it has never been an issue with the original sponsor. As far as I know (I may be wrong here) they don't have any further real responsibility for you in the eyes of Immigration in any case once you have changed jobs and recorded the change on your alien card.

Glenski, out of interest, have you heard of anybody who has actually gone through some sort of process with Immigration to officially "change the sponsor" of their visa? I haven't, and have never seen any information in Immigration's website or elsewhere as to how you would go about doing it.

[jamo22]

Thanks for the comments.

So your advice would be to ask for a letter of release from my current employer? anything else I should do?

[jillybean]

[Glenski]

[Apsara]

Sure you are better off getting a letter of release for visa renewal time, although I have also renewed a visa without one when I was left with no choice.

What I'm wondering about though is the idea that you need to go through some kind of process with Immigration to change sponsors even if you are only halfway through your visa- have you heard of anyone doing anything along these lines other than obtaining a letter of release, Glenski?

[Glenski]

Apsara,
I can't think of a specific example off the top of my head. Considering how hectic things are right now for me, and the fact that I answer a heckuva lot of posts, that doesn't preclude the old "case by case" scenario coming up. That is, I would suspect it has happened to somebody. Sorry I can't be more helpful.