Visa

In my adventures to finalize my Japanese work visa, I've encountered many obstacles along the way. Surprisingly, typical internet helper hot spots (e.g. blogs and government web sites) did not help me all that much. And when I tried to speak to the immigration offices over the phone, the results proved to be unpredictable (I had to go to a far-away city twice due to misinformation/miscommunication). I eventually discovered that Japan started a new immigration process on July 9, 2012. This explained why so many blog posts didn't help at all. They were all outdated! Major changes that affected me include the following:

• A re-entry permit (for your work visa) is only needed if you plan on being outside of Japan for more than 12 months at a time. Therefore, you only need your passport and your residence card when you travel to other counties while "residing" in Japan.
• If you happen to be in Japan on a tourist visa when you find employment (which is what happened to me), then it is possible to change your tourist visa into a work visa WITHOUT HAVING TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY.

And here's a little more background info: if you want to work in Japan, your best bet is to get a company to sponsor you while you are still in your home country. Said company would help you apply for your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE), and would then mail it to you when they receive it from Japanese Immigration. This CoE is important as it helps expedite the work visa process by providing the Japanese Consulate/Embassy with an official Japanese document basically backing up the fact that you already have someone that wants to employ you in Japan. That being said, it is possible to apply for a work visa in Japan without a CoE, but your chances of getting approved would be slim and it would also take much more time to get processed by your local Japanese embassy. Additionally, if you are an English speaker and want to live and work in Japan, the easiest way you can accomplish this is to teach English! Companies like Aeon, JET, and Interac exist to find anyone who speaks English to come teach in Japan. Every company's screening is different, but as long as you have an undergraduate degree, you are qualified to apply.

Once you receive your CoE, you would take it to the Japanese Embassy/Consulate nearest to you and surrender it to them along with your visa. I've read online that this should normally take 5 business days and that they tell you via postcard/phone call when it's ready to be picked up. For April, she did it in Hawaii and they did it in 1 business day because they had been in constant contact with her and also because JET is a well-respected international company. It really depends on where you are, and who your sponsor is.

My particular situation is relatively unique. Prior to signing my contract with Kids Garden, I was actually set to work for Interac. They handled applying for my CoE while I was still in the United States. The thing is, I had already planned to go to Japan on 1-15-2013 because I booked the ticket 3 months in advance. Japanese school years start in April and thus so did my position with Interac. So I was already in Japan when my CoE was approved. Additionally, I found out that Interac placed me in a city 100 miles south of April's (as I mentioned in an earlier post). Not one day after I accepted this placement, our friend John told me about an opening for the kindergarten company he worked at in Iwaki. This company - Kids Garden - paid better, provided a company car, and would let me stay with April in Iwaki. This meant that I no longer had to worry about saving up for apartment start-up costs (e.g. Security deposit, key fee, furnishings, etc.) and that we would save money and time  in terms of not having to commute 100 miles just to see each other every weekend.

This is where things get a little complicated. As I mentioned earlier, the typical process to get your work Visa involves you going to your local Japanese Embassy. But I was already in Japan, AND I needed a new CoE (CoE’s are unique to each company). So, if you happen to be in Japan already sponsored by a company, and then decide to take another job opportunity in Japan in which you must personally take steps to legally qualify for, I recommend following these steps:

1. Ask your former potential company to mail back the CoE they applied for on your behalf to the Immigration Bureau from which they received it. In my case, I was very upfront with Interac and told them over the phone my reasons for taking this new job (see above). They then mailed my CoE back to Tokyo Immigration.

2. Fill out a new CoE application with the help of your company. The last page has a line that requires the company "seal/signature." Your company must also provide you with a letter of intent, and some tax documents (showing that this company has a paper trail).

3. Write a letter explaining why you took this new job and why you no longer want to work for the other company. I started with, "To Whom it May Concern..." and just listed my reasons.

4. Go to a photo booth (they have them outside of grocery stores and convenience stores) and pay ~¥700 for a set of passport pictures. I dressed up in professional attire but I'm not sure if that's required.

5. Make a copy of your undergraduate diploma (or highest completed degree after that), passport, and contract with your company (I think color is preferred over B&W).

6. Take the copies you made, the completed application, your pictures, and company documents to the nearest Japanese Immigration Bureau and submit them to an immigration official. I also brought an envelope with a stamp and my mailing address on it so that they knew to mail my CoE using that envelope. I am in Iwaki-shi, so I had to go to Koriyama Immigration Bureau. Ultimately, my application would be mailed to Sendai Immigration Bureau because that is the immigration HQ for my part of Japan (Tohoku region), but they have centers all around my region for convenience. Tokyo Immigration handles Kanto region, and I'm sure there are a couple more for Hokkaido and southern Japan.

7. Wait 2-4 weeks for you CoE to arrive by mail. Mine only took 10 business days and it makes me wonder if my already having been approved for a prior CoE helped expedite the process.

8. While you wait for your CoE, you should fill out an "Application for Change of Status of Residence."

This looks very similar to the CoE application and as such requires your company's official seal once again.

(There are different applications for certain jobs: http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/02-format.html)

9. Go to your local post office or convenience store (e.g. FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, Mini Stop), and ask for a ¥4000 revenue stamp, or in Japanese: "yon sen en no shunyu inshi." Japanese immigration offices do not accept cash and will only accept revenue stamps as forms of payment.

My ¥4000 revenue stamp

10. Once your CoE arrives, take it along with your completed Application for Change of Status of Residence, your ¥4000 revenue stamp, and your passport to the main immigration bureau for your region. Once again, please check whose jurisdiction you fall under. Fukushima Prefecture is covered by Sendai Immigration, so I had to go there.

11. The Immigration office should be able to finish changing the status of your visa that same day. In the rare case that they don't, be prepared to stay a night or to just come back on another day. But keep in mind that they have your passport 0_0.

12. I took a bus that brought me to Sendai Station by 9 am and thus I was able to make it to the Immigration Office by around 9:30 am (The Sendai Immigration Office is only 2 km from Sendai Station). Processing my documents only took around 15 minutes. Once they were done, they handed me back my passport and my Residence Card. Your "work visa" won't actually be a document in your passport. In fact, they will stamp your tourist visa "Used" or "Invalid" or something and your Residence Card will act as your "work visa."

A. Sendai Station

B. Sendai Immigration Office

13. They told me that even though they gave me my Residence Card, I still needed to go to my local city hall to register my address within 14 days of receiving that card. After you do that, you should be done!

In my case, I was trying to talk to the Sendai Immigration Bureau over the phone while I was waiting for my CoE in the mail. The person helping me told me that once I received my CoE, all I needed to do was to bring that, a ¥4000 revenue stamp, and my passport to Sendai and that they would be able to process my work visa right there on the spot. I don't know if I misheard her, but when I got to the office, they told me I needed to fill out this other application which required me to retrieve me company's seal again. So, I had to go to Sendai twice: once to pick up this application, and second to submit said application with my passport and CoE.

In any case, since I couldn't find a blog post to help me with my situation, I decided to try and help any future potential Japanese work visa applicants. Current Japanese immigration laws should last at least 5 years, that is to say, my blog post will be valid at least until July 9, 2018. So if you are reading this and it is after that date, I urge you to research Japanese immigration policies.

Good luck and happy job hunting!