Japanese Ability to be Linked to Visa Extensions?

This article is a bit dated, but I only stumbled across it fairly recently: In May of 2008, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hinted in a press conference that it would like to start taking Japanese language ability into consideration when issuing visas to or renewing landing permissions for foreign residents.

(A Youtube video of the press conference is also available; there's no particular variation between it and the written record, but of additional interest on Youtube are the scathing comments in Japanese about former Minister of Foreign Affairs Masahiko Komura and his "antinational" proposals.) 

Of course, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tends to say a lot of things, and some number of its proposals don't actually make it through Japan's legislative bureaucracy and into effect. However, last year you may have noticed on TV or elsewhere news reports of the first 5-year landing permissions being granted to foreign residents in Japan. (Until that time, landing permissions were typically limited to 1- or 3-year durations.) This is all part of a major rollout of immigration policy change decided upon in the 2009 Partial Amendment to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.

As a recap: The old 1-year and 3-year periods continue to exist, but individuals deemed by the Immigration Bureau to have desirable qualities (such as stable work history or skills in need) may be eligible to receive a 5-year landing permission upon entering the country or to upgrade to a 5-year status on their next extension.

Anyway, NHK gave some coverage of this last year as the first 5-year extensions began to be issued. What I hadn't garnered from the news reports, but which was apparently hinted at in the 2008 press conference above, is that period of stay decisions could also be influenced by Japanese ability of the applicant.

In the press conference, the Ministry was careful to point out that any change would be a loosening of restrictions: Individuals who were previously eligible for 3-year stays will not lose their ability to get another 3-year extension because they can't speak any Japanese. However, individuals who were approved for a 1-year landing permission last time might get a boost to 3- or 5-years on extension if they have high-level Japanese skills.

At the time of the press conference, it was unclear how the Ministry intended to evaluate individuals' abilities when making their extension decisions. And since the statement 3 years ago, there has hardly been a word on the matter, or at least nothing ready to be found on Google. But, I'm dying to know more about how this went down and whether the Ministry is really still planning to base (or actually making) extension decisions on applicants' Japanese ability.

So, is this still simmering away on the Ministry's back burner? Will future applications include some kind of Japanese test or option to submit some kind of certification to be considered along with the application? If you know any more about this, please share in the comments below!

Alternatives to Working Visas

Usually, you need a 4-year university degree to obtain a working visa and come work in Japan. But, in case you really wanted to know, and people seem to ask about this a lot, there are other kinds of visas that enable you to work in Japan.

They are generally more complicated than the working visa:

Working Holiday Visa
Some countries have a special agreement with Japan that allows youth aged 18 to 30 to come to the country for up to one year (or rarely, a year and a half) with the primary intent of an extended vacation in Japan. During this vacation, you are allowed to engage in work to support your lifestyle. There are restrictions on the kinds of work allowed, but with an otherwise strong application, this visa is available even without a university diploma. It is possible to start out in Japan on a working holiday visa then turn that into a normal working visa, spouse visa, etc. However, the normal requirements of the new visa (university degree, Japanese spouse, etc.) still apply.

Exchange Student Visa + Part-Time Work
If you are already in Japan as an exchange student, it is possible to extend the permissions granted by your visa to include up to 18 hours per week of part-time work. To do this, you will need signed documentation issued by your university that approves your intent to work. Requests like these are usually only approved for students working at accredited 4-year universities. Students at Japanese language schools (that is, schools whose primary purpose is to teach the Japanese language to non-Japanese) are not likely to get the extension.

Japanese Sugar-Momma/Sugar-Daddy
If you are married to a Japanese spouse, you can apply for a spouse visa, which will allow you to work unrestricted in any industry and company that will hire you. However, without any history of a work visa in Japan, your spousal visa application will be scrutinized by Immigration. You may not be approved for a long Period of Stay, meaning you will need to renew the visa frequently. And, your spouse will control your ability to be in the country; if you at any time become unmarried, or if Immigration loses confidence in the stability of your relationship--even if you didn't actually sign for divorce, your visa will become void and you will be required to leave the country.

The Millionaire Option
If you have capital and connections enough to start a real company, with employees other than yourself (I think around 5 full time employees are required), there exists a business manager visa. This route requires cash-in-hand of a sum not dissimilar to the full tuition of a four year university degree. And on top of that, you will need help from Japanese lawyers to establish the company, purchase real estate, write employee contracts, enroll in appropriate insurance programs, and apply for the visa on your behalf. As long as the business exists, whether or not it ever reports a profit is irrelevant in terms of being able to obtain and renew the visa. However, at the end of the day, the visa is only valid for working at the company you just set up.

Permanent Residence
I hear some of you asking, "But, what about permanent residence?" Well, yes. If you have permanent resident status in Japan (or Japanese citizenship), you can work in any company that will hire you. But, the gateway to permanent residence is almost always through years of renewed working visas or spousal visas. In principal, if you have been living in Japan for five years or more and are married to a Japanese National, or if you have been living in Japan for ten years or more and held a valid working visa for at least five of those years, you are eligible to apply for permanent residence. Submission of supporting documents and interviews with Immigration follow the application to determine whether your request is granted or not.

Prisoner of War Exception
The other, quick route to permanent residence is to be imprisoned in North Korea for 39 years and wanted in your country for military desertion.

Japanese Citizenship
Applying for Japanese Citizenship usually comes after maintaining permanent residence for a few years. Japan does not (yet) support dual citizenship, and if you obtain Japanese citizenship, you are asked to revoke your other citizenship(s) at respective embassies. (But, it's not like the Japanese authorities tear up your old country's passport in front of your face; I have heard many cases of people secretly maintaining their old citizenship just by "forgetting" to report to the embassy and revoke it.)

So, that about covers it. Yes, if you want to work in Japan without getting a university diploma, there are, technically, other options for doing so. If I've missed any other big ones, or you have any other questions, please leave a note in the comments.

Working in Japan without a Degree

Occasionally, people ask whether it is possible to work in Japan without a 4-year university diploma. I won't beat around the bush: The answer, in 90% of cases, is "no."

The reason for this is not an industry requirement so much as an immigration requirement.
Japanese immigration does not grant working visas to individuals without at least a bachelor's degree. Only rare exceptions exist, and they usually involve proving five to ten years' work experience in a technical field, with the help of a lawyer who specializes in immigration, at great time and expense.

I have not personally heard examples of individuals obtaining work visas with 2-year associate's degrees.

Aside from working visas, there are other options that each come at their own cost.

However, keep in mind that without a degree, it will be difficult for your resume to compete with other candidates', especially if you are trying to find work in a field where most others have completed a degree. In that case, even if you find a way around the working visa requirement, you may find that only a small number of companies are willing to employ you without university credentials, and they may not offer the most desirable salaries or working conditions.

Example of a Landing Permission

As a continuation of our visa series, today we take a look at the 上陸許可 (jyouriku kyoka), or "Landing Permission," stamp in your visa. This stamp is your lifeblood in Japan. Obey the items written on this stamp, or risk deportation from and sanctions on re-entry to Japan.

1. 在留期限 (zairyuu kigen): This is the date until which you are allowed to legally reside in Japan. If you overstay this date, even for one day, you risk deportation and barred re-entry to Japan, depending on the mood of the immigration officer handling your case, and whether Japanese Immigration is having a general crackdown on illegal immigrants or not. Either way, it is a pretty big risk. Don't take it. Apply for and Extension of Period of Stay at least 1 to 3 months before this date.
2. 在留資格 (zairyuu shikaku): This is your Status of Residence in Japan. Japanese Immigration is strict about allowing people to only perform certain tasks within certain Statuses of Residence. Some Statuses, like "Instructor" or "Specialist in Humanities," allow a person to be employed part- or full-time. Other Statuses, like "College Student," do not by default permit a person to engage in profitable activity. Even Statuses permitting employment usually restrict the type of employment that person may engage in. If you are on an Instructor visa, but you scored and started a new job as an investment banker at a financial institution, or as a translator, or a web developer, you are breaking Japanese Immigration law. Apply for a Change of Status of Residence before you start that job.
3. 在留期間 (zairyuu kikan): This is your Period of Stay. It is first determined by the information on your 日本国査証 (if you used one), and could be anywhere from 10 days to 5 years, depending on what Immigration deems is necessary for you to fulfill your intended duty within Japan. Most common values are 90 days (like this "tourist visa"), One Year, Three Years, or (apparently coming soon:) Five Years.
4. Disembarkation Point: This is the location at which you entered Japan.
5. Departure/Embarkation Stamp: The Landing Permission in this example has been "used up" because the individual departed from Japan. In order to spend time in Japan again, this person would need to get a new Landing Permission.

Example of a Japan Visa

If you come to Japan and intend to stay for a long time, you will almost certainly have a "Japan Visa" in your passport. It is big and shiny and takes up a whole page, and at the top in block letters are the words 日本国査証.

We explained the difference between this Visa and the much more important Landing Permission (上陸許可) before, but for your reference, here is an example of a Japan Visa and explanation of its important points:

1. In the top-left corner of this example, you can see the stamp "USED." This is important, and I'll explain more about it in number 5.
2. Place of Issue: This is the Japanese consulate or embassy at which the visa was issued. Remember, a 日本国査証 is always issued outside of Japan, and it is only meant to help you get into the country. Once you are in Japan, the 日本国査証 has very little to do with your eligibility to stay.
3. Date of Issue: This is the day you received the visa. You can only use this 査証 to enter Japan after the written date.
4. Date of Expiry: This is the expiration date of the 日本国査証. It has nothing to do with the length of time you are allowed to stay in Japan. The "Date of Issue" and "Date of Expiry" written here form a window of time during which you can enter Japan and receive a proper Landing Permission. If the Date of Expiry passes, this document becomes invalid. Just this document. That is all.
5. No. of Entries: For most people, this field reads "Single." However, occasionally a student or some other special class of visitor will receive a "Multiple" entry visa. If your visa is a "Single," you can use it to enter Japan once, at which time it will be stamped "USED" and you will receive a Landing Permission. If you want to exit and enter Japan after that time without losing your Landing Permission, you will use a different (and almost defunct) document called a "Re-Entry Permit." If your number of entries here is "Multiple," you could use your visa to enter Japan multiple times (up until the Date of Expiry) and receive a new Landing Permission each time. However, even if your No. of Entries here is "Multiple," you will probably want to use a Re-Entry Permit to go in and out of Japan. This is because each time you leave Japan without a Re-Entry Permit, you have to surrender your Alien Registration Card, which in turn means you will have to re-register at your local City Hall each time you return to the country.
6. For Stays Of: This field usually reads "1 year" or, more recently, "3 years." This field determines the 在留期間 (zairyuu kikan), or "Period of Stay," on your initial Landing Permission stamp. If you have "1 year" written here, you will start out with a 1-year Period of Stay. But, the next year, when you apply to extend your Period of Stay, you may be granted a 3- or 5-year extension.
7. Category: Most English teachers in Japan will have "Instructor" or "Specialist in Humanities" written here. But, actually there are many categories of residence in Japan. This category will determine the 在留資格 (zairyuu shikaku), or "Status of Residence," on your Landing Permission stamp.

Your Real Visa: 査証 and 上陸許可

Visas are a pretty big aspect of any expat's life. And more often than not, they seem to leave people feeling stressed and bummed out. Last year, when I was up for renewal, I waded through a lot of information about renewing visas in Japan. I’ve collected and organized some of that info here.

First off, I want to introduce the difference between a Visa and Landing Permission in Japan. Many newbies are unaware of this difference, which can be very dangerous: If you screw up and overstay in Japan because you mixed up the dates on your Visa and your Landing Permission, you could get deported from Japan and barred from reentry, even as a tourist. So, listen up:

In layman terms, "visa" refers to the sticker in your passport that says you can be legally present in a foreign country. However, terminology used by Japanese authorities is different.

査証 (sashou) is the word most commonly translated from Japanese as "visa." Most people coming from a foreign country to Japan and intending to stay a long time will have a 査証 in their passport. It will have big block kanji at the top that read 日本国査証 and takes up a whole page in the passport.

A 査証 is issued outside of Japan at an embassy or consulate. You will use it when you enter Japan, but it gives you no authority to legally stay in Japan. Think of a 査証 like a screening process. The Japanese consulate in your country checks your application and background and deems you fit for entry into Japan. They write a recommendation (the 査証) and put it in your passport. When you enter Japan, immigration officials see this recommendation and use it to determine your eligibility to stay in Japan.

The immigration officials at the airport will grant you eligibility to stay in Japan by placing a 上陸許可 (jyouriku kyoka) stamp in your passport. Often this is translated into English as "Landing Permission." This stamp contains important information, like your 在留期間 (zairyuu kikan), "Period of Stay," and your 在留資格 (zairyuu shikaku), your "Status of Residence."

The big point here is that once you are inside Japan, your Landing Permission matters, and your Japan Visa no longer matters at all. When you "renew your visa" in Japan, you are really performing a procedure called 在留期間変更 (zairyuu kikaku henkou), or "Extension of Period of Stay." When you "change your work visa" in Japan so you can work a different type of job, you are really performing a procedure called 在留資格変更 (zairyuu shikaku henkou), or "Change of Status of Residence." And what the immigration officials want to see is that 上陸許可 Landing Permission stamp, NOT the 日本国査証 Japan Visa!

Knowing these differences and arming yourself with the correct terminology will go a long way in helping others understand your questions and requests.