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Getting To Japan / Visa

Gord

先輩
16 Apr 2004
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hey everyone,
My friends and I are planning on going down to Japan in October to teach english. Just a few questions here, One being, how long does it usually take to get a working holiday visa? I'm thinking I should go down to the embassy pretty soon here, but is a visa completally necessary to get into japan? Or just to begin working? Maybe we can be a little more lose when getting the visas? The guys I'm going with are very unorganised (I am too, to be honest) but this really concerns me. How easy is it to get a job down there? Should I be applying over here before I get there?
Thanks!
Gord
 
Apply before you go. There are some conditions attached (age, country of departure etc) as well as whether or not you have a 'sponsor'. Having one helps alot, your visa would be processed in about a month or less, without a sponsor it can take much longer as it has to go through more departments to pass you for eligibility.

I'd go asap and apply or start looking at getting a job before going (can any of you speak japanese? do you have accomodation lined up? etc).

This site is pretty useful: VISA
 
Definately get the visa before you go. There can be weird conditions attached to them. It took me 2 months to get a plain old Study Visa, because it required a Certificate of Eligibility and a sponsor in Japan. Then you add in the required pictures, photocopies, and the week it takes to process once you've submitted it to the embassy. It's not fun.
 
DragonChan said:
Definately get the visa before you go. There can be weird conditions attached to them. It took me 2 months to get a plain old Study Visa, because it required a Certificate of Eligibility and a sponsor in Japan.
Was this a Pre-College Student Visa by any chance ? The whole deal about requiring Japanese nationals living in the immediate area to act as contacts, guarantor/guardians, and supporters (sponsors?) to help foot the bill does sound pretty intimidating. Plus, I'm going to be paying my own way anyway, so I really don't see the need for it....
 
Ok, so if I applied for the visa now, would it be ok to have it sent over to me in Japan, or are visas a requirement to live in japan? I mean, like, worst case scenario, obviously getting it before I left would be ideal
 
If I look in the dictionary at "lackadaisical", I get the very strong feeling I will find pictures of you and your friends.

It looks like you guys have put about as much thought and preparation into this as my kids do when running to 7-11 for ice cream.
 
Getting a visa before hand is preferable, like I said. You wont get work without it, and you wont get accomadation (besides in a hotel, $$$) without a job.

To get a working holiday visa you must be between 18 and 30 and from Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea. You have to give evidence that you plan to travel around. -*

In the case of applications that require inquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (for example, applications for work or study visas that are not accompanied by a Certificate of Eligibility), it usually takes two to three months or even longer, so in such cases please allow plenty of leeway. -*

* Take from the MOFA site
 
Elizabeth said:
Was this a Pre-College Student Visa by any chance ? The whole deal about requiring Japanese nationals living in the immediate area to act as contacts, guarantor/guardians, and supporters (sponsors?) to help foot the bill does sound pretty intimidating. Plus, I'm going to be paying my own way anyway, so I really don't see the need for it....

Yes it was. The school I'm going to e-mailed me and asked me all these weird questions for the application form for my Certificate of Eligibility. They wanted to know things like the year I entered Elementary School, and other random things like that.

On the up side, once I had that certificate it was dead simple to get the visa.
 
DragonChan said:
Yes it was. The school I'm going to e-mailed me and asked me all these weird questions for the application form for my Certificate of Eligibility. They wanted to know things like the year I entered Elementary School, and other random things like that.

On the up side, once I had that certificate it was dead simple to get the visa.
Thanks for that upbeat assessment, DragonChan. That sounds close to the one I've gotten as well. And recalling the moment of graduation from elementary school may be an important part of landing a job with a Japanese company for all I know. :eek: At any rate, I guess you didn't actually have to set up an appointment and go to Japan to deliver the completed application in person ? It just seems like an awful lot to ask before being accepted, ever having seen the school much less committing for sure that this is where I want to be for the next two years.
 
well we know everything we have to do and the only reason that we seem to be unorginized is because we are a big group going together. most of us just want to leave right away, and i think that is what gord was commenting on, not the fact that some of us are "lackadaisical" which the ones that want to leave right away are far from.
 
So you've looked into visa requirements, employment opportunities, accomodations, expenses, etc?

The way Gord put it made it sound like you all just planned to hop on a plane, get off in Tokyo, walk down the street and line up jobs and an apartment before you reached the end of the block.
 
mikecash said:
So you've looked into visa requirements, employment opportunities, accomodations, expenses, etc?

The way Gord put it made it sound like you all just planned to hop on a plane, get off in Tokyo, walk down the street and line up jobs and an apartment before you reached the end of the block.

we have done all the basics, two of us are waiting for our passports then in 2 weeks here three of us are going to apply for our visa's, mike cash if your not going to say anything that can help us out, then don't post at all, because your smartassery is a waste of my time.
 
Looking back, I didn't make it completally clear, we're not the most organized group but we're also not completally retarded. Anyways, the usefullness of this post has been destroyed since only the first few people actually had any usefull information at all
love, gord
 
duff_o_josh said:
we have done all the basics, two of us are waiting for our passports then in 2 weeks here three of us are going to apply for our visa's, mike cash if your not going to say anything that can help us out, then don't post at all, because your smartassery is a waste of my time.

What a coincidence! Your dumbassery was a waste of mine.
 
I think if you are planning to go overseas you need to be more organized. Do you know of where you want to work? What kind of work? Will someone hire you?
Accomadation? How to get said accomadation? Prices? Utilities? Do you have to pay any fees? (I'd check that one) What do I need to get accomadation?
Can I speak the language? How will I look for the work/accomadation? Do I have someone to go as a go-between or a person who will sign for legal documents? Am I of legal age to sign documents on my own? (I got caught out here).

This isn't the kinda thing you rush into. The number of people and the short time are going to compress problems. This is the kind of thing you want to be sorted out as much as possible before leaving the safety of your home country. And its bad nettiquite to tell people who are trying to help you in their own twisted way to "grow up". I think they are more grown up than you and may have done this a long long time ago.
 
Ewok85 said:
And its bad nettiquite to tell people who are trying to help you in their own twisted way to "grow up". I think they are more grown up than you and may have done this a long long time ago.

Probably since before they were out of diapers.
 
duff_o_josh said:
well we know everything we have to do and the only reason that we seem to be unorginized is because we are a big group going together. most of us just want to leave right away, and i think that is what gord was commenting on, not the fact that some of us are "lackadaisical" which the ones that want to leave right away are far from.

Well, we know Gord has arrived safe-n-sound in Osaka. How about the rest of the group? Inquiring minds want to know!
 
Congratulations! Glad you made it. The Canadian flag made me wonder if your group got separated.
 
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