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japanese alien card

nokizaru

後輩
23 Jun 2007
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me and my friend wanted to travel from akita to saga and were not residents
or anything. we already know about the different types of visas and they dont work for us unless we become students. so were wondering how hard is it to get the alien registration card and also will it enable us to stay longer than the 90 days?
 
WOW.....

stay longer then 90 days without working, you must be very rich ! From the rumors I hear, you can't get a job in Japan without a 4 year college degree and/or ability to read and speak Japanese really well. Another rumor is disobeying the visa laws gets you a trip to jail or deported. Maybe plan on going for a few weeks to see if you really like it there would be a good plan? Good luck though, hope you make it there!

Uncle Frank

:)
 
Having an alien card does not affect how long you can stay in the country whatsoever. All it is is proof of registration with the local authorities.

We have had at least one member here who has received an alien card on a temporary visa, but it did him no good whatsoever in terms of visas and length of stay.

You can technically do it, but it will not do you an ounce of good.
 
The ARC is required for people who stay longer than 90 days, but as mentioned above, it is not any sort of travel card or visa. If you are here longer than 90 days, you are usually considered not a tourist anymore, and therefore you have to put a residence address on the card (and visa status).

If you manage to stay longer than 90 days as a tourist, forget about the card. Just enjoy yourself (and all the money you must have).

we already know about the different types of visas and they dont work for us unless we become students.
Just what is your status, and why don't all the visas work for you?
 
thank you all for the information it really helped. why some visas wont work for us is that we dont have good jobs like in companys and such and we really dont want to become students in japan like going to college and stuff is there like a loophole somewhere to travel in japan for longer then the 90 days because we were thinking of walking/hitchhiking from akita to saga and thinking that may take a while. we want to stay the required 5 years to become a resident. also want to know how to become a resident, all i have heard is that you need to reside for like 5 consecutive years or somthing like that so thats the reason for asking these questions.
 
thank you all for the information it really helped. why some visas wont work for us is that we dont have good jobs like in companys and such and we really dont want to become students in japan like going to college and stuff is there like a loophole somewhere to travel in japan for longer then the 90 days because we were thinking of walking/hitchhiking from akita to saga and thinking that may take a while. we want to stay the required 5 years to become a resident. also want to know how to become a resident, all i have heard is that you need to reside for like 5 consecutive years or somthing like that so thats the reason for asking these questions.
Your ability to become a resident depends on your visa and its lenght. Just b/c you stay for 5 consecutive years does it automatically give you permission to recieve permanent residency. I had stayed in Japan for 8 consecutive years before I was given permanent residency. And if you try to stay longer on a tourist visa, you will be considered and illegal alien and will then have trouble obtaining a visa in the future.
 
Not a rumour, cold hard fact.

All the details you need is on the MOFA website. There are no loopholes, shortcuts or secrets to be had.

There's nothing on that page that indicates it is a "cold hard fact".

If there are no loopholes, shortcuts or secrets to get around the absolute requirement for a college degree, then kindly explain how I fell through the cracks. I have no college degree.

Of course, the preceding request was merely rhetorical and meant to point out that one should be careful when constructing and presenting cut and dried categorical statements.
 
Not a rumour, cold hard fact.
All the details you need is on the MOFA website. There are no loopholes, shortcuts or secrets to be had.
Well not really a "cold hard fact" but maybe a luke warm one.
There are loopholes if you are married to a Japanese citizen btw.
That also goes for those that get married here "in country".
Extensions on the "tourist" visa are possible, all one needs to do is visit the local immigration office.
What FrustratedDave wrote is right on the mark too.

There's nothing on that page that indicates it is a "cold hard fact".
If there are no loopholes, shortcuts or secrets to get around the absolute requirement for a college degree, then kindly explain how I fell through the cracks. I have no college degree.
Of course, the preceding request was merely rhetorical and meant to point out that one should be careful when constructing and presenting cut and dried categorical statements.

Good points, you are not the "only" one. I got mine well afterwards.
 
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There are loopholes if you are married to a Japanese citizen btw.

I wouldn't call that a loophole, I'd call that a whole different story. So would a working holiday visa. Or someone who is Zainichi. Etc etc.

The "cold hard fact(s)" are on the MOFA page - its an official government website pertaining to matters of Immigration. If there is anything colder or harder, let me know. :D

Consulting with the closest Embassy and/or a (Japanese) immigration lawyer would be a good step too.
 
i see so say if i know someone to live with in japan how would that work? and you extend your touring visa?
 
I wouldn't call that a loophole, I'd call that a whole different story. So would a working holiday visa. Or someone who is Zainichi. Etc etc.
The "cold hard fact(s)" are on the MOFA page - its an official government website pertaining to matters of Immigration. If there is anything colder or harder, let me know. :D

Well you are the one that said it's a cold hard fact.....just pointing out that it isn't all "facts" as you think, there are options. I also think that the OP is smart enough to figure that out as well.

isee so say if i know someone to live with in japan how would that work? and you extend your touring visa?

You dont need to consult any immigration lawyer, why waste the money, just go to the immigration office and talk with them. They will tell you what's up and what you can and can not do.
 
The OP needs to understand that Japan is not a country that foreigners can move to and reside in just because they feel like it. There are requirements and conditions for being allowed to stay here beyond the time limits provided for by tourist visas.

In order to stay here long enough to think about applying for residency status, you're first going to have to qualify to stay here for longer than tourist status. In most cases, that means you're going to have to have a college degree and obtain employment in Japan. You don't get to do it just by getting off the plane and not getting back on another one. And the alien registration card has nothing whatsoever to do with it. Read over the link that Ewok gave. You're going to have to qualify under one of those visa categories in order to stay here as other than a tourist.
 
I wouldn't call that a loophole, I'd call that a whole different story. So would a working holiday visa. Or someone who is Zainichi. Etc etc.
The "cold hard fact(s)" are on the MOFA page - its an official government website pertaining to matters of Immigration. If there is anything colder or harder, let me know. :D
Consulting with the closest Embassy and/or a (Japanese) immigration lawyer would be a good step too.
You don't need a college degree to get a visa. If you have a special talent or expertise in a certain feild of work(that does not require college) which is needed here you can obtain one that way.
 
Do you people even glance at the FAQ here? My contribution to it will set you straight about visas.
Work visas require a bachelor's degree or equivalent (and that could be a 3- year or 4-year bachelor's, depending on country) or a certain number of years of experience (depending on the field). Could be 3, 5, or 10 years of experience.

you can't get a job in Japan without a 4 year college degree
To get a job, you need a proper visa. That doesn't have to be a work visa. You could also work legally if you have...
1) student visa
2) cultural visa
3) dependent visa
4) spouse visa
5) working holiday visa
NONE of the above five requires a degree. You need special permission to work for 1, 2, and 3, and you will only be allowed to work PT.

There are other visas that let you work, too, like intracompany transfer visa.

As for the OP, you want to backpack around the country, pick up work here and there, and stay longer than 90 days (presumably 5 years)? Forget it. Aside from the fact that contracts are usually 12 months long, nobody hires transients like that unless they already have some permanent status here.

Oh, and the five years you claim is what is needed " to become a resident" is bogus. First of all, you are a resident when you stay longer than 90 days and have an alien registration card (meaning, a job and proper visa). Second, you are probably thinking of Permanent Resident status, and for single people (or foreigners married to other foreigners, not to Japanese), you will likely have to stay here 10 years. Look here for details.
Immigration Services Agency of Japan
If some of the terminology is unknown to you, I suggest you read this next site thoroughly:
VISA
 
For a permanent residence visa you need to stay in Japan for 10 years. If you are married it is lowered to 5 I believe.


For the years of experience in a field I heard that you only get a work visa if they really really want you.
 
For a permanent residence visa you need to stay in Japan for 10 years. If you are married it is lowered to 5 I believe.
For the years of experience in a field I heard that you only get a work visa if they really really want you.

And its very rare they give it to people below those unwritten limits - you are supposed to show some sort of unique contribution to Japan (the official list of examples includes having a Nobel Prize as a good start! 😊 )
 
is there someone who will help me answer my question?...heres the situation:
my husband have a 3yrs visa as a nikkei-jin in japan.he work for almost 2yrs as a factory worker in Ibaraki start October 2005.our wedding date in the Philippines was april 27,2006(civil wedding) and December 27,2006(church wedding) he filed my certificate of eligibility last September 10, 2007 to have my visa and on December 21,2007 the embassy in japan requested to forward a new NBI,Police clearance and our wedding picture.it forwarded last January 9, 2008.as of now my certificate of eligibility has not yet issue.he arrived here in the philippines last november 11,2007 until now. when my certificate of eligibilty will release? we just wait for the release of that certificate so that we can file my visa and move to japan asap.thanks
 
nokizaru,

You can come to japan for 90 days on a tourist visa.
End of story.

If you don't fly out of Japan by the 90th day, you will be breaking the law. When you are caught, you will be jailed and then deported.

Your options:
1. Fly out of Japan before the 90 days runs up. Go to Korea or Hong Kong, somewhere close. Then fly back in for a new 90 day visa. NOTE: THIS DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK AND IS USUALLY A BAD CHOICE.

2. What country are you from? Can you get a work holiday visa?

3. Get a job in Japan.

4. Go to school in Japan.
 
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3 months isn't long enough to travel from Akita to Saga? Will the OP (who has not been back since the thread's second day of existence) be stopping at every town and village along the way?
 
...
when my certificate of eligibilty will release?
...
After Japan and your country agreed with the strict rules on the entertainer visa, I heard the marriage between Japanese men and Philippine women mysteriously and drastically increased.
I don't think Japanese men would become more romantic so soon. And the J embassy shows a bit more bureaucratic attitude.

Be patient, and congratulations on your marriage.
 
nhery,
The last piece of documentation you sent was on January 9th. That was right after the New Year break here, and less than a month has passed. Considering the other part of this timeline, it might not hurt to place a very polite call asking for the status of your visa application. VERY polite. Some people have reported that applications which were actually approved had been lost or neglected until the applicant did this.
 
You can come to japan for 90 days on a tourist visa.
End of story.

If you don't fly out of Japan by the 90th day, you will be breaking the law. When you are caught, you will be jailed and then deported.
Then aleast you will be able to stay in Japan for longer than 90 days, even if it is in a cell!:p
 
You can come to japan for 90 days on a tourist visa.
End of story.

If you don't fly out of Japan by the 90th day, you will be breaking the law. When you are caught, you will be jailed and then deported.

Your options:
1. Fly out of Japan before the 90 days runs up. Go to Korea or Hong Kong, somewhere close. Then fly back in for a new 90 day visa. NOTE: THIS DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK AND IS USUALLY A BAD CHOICE.

2. What country are you from? Can you get a work holiday visa?

3. Get a job in Japan.

4. Go to school in Japan.

That is easy to do as a citizen of a developed nation, but a filipino cannot just do that so easily. Being able to visa run to Korea is not as easy as it may seem. For her, China is the better option.

For her husband, what nationality is he? Is he also a filipino citizen?

I cannot believe that Japan would put a spouse of a Japanese national or nikkeijin into jail for overstaying. You know, I suggest you two move onto a country like Canada where foreigners are given the most humane treatment in the world.
 
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