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Recommended Visa for moving to Japan

Daisy

Daisy
25 Jun 2012
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Hi everyone, I am a little confused as to what kind of Visa I should apply for. I am 18 years old an planning on moving to Japan after I finish my degree in illustration which will give me time to learn more of the language and make the preparations.
I have been recommended to apply for a Working Holiday Visa where I would work as an English teacher. However, some concerns are what kind of qualifications do I need to be an English teacher in Japan. Would I need a teaching qualification here in England or is this not necessary?
Also as this Visa is only legitimate for a set time whereas I am currently wishing to make my move over there relatively permanent. However, as I have never been to Japan before would it be a good idea to perhaps use this Visa first incase things don't work out as planned? Is it possible to apply for a more permanent Visa as the time runs out on the Working Holiday Visa?
Further questions revolve around the Working Visa. As my eventual aim is to sustain work in the illustration field, teaching would be just whilst I settle down, should I apply for a professor working visa or an artist working visa or are they the same thing? If they're not the same could I swap profession whilst using the visa?
Also the Working Visa seems to be valid for 3 years, can I extend this?
Would be extremely thankful is some of these questions could be answered, I know there are a lot of them!
 
That's four years down the road; for now just concern yourself with your education. The rest can be worked out later, if life hasn't changed your plans in the interim.
 
Unfortunately, the only "qualification" you need to become an English teacher here in Japan is being a native speaker of English. That's it.
They also require a BA / BS degree, but that's not really a job requirement, but matters for the visa!
With the working holiday visa you'd bring your own visa, so you don't have to worry about it either way.

Yes, you HAVE TO change visa status before your Working Holiday visa runs out!!! That's exactly what I did!
As you ware a native speaker of English, you won't have any problems obtaining a proper work visa for an English teaching job when the time has come.

As for the other visas, you first need a job that fits into that category. You can't just apply for a visa without having that kind of job already.
You can always change your visa status once you changed jobs.

The working visa is not valid for 3 years! It depends. There are 1-year, 3-years and I think recently also 5-years(?) working visas.
You are not the one to decide which one you'll get! Immigration will. Maybe you're lucky, maybe you're not.
 
Ahh right thank you very much! That's cleared a lot of things up! As the time limit runs out on the working visa do you just apply for another?
 
ask authorities

Hi, I guess you should ask the concern authorities for proper guidance and if you want a longer stay at the place may be you should consider Green card for the citizenship. Japan is a country worth living and it's one of my personal favorite.
 
WHV for Brit is 1 year max. Aussies can squeak out 18 months, but that's it. (People with dual nationality in countries that have a WHV relationship with Japan have managed to get 2 1-year stays, but that's it, and it's rare.)

WHV is not just for teaching. You can do any kind of work as long as the employer thinks you are qualified (some limitations on bar work, see the WHV homepage).


However, some concerns are what kind of qualifications do I need to be an English teacher in Japan. Would I need a teaching qualification here in England or is this not necessary?
Usually the ability to fog a mirror has been the main requirement beyond a bachelor's degree (for work visa). Competition here is very steep now, so you might find that applying is not as easy as it used to be. Plus, if you aren't here, but instead choose to apply from the UK, you will not have nearly as many opportunities, since most employers don't have the money or resources to recruit from abroad. Skype interviews seem to be on the rise, but even they aren't totally trustworthy.

I am currently wishing to make my move over there relatively permanent.
That's like saying one is a little pregnant. You are here permanently or you are not. Which is it going to be?

Moreover, since you have never even been to Japan. How do you know you want a long-term or permanent stay? Visit first.

Is it possible to apply for a more permanent Visa as the time runs out on the Working Holiday Visa?
Yes. But it may still take 2-8 weeks to process the change in visa.
As the time limit runs out on the working visa do you just apply for another?
Yes, you should do that 1-2 months in advance. You can't do it earlier. See the Immigration guidebook for many more details.

Further questions revolve around the Working Visa. As my eventual aim is to sustain work in the illustration field, teaching would be just whilst I settle down, should I apply for a professor working visa or an artist working visa or are they the same thing? If they're not the same could I swap profession whilst using the visa?
You don't just apply for a work visa. You need to be hired first. Then you apply for the appropriate work visa. You must be joking to ask if a professor and artist visa are the same thing. No, they are not! See the differences here:
Types of Japanese visa

Also the Working Visa seems to be valid for 3 years, can I extend this?
Work visas are good for 1 year or 3 or 5. Yes, you can extend them, as long as you have an employer who is willing to sponsor (or continue sponsoring) it. No guarantees for how long an extension you will get. After working here a year, you can even try "self-sponsorship", which means keeping the work visa you have and using PT employers instead of any FT one (as long as one is willing to sign the application, and as long as the combined income is what immigration wants).

For answers to more teaching questions, come to the ESL Cafe.

Green card is not for citizenship. It is the equivalent of Permanent Resident status, not a change in nationality. And, to suggest changing citizenship to someone who has not even visited Japan is ridiculous anyway.
 
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