Renew Visa with P/T Job that makes over 250,000?

[xentropic]

I got an English teaching job last year, then quit and unployed for awhile. I found a job doing stuff with computers (my actual college major) but its considered a part-time job even though I work 50+ hours a week I cant get a contract like i did with the english teaching job.

My visa from the teaching job expires in september and I'm wondering how to go about the renewal process. I know you can do something of a self-sponsor if you make over 250,000 a month but I dont know whats needed to prove it. My boss here said they can probably sponsor me but im pretty sure you need a contract to get a sponsor thru a company so maybe he either doesnt know how it works (its a new branch and they havent hired foreigners before) or is just jerking me around so I dont look for employment elsewhere until my visa expires.

I intend to goto the immigration place soon, but I also heard I was supposed to switch sponsors when i started working my new job. Im not sure how to go about starting and finishing this renew process and/or how long it takes to do so. If anyone has been thru a similar situation or knows how this works. I would greating appreciate your help. thank you

 

[Ewok85]

You'll need pay slips and tax forms to take to immigration. Perhaps get your employer to write a letter and put his hanko on it saying that you currently work for them, doing X amount of hours at X pay.

Better to go now, ask the questions to immigration, get your stuff together and try it out.

 

[Mike Cash]

You might want to contact your local Labor Standards Office (労働基準局）（roudou kijunkyoku) and inquire about the legality of being considered "part-time" when working for a single employer 50+ hours per week.

 

[Ewok85]

Thats true, theres been some changes to the law lately regarding "temporary", "dispatch" and "part time" workers.

 

[xentropic]

Thanks for the good advice everyone! I Talked to my boss today for a couple minutes about it because he saw I was reading about visas. I told him I planned on going to the immigration bureau information office tomorrow and he said not to tell the companies name cause I havent switched sponsorship yet from my past visa, also he said theyll be able to responsor me with the same type of visa because I translate things sometimes (but Im nowhere near fluent) even though my job is doing computer tech support (in english). He said it I cant switch my visa or it was too much of a pain to switch it to a computer job related visa. Should I push the point? or just get it renewed in whatever? Also I can print out my pay check stubs from their website and it has how much I have paid in taxes is that all I would need? I have been working here for only 4 months so I dont have any other kind of tax information papers. Thanks again for your help.

 

[yukio_michael]

You might want to contact your local Labor Standards Office (ﾋ廱窶慊ｭﾅ?ﾃｮﾂ鞘ぎ窶ｹﾃ?）ﾂ（roudou kijunkyoku) and inquire about the legality of being considered "part-time" when working for a single employer 50+ hours per week.

From what I've read 'part-time' jobs in Japan aren't named so for the hours you work, but the type of work you do... However, in the past, this was supposed to be somewhat menial/farm labour that grandmothers and aunts did.

 

[Ewok85]

Thanks for the good advice everyone! I Talked to my boss today for a couple minutes about it because he saw I was reading about visas. I told him I planned on going to the immigration bureau information office tomorrow and he said not to tell the companies name cause I havent switched sponsorship yet from my past visa, also he said theyll be able to responsor me with the same type of visa because I translate things sometimes (but Im nowhere near fluent) even though my job is doing computer tech support (in english). He said it I cant switch my visa or it was too much of a pain to switch it to a computer job related visa. Should I push the point? or just get it renewed in whatever? Also I can print out my pay check stubs from their website and it has how much I have paid in taxes is that all I would need? I have been working here for only 4 months so I dont have any other kind of tax information papers. Thanks again for your help.

What visa do you have now? Sounds like you should have a "Specialist in Humanities/International Services" visa which covers work for translation but also IT work like tech support - its one and the same visa!
"Activities to engage in service that requires specific ways of thought or sensitivity based on experience with foreign culture, such as interpreting, translation, copywriting, fashion design, interior design, sales, overseas business, information processing, international finance, design, or public relations and advertising based on a contract with a public or private organization in Japan."
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/04.html#a

If you already have the specialist visa, don't worry about it. If you have anything else, change your visa type! Its only one form in the immigration office, not really any fuss at all. Working under the wrong visa type is treated the same as working without a visa - try not to do it.