Advice needed

[Gilligan]

I wish there were proper websites with the correct information. It seems they like to keep it secret and requires many trips to speak to lots of different people. If the guidelines were clear and published and the forms downloadable it would save so much time and effort for the Immigration Staff as people are just so confused.

Being so secretive really only makes their jobs harder but allows them to reject people they think are undesirable.

It also keeps them employed. If the information were easier to access, then the beaurocracy would require fewer people to keep it up and running. And we can't have that.

[Mulboyne]

Eijuken is some cases, here are the other cases, I think some prefectures might also me stricter than others. Here is thes list for Nagoya;-

Eijuken guidelines aren't set on a prefecture-by-prefecture basis, they are set at a national level by the Ministry of Justice. Here they are in English (as of 2006):

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/zairyuu/guide_residence.html

What is true is that the attitude of the people processing your application will vary across the country. Those guidelines aren't written in stone: you can meet the criteria and still get rejected while others have stories of how they had PR pressed upon them when they seemingly didn't qualify. If someone has the authority to grant you PR then they can give it to you regardless of the guidelines and you have no right of appeal if they decide instead to reject you - you simply have to try again. One of the reasons that it is difficult to tell whether eijuken standards are being tightened or loosened at any one time is the sheer range of people's experiences. Two apparently identical cases can get treated differently which is why it always makes sense to try to make a good impression on staff to tip the balance in your favour.

[CrankyBastard]

Eijuken guidelines aren't set on a prefecture-by-prefecture basis, they are set at a national level by the Ministry of Justice. Here they are in English (as of 2006):

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/zairyuu/guide_residence.html

What is true is that the attitude of the people processing your application will vary across the country. Those guidelines aren't written in stone: you can meet the criteria and still get rejected while others have stories of how they had PR pressed upon them when they seemingly didn't qualify. If someone has the authority to grant you PR then they can give it to you regardless of the guidelines and you have no right of appeal if they decide instead to reject you - you simply have to try again. One of the reasons that it is difficult to tell whether eijuken standards are being tightened or loosened at any one time is the sheer range of people's experiences. Two apparently identical cases can get treated differently which is why it always makes sense to try to make a good impression on staff to tip the balance in your favour.

Absolutely Mr. M.
Wise words indeed.

[omae mona]

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/zairyuu/guide_residence.html

What is true is that the attitude of the people processing your application will vary across the country. Those guidelines aren't written in stone: you can meet the criteria and still get rejected while others have stories of how they had PR pressed upon them when they seemingly didn't qualify.

Exactly true. I'd go further, though, and say that those guidelines differ significantly from what seems to be common, normal practice at the bureau of immigration. For example, based on hearsay, it seems to be the norm to grant PR to residents married for 5 years, regardless of consecutive length of stay in Japan. In other words, the 10 year requirement from that link is routinely, if not always, ignored (apologies to FG members who have been screwed by J-Immigration anyway). The general policy nowadays seems to be significantly more liberal than those written requirements, in the case of spouses, and significantly more strict than those written requirements, in the case of everybody else, like FG geishas.

[Guest]

That is fascinating. Do you have a link to where this information came from? If it's an official government site, it will be the first time I've seen any requirements in print.

Regarding your list of engineer visa requirements:


Well, it mentions "performances", "agents", and "promoters", which are usually not something engineers are involved with. I think you accidentally posted the list of requirements for Entertainer visa applications.

I can`t be bothered to post all the links for you. The entertainers visa requirements are quite different to the engineers. Do you want me to take a screen print from the Japanese Embassy`s website? Where are you looking for your information?

[Mulboyne]

[Ghost]

I know a couple of english people who have received more than one WHV (they applied again as normal and said they never received one before) but when I asked someone else about it they told me that it would be almost impossible to get another one now, although a few years back it was very possible. Anyone know why this is, have the embassy tightened it up and actually go through their records now? I was thinking about applying for another one and not say I had one before, it was about 5 years ago when I had my previous one. Whats the worst (or most likely) thing they can do if they check my records and find I did have one before? Is it worth the risk?

[pheyton]

I'm not sure if this has been covered yet, but you have a third option, go to Uni in Japan, Tokyo to be specific. The Americans have at least one Uni in Tokyo, I was thinking of going there when I lived there. Beware though, unless you are a serious bloke you won't make it.

Japan was a 24hr party for me. Didn't help being a DJ/Club promoter. I was having so much fun I forgot about my future, degree, etc. and partied like it was 1999, except it was 2001-2004.

Luckily I have always had a trade to fall back on, as well as wealthy in-laws who LOVE their gaijin in law.

Look into the University in Tokyo route and all your problems will be solved, until you knock up your girlfriend.....