Asahi: Justice Ministry eyes unified student visa
In a sharp turnaround, the Justice Ministry says it is considering scrapping what amounts to a double standard for foreign students when it comes to issuing visas. Supporters of unifying the status of pre-college foreign students, such as those enrolled in Japanese language schools, with that of university students say the current visa system subjects the former to tighter immigration screening, shorter visa duration and fewer hours in which to earn money. While the Justice Ministry had long been opposed to the move on grounds that looser immigration screening could lead to more illegal overstayers, the Immigration Bureau is now studying how to unify the two categories following Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's pledge to double the number of foreign students in this country. As of the end of 2006, there were 132,000 foreign students with a ryugakusei visa for colleges and vocational schools and 37,000 foreign students with a pre-college shugakusei visa for Japanese-language schools and high schools...more...
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