working on a tourist visa

[akatsuka]

I've found a company in Japan that is willing to employ me for an internship for the 3 months I am on University summer holiday. However, this company cannot sponsor a visa for various reasons, so have suggested I come to Japan on a tourist visa and work there then. I realise this is illegal, but I am also wondering if it might have further complications.

Such as will I be able to get a commuter pass on a tourist visa? I'm guessing that the likelihood is no.

I will be paid cash in hand. It won't be alot, but I don't really want to stash it under my mattress. I do have a bank account in Japan that I opened when I was on a WHV. However, can I still put money into this account seeing as I no longer have my 'alien' gaijin ID card? I did have problems last year when I tried to change my PIN number. Also... a tourist who keeps putting money into her account... won't that seem suspicious?

Can anybody think of any other problems I may encounter living day-to-day with a tourist visa? Like... no renting DVD's from Tsutaya... T_T (And obviously more serious ones...!)

I'm also planning to stay at a guesthouse and hope to rent a mobile, although I guess my visa status won't effect this.

Worst case scenario-- if I am caught to be working under a tourist visa, what would happen?

I do have another option of working for a different company that appears to be able to sponsor a working visa for me. However, they company I would prefer to work for is 'tourist visa' one.

Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[ttjereth]

I've found a company in Japan that is willing to employ me for an internship for the 3 months I am on University summer holiday. However, this company cannot sponsor a visa for various reasons, so have suggested I come to Japan on a tourist visa and work there then. I realise this is illegal, but I am also wondering if it might have further complications.

Such as will I be able to get a commuter pass on a tourist visa? I'm guessing that the likelihood is no.

Do they check for id with commuter passes? Just buy a pasmo card, it's all done through the machines.

I will be paid cash in hand. It won't be alot, but I don't really want to stash it under my mattress. I do have a bank account in Japan that I opened when I was on a WHV. However, can I still put money into this account seeing as I no longer have my 'alien' gaijin ID card? I did have problems last year when I tried to change my PIN number. Also... a tourist who keeps putting money into her account... won't that seem suspicious?

I'd stick to the mattress method. Banks can be difficult about no ID, and worst case scenario would be you unable to access your money in the bank, which would suck.

I'm also planning to stay at a guesthouse and hope to rent a mobile, although I guess my visa status won't effect this.

You might have problems with the mobile, there is a discussion on here somewhere about the prepaid phones and such and needing a gaijin card to get one. Don't know if that still holds true or for all companies, but I'm sure someone on here knows.

Worst case scenario-- if I am caught to be working under a tourist visa, what would happen?

Worst case would be deportation and black listing. You also won't be able to use the work experience at this company on some future resumes and such here since you'd have work experience in Japan during a period in which you didn't have a legal visa (information you'd need to give to a company sponsoring a future visa).

But honestly, unless someone turned you in, I don't see how you'd get caught.

[akatsuka]

Worst case would be deportation and black listing. You also won't be able to use the work experience at this company on some future resumes and such here since you'd have work experience in Japan during a period in which you didn't have a legal visa (information you'd need to give to a company sponsoring a future visa).

But honestly, unless someone turned you in, I don't see how you'd get caught.

thanks for your reply, its really helpful. I was wondering about what you said about not being able to put this experience on any CVs if im caught... Does that include if i'm not caught?

I'm doing this intern so I can put it on my CV to proove that I can work in Japanese in Japan in this industry. If I can't put it on my CV there's not much point doing it.

[ttjereth]

thanks for your reply, its really helpful. I was wondering about what you said about not being able to put this experience on any CVs if im caught... Does that include if i'm not caught?

I'm doing this intern so I can put it on my CV to proove that I can work in Japanese in Japan in this industry. If I can't put it on my CV there's not much point doing it.

Whether you're caught or not, but thinking it over you can just say it was an unpaid internship on your CV and then it shouldn't be a problem since the only real "problem" would be that you're getting paid, but since it's cash in hand the only way they would find out is if you or the company told them, neither of which is likely since it's illegal

Essentially forget what I said, it shouldn't be a problem so long as you don't tell anyway "I have experience working illegally on a tourist visa"

[akatsuka]

Essentially forget what I said, it shouldn't be a problem so long as you don't tell anyway "I have experience working illegally on a tourist visa"

haha. I'm not likely to do that! Although the reaction they give might be quite funny...

So you can go to Japan on a tourist visa do undertake legal unpaid work? Hmm.. thats handy to know.

So, other than that, you see no problems arising with my daily life?

thanks

[ttjereth]

haha. I'm not likely to do that! Although the reaction they give might be quite funny...

So you can go to Japan on a tourist visa do undertake legal unpaid work? Hmm.. thats handy to know.

So, other than that, you see no problems arising with my daily life?

thanks

I wouldn't reccomend doing it. But for a short term internship... meh.

Also, just because I can't think of anything doesn't mean there are no problems.

[Mulboyne]

So you can go to Japan on a tourist visa do undertake legal unpaid work? Hmm.. thats handy to know.

You "can" but I wouldn't want to be in the position of explaining to immigration what I was doing in the unlikely event you somehow came up on their radar because they might choose not to recognize the distinction. The "tourist visa" is more accurately called a short stay visa, typically 90 days. It's the visa that people who come over to Japan get when they come for a business trip. The key point is that these people are being paid for their work by a company outside Japan. You could set up as a sole trader and ask your company to pay you for work offshore but given that they don't want to apply for a visa and prefer to pay you in unmarked bills then I don't think that is an option they would go for.

[akatsuka]

Thanks for your advice. I'm kind of in 2 minds as I don't want to do anything that is considered illegal, as with my luck I'll probably be caught and made an example of. However, this is an opportunity that I might regret if I turn down. But if I accept and am caught, it also means a lot of the stuff I have done up until now would become useless. I'm looking to work in Japan perminantely, whats the point if I get blacklisted.

There is another company that is willing to employ me, although I'm not so eager about them for various reasons. I was wondering--does anybody know how small is 'too small' to sponsor a visa for companies? Also, does it matter if the company is less than 5 years old?

I'm going to call the embassy on Monday too, but sometimes its a bit hard to get your point understood....

[FG Lurker]

I was wondering--does anybody know how small is 'too small' to sponsor a visa for companies? Also, does it matter if the company is less than 5 years old?

There is no such thing as a company being "too small" to sponsor a work visa. Even sole proprietorships (ie not an incorporated company) can sponsor a work visa. There is also no requirement that a company be 5 years old.

The company (or individual) may need to provide recent tax documents though and if they haven't been paying their taxes properly then they aren't going to want to invite that sort of scrutiny...

[akatsuka]

There is no such thing as a company being "too small" to sponsor a work visa. Even sole proprietorships (ie not an incorporated company) can sponsor a work visa. There is also no requirement that a company be 5 years old.

very interesting. thanks