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It is possible to enter Japan on a tourist visa and then change to a student visa. However, you still have to complete the entire process of applying for the student visa through a language school or university by the relevant deadlines. It is not a short-cut to a student visa, and being in Japan on a tourist visa does not make the process any easier for you. See the section on changing visa status for information relevant to being in Japan on other visas and changing to a student visa.
Molokidan wrote:Hello everyone. I'm on the brink of returning to Japan yet again, but this time things are getting a little messy. I've snagged a student visa, and I'll be studying at a university in Japan, however my term here in the US runs out far before they're going to send my certificate of eligibility, and I have basically no place to stay, since my family lives in Saudi Arabia. I was going to go visit them for a bit and then head to Japan. After finding out that the consulate there will NOT be able to give me my student visa to Japan, I really have little choice but to go into Japan first as a tourist and then hopefully switch it to a student with my certificate.
My question is, is this even possible? Some people have told me yes through immigration bureaus, but other people have told me it's absolutely impossible. Someone told me I could fly to Korea and go to the consulate there and get it changed, but that sounds kinda sketchy. Is there a real solution to this? My certificate is not supposed to be issued until mid-July, but my term in the US ends the first week of June, so I have to go out of the country, there's no way around it. I've just heard so much from so many different sources at this point, that I don't really know who to trust...except you guys! Well, you've given me good advice before, so I decided to try it again. Hope someone can shed a little light on this dilemma.
Molokidan wrote:....I called the Immigration Bureau in Tokyo and told them my story and what was going on. They said that as long as I bring the C of E with my and my passport, and register in city hall beforehand, that I can change my status without having to leave Japan for a mere $40 and a few extra visits...
Mulboyne wrote:I hope you got the name of the person who told you that. I recommend you get that in writing just in case the person you end up meeting has a different interpretation. Immigration is still an art, not a science, If you can show them that you are following advice of someone else in the system then that will help a good deal.
Mulboyne wrote:I hope you got the name of the person who told you that. I recommend you get that in writing just in case the person you end up meeting has a different interpretation. Immigration is still an art, not a science, If you can show them that you are following advice of someone else in the system then that will help a good deal.
ttjereth wrote:I broke out the email and showed it to the guy giving me a hard time, and pointed out that I had brought everything Yasuda (or whatever it was) told me to, as evidenced by this email, and the guy just flat out said "Well he was wrong, wasn't he?"...
ttjereth wrote:It doesn't help. When I applied for PR I made sure to both phone and get them to send me a signed email (with the name and position of the person who wrote it clearly stated on the email) with the details on all of the materials I needed to bring to apply. I still took everything I could think of other than what was on the email list and they STILL told me I was missing stuff.
Molokidan wrote:No, my CoE is being sent from the Tokyo Study Center that's sponsoring my program. So I won't have to go back to US, which was one of the things I really didn't want to have to do.
Mulboyne brings up a good point, something I thought of while listening to the lady talk...and I did double-check with a representative from my study center (who emailed me the information) and it seems to be legit. So hopefully this will work. Thanks again.
omae mona wrote:That's really irritating. I've learned that lots of immigration employees don't know what the hell they're doing. I guess you can't expect other employees to bend rules just because a colleague or subordinate screwed up. But still, it seems excessive. I think the employee confusion stems from so many of the rules being unwritten and fluid from month to month (e.g. what are the PR criteria *this* month??).
My latest experience with dumb immigration staff is at the airport, in the special fingerprinting line with the "automated gate" for people who pre-registered. Last time I approached it, the officer tried to shoo me away until a supervisor noticed the animated discussion and came running over to scold the officer and let me through. I'm not sure what hell the officer thought he was doing - the line was exclusively for automated gate use! Maybe I was his first customer on his first day on the job.
Gilligan wrote:ttj I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me, except to say, every time. No matter what, whenever I (or my Japanese wife) have called immigration, the DMV, the Japanese passport agency, etc. to find out what is necessary for the desried license etc., they invariably leave out at least 1 important item.
ttjereth wrote:...Now I have PR hopefully all I'll ever have to do is go for the rentry permit once every 5 years.
Mulboyne wrote:Someone on Debito's site claims he had his PR revoked for forgetting to renew his re-entry permit. An anonymous commenter is hardly the most reliable source, mind you.
Mulboyne wrote:Someone on Debito's site claims he had his PR revoked for forgetting to renew his re-entry permit. An anonymous commenter is hardly the most reliable source, mind you.
Greji wrote:Hard to say, but it is possible. You will loose any visa status, including PR if you leave with out a current re-entry permit, or if it expires while you're abroad and you hadn't take steps to renew it before the expiration date (apparently that can be done through an embassy and/or consulate by filing mitigation for having your permit about to expire while you are abroad and not having previously applied in Japan before hand i.e. unexpected extension of foreign travel for business, or personal emergency type reasons).
My usual reasons like being dumb in public, or excessive laziness don't seem to work.
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