Korea Runs....

[spyder]

Who has done one?

I have had some great advice from FG Lurker regarding this, but I was looking for some more personal experience.

Basically I am on a Working Holiday Visa, and I wish to come back for a month or two on a Tourist Visa.

I have visited Immigration, and they gave me the answer I expected: they said that you couldn't extend your stay with them unless you HAD to stay in Japan (due to illness etc.) So it looks like my best bet is the Korea run.

So please, if you have nay experience, or know someone who does, please reply and let me know.

Much appreciated!!

[Buraku]

It's a nice way to extend your visa, Koreans can be a bit OTT but it makes a good vactation plus the Korean food and beer is fine

Sometimes it works out fine, othertimes you get lots of hassle
but if you comeback through some J-airports where the immigration staff know your visa's about to run out and they also act like cyborgs
then expect to be treated like a Nick Baker.

My advice is to make your return trip to one of the more quite and laid back towns in Japan.
Otherwise be ready to deal with a lot of interrogation shit about 'What did you buy in Korea', 'Why did you go on holiday', 'What's this Working Holiday Visa'.... ??

[Samurai_Jerk]

It's a nice way to extend your visa, Koreans can be a bit OTT but it makes a good vactation plus the Korean food and beer is fine

Sometimes it works out fine, othertimes you get lots of hassle
but if you comeback through some J-airports where the immigration staff know your visa's about to run out and they also act like cyborgs
then expect to be treated like a Nick Baker.

My advice is to make your return trip to one of the more quite and laid back towns in Japan.
Otherwise be ready to deal with a lot of interrogation shit about 'What did you buy in Korea', 'Why did you go on holiday', 'What's this Working Holiday Visa'.... ??

Don't listen to him. You're very unlikely to get hassled by anyone. Besides, the fact that he classified Korean beer as "fine" tells you his opinion isn't worth a bucket of spoiled kimchee.

[spyder]

Thanks for the replies!

Buraku: I understand what you are saying about coming into a smaller port rather than Narita, and it is something that I didn't think about earlier.

Samurai_Jerk: Music to my ears. I hope you are right!

Anyone else got any info?

[Doctor Stop]

I had the runs in Korea.

[spyder]

Anyone else have any advice to give that is worth more than that of 'Doctor Stop'?

It's getting close now!

[GomiGirl]

You should be OK.. but don't quote me. The people that get stopped are usually the people that have two or three visa runs on their passport and it is obvious they are trying to work illegally.

You are coming back for a holiday/visiting friends/signseeing right and not for work? You will need to surrender your gaijin card on departure and leave on the departure card from your first entry. On arrival you need to come through the gate for foreign passports and not Japanese/Re-entrants.

You will be subject to all the rules of a tourist visa. So if you are stopped just say that you are wanting to come back to see all your friends and sightsee in places you missed and you will need a return ticket out again so it doesn't look like you are coming back to work.

[akatsuka]

I think you will be fine as long as you dont make a habit of it. My Spanish friend went to Taiwan and back at least 4 times before they started getting suspicious and asking questions.

If you do get stopped, just follow GomiGirls advice and dont panic.

[spyder]

Thanks heaps for the advice guys! I will make sure I have my ticket back to Australia before I goto Korea. I have no intention of working when I come back, I just wanna hang around here while my girl finishes her work contract so we can go together instead of a month or so apart.

Again, thanks for the advice. If anyone else knows anything, please post it up!

[Blah Pete]

The smaller regional airports are not so easy to get through.

I have gone to Korea and Taiwan at least once a month for the last 5 years. I have had to fly back through Oita and Nagasaki a few times for emergency trouble calls at customers. The immigration there was strict. I had to show my gaikokujin torokusyou EVERY time. I have never had to show it at Handeda, Narita, or Kansai.
I think the country hicks don't see too many FGs and enjoy hasseling them.

Narita seems to be the best as the Immigration employees all seem a little overworked and burnt out.

[Doctor Stop]

Anyone else have any advice to give that is worth more than that of 'Doctor Stop'?

It's difficult to extend your working holiday visa without a good reason like being in the hospital or something. Your best and cheapest bet is to change your visa status to tourist while you're still in Japan. No Korea run is necessary. It used to be necessary to leave the country to change visa status a long time ago, but the system has changed. Check with immigration first to make sure. If they ask you any questions, just say you plan to do some more touristy stuff before returning home.

[spyder]

Like I said in my first post, I went to immigration, and they said that without a good reason (being sick etc.) I couldn't change to a Tourist Visa. I don't want to extend my Working Holiday Visa at all. That has never been the plan.

Doctor Shop: Have you heard of people being able to change to a Tourist Visa while they are still in Japan?

There was a bit of a language barrier when I went there last time, so I am going to go again with my girl and get her to ask all the questions.

[Doctor Stop]

Yes.

http://www.jetprogramme.org/documents/conference/2006_crj/Information%20fair%20flyer%202006.pdf

If you have plans to travel around Japan after finishing your contract, you can try to change status on your visa from your JET status (“Instructor” for ALTs, “Specialist on Humanity and International Services”for CIRs, and “Skilled Labor”for SEAs) to a tourist. If you stayed 3 years and your visa is going to expire, you also have to obtain a tourist visa to travel within Japan. For more details, please contact your local immigration office.

[Mulboyne]

I think the working holiday visa is treated a bit differently, though.

[Doctor Stop]

Like I said:

Check with immigration first to make sure. If they ask you any questions, just say you plan to do some more touristy stuff before returning home.

But then again I'm a doctor, not an immigration lawyer.

[spyder]

Like I said in my first post, I DID check with them. Hence the reason I am asking about Korea runs

[spyder]

Once more thing guys....

I am thinking about firstly submitting a request to change my visa status so that I don't have to waste money going to Korea.

On the form one of the questions is: Have you already got a return ticket? If so, what is the flight number?

What do you think are the chances of Immigration checking up on this to make sure I do have a seat reserved on that flight?

Thanks again for all your help!!

[FG Lurker]

Once more thing guys....

I am thinking about firstly submitting a request to change my visa status so that I don't have to waste money going to Korea.

On the form one of the questions is: Have you already got a return ticket? If so, what is the flight number?

What do you think are the chances of Immigration checking up on this to make sure I do have a seat reserved on that flight?

Thanks again for all your help!!

I imagine that they will ask to see the ticket...

[GomiGirl]

I imagine that they will ask to see the ticket...

yep - chances are pretty high that they will check on return ticket status.

i just back from immigration helping a "friend" with changing the status from Working Holiday to Business Visa. But it seemed to go very smoothly as we had a boatload of forms and employment certificates, company documents and contracts and resumes and training certificates - more than the minimum required documents. This is for somebody without a degree but with the required 10 years experience in the field that he is being employed for here.

Not required to show a return ticket in this case but he wasn't trying to change to a tourist visa.

[Doctor Stop]

What do you think are the chances of Immigration checking up on this to make sure I do have a seat reserved on that flight?

If you mean them checking with the airline, the chances are as close to zero as you can get. If they ask to see the ticket, you better make sure you have one and that the departure date and flight number you wrote on the application match.

[spyder]

So do you think this will be checked upon initial application, or upon the "pick-up"?

Also, do you think a travel agency receipt would suffice, as tickets can sometimes take a few weeks to come through, and I want to get onto this as soon as possible.

[FG Lurker]

So do you think this will be checked upon initial application, or upon the "pick-up"?

Also, do you think a travel agency receipt would suffice, as tickets can sometimes take a few weeks to come through, and I want to get onto this as soon as possible.

Tickets can be issued within a day, same-day at any large agency.

[spyder]

Hmm OK - I will get onto it tomorrow.

What do you think would give me the highest chance of success:

A Korea Run, or trying to do it via the correct paperwork at immigration, even though they told me I can't? (however they told my friend from Canada, also on a Working Holiday Visa, that it could be done :S )

[spyder]

Well, even after being told she could change her visa at immigration, my Canadian friend went there to do it, and they said no.

I think I will go with the Korea trip. I am going to get some extra cash put into my account, and make sure I have a ticket back out of the country.

Thanks all for your advice - if anyone has anything else to add, please do - the more I heard about people's past experiences, the better!

[spyder]

Sorry to bring up my old thread guys, but I thought others would benefit from hearing my results.

Basically, I left Japan the day before my visa was due to expire, and cam back the day after it expired. As I had an unused re-entry permit in my passport it caused a little bit of trouble at Immigration when leaving Japan, as they were curious as to whether or not I wanted to come back on my Work Holiday Visa or not. Once I let them know that I wanted to come back on a Temporary Visa, they said it was no problem, and asked no questions.

The only question I was asked upon leaving was by the guy at the e-ticket counter. He also questioned my re-entry, and asked if it was my first time re-entering on a Temporary Visa. I said it was, and he said it should be no problem.

When I came back to Narita, I was very nervous, obviously. When I can through Immigration, I tried to look confident, like I wasn't worried. The Immigration Officer looked at my old visa dates, and then the date on his watch 2 or three times, then stapled my embarkation card into my passport, stuck the sticked on, and bowed his head, and I left.

He didn't open his mouth once, and apart from checking the dates, he didn't appear to have any issues.

Like always, it will probably be different from Officer to Officer, but the advice I can give is if anyone is thinking of doing it, make sure you have a ticket booked, and paid for out of Japan, a print out of your bank balance, and a valid reason for staying.

Luckily, I had no problems at all, and got to have a holiday in Korea as well. If anyone has any questions, I will be glad to help.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice to me previously, it was all very beneficial!

[Mulboyne]

Glad to hear everything worked out. It sounds like you did all the right preparation.

[Doctor Stop]

Except perhaps properly checking with immigration and not having to leave Japan in the first place.

[spyder]

Except perhaps properly checking with immigration and not having to leave Japan in the first place.

I seriously hope this is a joke.

I have said 3 times in this thread, twice to YOU, that I AND a friend went to Immigration, and were told that the visa could not be changed, as we were on Working Holiday Visas.

[Doctor Stop]

Which immigration office was it?

[spyder]

Shinagawa. And my friend went to a different one. Excact same answer.