Yo, alien registration card holders... 1 year to go

[wagyl]

The definition of most does not include Mr Adelstein https://twitter.com/jakeadelstein/statu ... 5720551424

There are 303 people ahead of me waiting to have their gaijin cards changed. Mine says it's valid until 2018 but...

...showing CJ level of head-in-the-sand, in my opinion.

Edit: ooh, it gets better. When people reply that they got the earlier notification, Jake gets upset with them for not tweeting that fact at the time...


I wasn't going to pipe in with yet another "smoooooooooth conversion out in the boonies, what with a visitors parking spot within the Immigration Office compound and only one other person there" story, but since I am posting... Did it about a month ago.

[BigInJapan]

The definition of most does not include Mr Adelstein https://twitter.com/jakeadelstein/statu ... 5720551424

There are 303 people ahead of me waiting to have their gaijin cards changed. Mine says it's valid until 2018 but...

I don't see how this is possible (not knowing until now). I got my first notice of renewal at least six months ago, then again yesterday on July 6.
If you have your current address on your gaijin card, you should have gotten a notice. It's written in Japanese and English, so the Nihongo dekinai excuse won't apply. I'm not sure what will happen for individuals who let it lapse, and go in for renewal after the deadline (they will potentially be treated as visa over-stayers).

[wagyl]

It is possible because you didn't personally tweet Jake Adelstein!

In my view, the information campaign was one of the better ones here.

[Samurai_Jerk]

How could a guy working for the news media not have heard about this?

[omae mona]

I'm not sure what will happen for individuals who let it lapse, and go in for renewal after the deadline (they will potentially be treated as visa over-stayers).

As much as I've always urged people to keep their paperwork up to date, I doubt that fucking this up is anywhere near as serious as a visa over-stay. The MOJ's choice to grant or not grant a foreigner permission to be in the country, based on their judgment, is a really big deal. Ignoring their will on that (by actually overstaying) is the kind of thing that lands you in jail or gets you deported.

But, by contrast, the residency card is just a clerical issue, related to carrying written proof of the fact that you were granted permission. Having an outdated card does not mean your visa is not valid, by any means. Still, they claim to be taking these cards more seriously than before. The threat seems to be more for monetary fines than losing your residency status.

[BigInJapan]

I'm not sure what will happen for individuals who let it lapse, and go in for renewal after the deadline (they will potentially be treated as visa over-stayers).

Ignoring their will on that (by actually overstaying) is the kind of thing that lands you in jail or gets you deported.

This is true. As long as your actual residency status (PR, J spouse, student, specialist in humanities, etc.) has not expired, you'll be OK.
I know from personal experience as I accidentally let my ARC expire over 15 years ago. When I got married, I assumed that my ARC paperwork had been done together, and when I went to renew my driver's license several months later, they told me I had to renew my ARC. It was a bit of a hassle as the local (Nagano) immigration office at the time told me I had to do it in Tokyo. I took a day off work, went in to Tokyo, and spent some fun time in the back of immigration along with various nefarious looking types from the African subcontinent and Southeast Asia, etc. The guys at Tokyo immigration told me I could have done it in Nagano, which means the guy out there was just being a prick, oh well.
Needless to say, if you do let your papers fall into arrears, it helps when you are from "a country friendly with Japan" (immigration dude actually mentioned that to me in a low voice, n/k).

[inflames]

One of my friends almost had his lapse.

He actually got kind of pissed because he was at immigration, putting the paperwork to renew his spouse visa (he apparently waited until the last minute) and they didn't say a thing about changing it over. He had to go back out there and take care of it (I told him he'd probably be OK letting it slide and just picking up the new one with his new visa).

[Samurai_Jerk]

One of my friends almost had his lapse.

He actually got kind of pissed because he was at immigration, putting the paperwork to renew his spouse visa (he apparently waited until the last minute) and they didn't say a thing about changing it over. He had to go back out there and take care of it (I told him he'd probably be OK letting it slide and just picking up the new one with his new visa).

That's weird. For the last few years everyone I know who's renewed has been given the new card automatically as was I when I renewed two years ago.

[yanpa]

One of my friends almost had his lapse.

He actually got kind of pissed because he was at immigration, putting the paperwork to renew his spouse visa (he apparently waited until the last minute) and they didn't say a thing about changing it over. He had to go back out there and take care of it (I told him he'd probably be OK letting it slide and just picking up the new one with his new visa).

That's weird. For the last few years everyone I know who's renewed has been given the new card automatically as was I when I renewed two years ago.

Yup, same here.

[Samurai_Jerk]

One of my friends almost had his lapse.

He actually got kind of pissed because he was at immigration, putting the paperwork to renew his spouse visa (he apparently waited until the last minute) and they didn't say a thing about changing it over. He had to go back out there and take care of it (I told him he'd probably be OK letting it slide and just picking up the new one with his new visa).

That's weird. For the last few years everyone I know who's renewed has been given the new card automatically as was I when I renewed two years ago.

Yup, same here.

I just checked what I wrote at the time of my last renewal to see if my memory is correct and it seems it is. There was no need to submit an additional application form or request a ZRC. This makes me wonder when inflames's friend renewed. It's not clear from his post that his friend's last minute extension of his stay as a spouse was last minute as far as the deadline for changing to a ZRC goes. Maybe it was just before they started giving them out.

[omae mona]

One of my friends almost had his lapse.

He actually got kind of pissed because he was at immigration, putting the paperwork to renew his spouse visa (he apparently waited until the last minute) and they didn't say a thing about changing it over.

If this was after July 2012, that was a major fuck-up on the part of immigration. Hard to imagine... they stopped stamping passports at that point, I thought. Where did they print his new period of stay if they didn't give him a new card?

He had to go back out there and take care of it

Good idea.

(I told him he'd probably be OK letting it slide and just picking up the new one with his new visa).

Hate to say it, but he was right not to listen to you!

[inflames]

One of my friends almost had his lapse.

He actually got kind of pissed because he was at immigration, putting the paperwork to renew his spouse visa (he apparently waited until the last minute) and they didn't say a thing about changing it over. He had to go back out there and take care of it (I told him he'd probably be OK letting it slide and just picking up the new one with his new visa).

That's weird. For the last few years everyone I know who's renewed has been given the new card automatically as was I when I renewed two years ago.

Yup, same here.

I just checked what I wrote at the time of my last renewal to see if my memory is correct and it seems it is. There was no need to submit an additional application form or request a ZRC. This makes me wonder when inflames's friend renewed. It's not clear from his post that his friend's last minute extension of his stay as a spouse was last minute as far as the deadline for changing to a ZRC goes. Maybe it was just before they started giving them out.

My impression was that he got it early July 2012 - right before the deadline. He then waited until right before his visa expired to renew it.

I honestly don't think immigration would care about this too much (an acquaintance overstayed recently and basically had to pay 4000 yen and got a warning), but immigration does seem to hate this guy - been here nearly 20 years, married with two kids and still can't get PR.

[wagyl]

OK, that was the kind of timing I was thinking might be the only scenario to lead to this problem: got a three year visa just before the Zairyu Card was introduced. Renewed that visa at the last minute so it was still in process and not yet determined when the ARC cards became invalid. They didn't tell him to get a Zairyu Card when he put in the application because that is issued automatically with his renewal.

Maybe Immigration hate this guy as an individual, maybe they hate everyone who leaves their paperwork to the very last minute and who "actually get kind of pissed at Immigration." They are like lions and dogs, you know: they can smell fear and contempt. Otherwise they are not convinced that he can provide for his family and that he will not be a burden on the state.