Hi all!
Currently, I’m pursuing a PhD in Spain, and I was considering moving to japan for a short-term, 3 – 6 months, visit with a tourist visa to do some tourism and work on my PhD remotely (I have done this before within the EU).
I’m aware of how important it is to have the correct visa, so I have a few questions that I couldn’t find online:
* Is it okay for me to work on my PhD under a tourist visa? I believe this is okay because a lot of people go to language schools with this visa (short-term).
* Currently, I’m receiving a scholarship to work on my PhD that is paid monthly, around 1300€. Can this be considered as income and hence affect the visa status?
* Working on my PhD means that I might need to go to some conferences outside the country for 3-7 days. Could it be problematic if I exit and enter the country 2-3 times during my stay after that short visit to another country?
I want to also note that this will be a self-funded trip, without any assistance from any university in Japan.
Thanks for your help
2 comments
Have you considered contacting a Japanese professor in your field of research and coming to Japan as exchange student or visiting researcher for 3 months?
At a Izakaya few months ago, I met a Swiss guy doing PhD in Germany who had similar plan as you originally. But somehow he made contact with a Japanese professor who invited him to work in his lab for 3 months. In the end, he was pretty happy with the overall results, got to travel Japan, wrote a research paper with group of Japanese professors, and invitation to come back as PostDoc/researcher if he wants.
This is one of the few situations where “working” on a tourist visa is probably allowable.
>Is it okay for me to work on my PhD under a tourist visa?
Should be fine. You’re studying, not working.
>Can this be considered as income and hence affect the visa status?
It’s highly unlikely that they would consider this income.
>Could it be problematic if I exit and enter the country 2-3 times during my stay after that short visit to another country?
It *shouldn’t* be a problem, but you should expect to get some very pointed questions from the immigration officers when you reenter the country. They will wonder what you’re doing in Japan, how you’re supporting yourself, and assume that you’re working illegally.
I would consult with an immigration attorney before trying this. It *should* be ok, but especially given question #3, you should get some actual professional advice.
All that said: While this is possible, it’s really not *advisable*.
This has the potential to be ***very*** expensive. As a tourist you’re going to be paying tourist rates for everything. You won’t be able to get a normal cell phone plan, a normal lease, or subsidized health care.
If you’re cool with spending all that money you can probably make it work. But you need to be aware that all the cost of living estimates here (and elsewhere on the internet) assume *residency*, which you will not have.