Hello people r/movingtoJapan.
I am a Chinese national who has been living in the U.S. for the past 5 years. When my opt was approaching its expiration date I realized that I cannot return to China due to the travel ban between the two countries and chose to go to Japan instead, for I was thinking about working there anyway.
After couple of month of Job hunting and interviews I was finally accepted for a position and submitted my CoE application last week. Just when I was getting relieved, I found out that me as a non-resident cannot apply for Japanese work visa. I am in the process of transferring my F1 student visa to B1 tourist visa so I’m technically not a student nor tourist.
The logical next step seems to be just go back to China. However, because of the moronic quarantine measures applied to my hometown Shanghai, it’s not guaranteed that I will be able to apply for Visa even if I managed to return despite the hardship. That combined with not being able to find ticket back(also affordable, I can’t pay for an $10,000 ticket when I used to pay $400 ), I am kind of stuck and close to having a panic attack.
Do anyone has some insight or was in similar situation before who can help me out find a way to bypass some of the rules? Maybe some kind of work holiday visa in another country? Can I apply for it anyway and Japanese Embasy might not find out? I honestly is kind of burnt out at this point.
6 comments
Wait can you not get a Japanese visa under F1? I was about to do the same
Have you tried–take your expired F1 with you and tell them it’s being renewed? I imagine it’s better than just giving up.
Where are you at? Tokyo area? I’m in Yokohama (US citizen but I have residency).
I think that you can apply to any Japanese Embassy it is not mandatory to be the on in your home country.
i had a friend in the opposite position, he was american who live in China near shanghai but couldnt apply with his COE through shanghai consulate. Apparently now people in the shanghai region can apply through the guangzhou japan consulate (according to the guangzhou consulate).
one option i think of is try applying through a 3rd country like thailand or korea, but first email the consulate in the country to make sure of the necessary materials. in usual times chinese passport can get onsite visa for thailand, and no need visa for jeju-do in korea.
You can try going back to China but not go back to your hometown if you are really worried. Find a cheap hotel or hostel near a different consulate or embassy and process it through there. That said, I know someone that is from Shanghai that recently came to Japan. So, the consulate there is open.