QUESTION: do you know someone who got a work visa in Japan with a job unrelated to their studies at a vocational school?
I’m a foreigner student living in Japan and studying at a å°‚é–€å¦æ ¡ (vocational school). I study art design and animation.
Today I started the process of changing my visa to a working visa; my part-time job company is hiring me as an English teacher (eikaiwa). I’ve been working there for almost a year.
At the immigration office I was told that specifically for vocational school graduates, the content of one’s studies has to directly match one’s job to get the visa, so it would go against the rules, but they still decided to proceed to the “inspection” （審査）anyway.
Me and my boss had researched about this before so he prepared a justification document explaining among other things such as why I can speak English so well even though I’m not a native, how I would use my design skills at my workplace, as there are a few design and video making related tasks I would ALSO do.
However the government worker did not seem very convinced. But still he said they would analyze my case and the justification letter for the 審査 (which according to my boss is a good sign).
Previously on a telephone call to Japan’s immigration office when my boss explained my situation he apparently received a positive response, saying that if we explain in that justification document why I’m needed for the company I should be okay, even as a vocational school graduate. Because of that, my boss wondered if the worker we met today is only aware of the most common visa application situations and once he consults his superiors they will be okay with giving me a visa.
My question is: have you ever heard of anyone in such a specific situation like myself? what do you know about “exceptions” to that rule requiring direct relationship between one’s job and studies? Is this rule really as strict as that government worker made it out to be?
2 comments
Never heard of an exception to that rule.
It’s a known limitation of getting a work visa only with a vocational school degree in that you’re strictly limited to the field you studied in.
You are 100% at the mercy of your immigration examiner, and it is *highly* likely, if not almost certain, that you will get your visa denied.
As several immigration agents have already told you the senmon gakko education exemption is limited to working in your field of study.
>what do you know about “exceptions” to that rule requiring direct relationship between one’s job and studies?
They don’t exist. Getting a visa as a senmon gakko graduate is ***already*** an “exception” to the rules regarding education.
> Is this rule really as strict as that government worker made it out to be?
Absolutely yes.