I have a friend who abandoned their life in their country to pursue a life in Japan.
She came on a tourist visa and not much money, went to immigration and gave told them a fake story about how she has no choice but to seek refuge in Japan due to an abusive ex who would beat her and force her to smuggle drugs, etc.
She was told by immigration to bring them a utility bill as a proof of address and I refused to give her mine because it felt very sketchy and I recently moved so luckily I don’t have a utility bill yet.
She eventually found someone willing to let her use their address, and after bringing it to immigration she was immediately given a 2 month extension for her stay. And she told me after 2 months she can go get a residence card from them!!!
Not only that, she even said that after getting her residence card, she only needs to stay in Japan for 2 years to be able to apply for permanent residence!
I’m not that close with this friend and I do not condone what she is doing by lying and committing fraud. But I am really surprised that she was able to get this so easily! Isn’t it really hard to be approved as a refugee in Japan??
I am lowkey jealous because many of us came to Japan the proper way by going to Japanese Language School or through work, etc.
I honestly don’t know how to feel about this.
Does anyone know more about how the refugee application process works?
I let her stay at my apartment for a week before I couldn’t take it anymore and made her leave. If she gets caught for being a fake refugee, can I get in trouble for harbouring her while knowing full well she is lying to immigration??
I don’t want to get involved with her because her situation is really sketchy. Is this something I should report to authorities??
12 comments
Refugee status is only difficult to get for people coming to Japan. Japan had to be dragged kicking and screaming to take in some displaced Ukrainians and look how many Syrians they took in? Once you are in Japan, it is less difficult to then receive refugee status AFAIK.
If immigration do ever start asking questions (unlikely), deny deny deny. She stayed with you for a bit whilst she was between apartment rental contracts, you knew nothing about her residency status etc.
I’m pretty sure she’s going to need to provide proof at some point. You just don’t become a refugee because your living circumstances suck… there needs to be a national crisis in your home country lol
Source: my parents were refugees (not in Japan)
Why dont you anonymously tip them off
They work entirely for political reasons to the point some mathematical formula can be applied to it.
For example, 1 Sri Lankan woman dying in custody equals accepting and giving 50 “refugees” LTRs so that the MOFA of Japan’s image isn’t tarnished.
I am guessing she has to find a proper job and pay taxes for the next two years to be able to apply for PR. I am guessing it’s not easy.
She *can* apply for PR. Doesn’t mean she’s automatically going to get it. She’s going to need a decent income, etc.
Are you sure she told the truth? How can Japan give refugee visas for personal things (in my opinion abusive ex is a personal thing)
There are many big-mouth foreigners living in Japan. They lie, and lie and lie to make people jealous of them. I met one or two people like that here.
If she is true about she getting refugee visa then you should report that person to immigration. Don’t afraid if she drag you by saying you gave her accommodation, just said that you didn’t help her. You just don’t know about her visa and just want to help as friend and that’s not a criminal thing.
Refugee application process here: https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/guide/nanmin_tetuduki.html
However, Regarding her aspirations for PR, those who are eventually recognized as Refugees cannot apply for for PR until 5 years of consecutive residency. She’d also need to be holding a 3/5 year visa after that 5 year mark to be able to apply as well. (All this is outlined here: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/930003492.pdf)… of course immigration is arbitrary so these are general guidelines. In reality it could be more relaxed, or it could be more strict.
Tbh if she’s committing immigration fraud claiming to be a refugee, when in reality she’s an economic migrant using a fake story to obtain refugee status and game the system, then you really should anonymously report her to immigration: https://www.isa.go.jp/en/consultation/report/index.html
Not only because immigration fraud is a kick in the face on people who work their ass off with constant stress and anxiety, and time involved to follow the laws correctly so that they can maintain their visa.
But also (and maybe most importantly in this context) because Japan is not exactly renowned for their generosity in annual issuing of refugee status.
Thus, She’s potentially taking resources away from an actual genuine refugee.
Afaik an abusive partner is not a valid reason to be granted refuge. Your friend sounds like an unreliable narrator tbh, so I would take anything they say with a grain of salt.
Like they say , don’t hate the player, hate the game 😂
That story doesn’t sound credible. Japan has the lowest acceptance rate for refugees and asylum seekers among the developed countries. Believe it when she actually has a legitimate residency card to show you.
She’s either lying or there’s more to the story. Japan is notorious for its low acceptance rate of refugee among OECD countries. In 2021, they accepted a mere [74 people](https://www.refugee.or.jp/refugee/japan_recog/). And as someone who’s involved with issues of refugees and foreign detainees in Japan, I can tell you that it’s also ridiculously difficult to get Japan to accept that you’re a genuine refugee. The burden is on the applicant to prove *without a doubt* that they are being persecuted. And not just personally persecuted but they has to be part of a persecuted group and has actually suffered harm. There was a story about a Myanmar woman who was turned down because while she was part of the persecuted Rohingya people, she had not suffered harm herself.
Moreover, there are hundreds of foreign detainees in the immigration detention centers across Japan who have been stuck there for years because they could not return home because they genuinely fear for their lives. And many didn’t even manage to get 仮放免, or provisional release, not to mention refugee status.
I call bogus on this woman’s story.