I’m genuinely curious why it is a thing for Japan. I’ve applied for work and study visas in three other countries (Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam) and in all those instances, you just apply for the visa and get it. Only Japan, to my knowledge, has the extra step of applying for a certificate of eligibility and then applying for the visa.
So, I’m curious as to what the rationale is. Why are there two separate processes when they could be combined into one like neighboring countries? Do other countries also have their own COE equivalents? I’ve only applied for visas for Asian countries, so I don’t know about other parts of the world.
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Doesn’t it have something to do with financial viability? Someone knowledgeable please weigh in.
In theory it’s to allow requests for foreigners to come and live in Japan to be reviewed and approved by a centralized group. Which should mean quicker and more consistent results. It also allows consulates leeway to issue/approve visas if & when needed without needing to wait for physical documents to travel back to the motherland. So smaller and more efficient consulates too.
The mechanics of the system are a little clunky, but the theory seems pretty reasonable to me.