Anyone experiencing long wait times lately for a CoE from the Tokyo Regional Immigration Office?
My wife and I are getting ready to move to Japan on a Religious Worker visa to work at a church. Our organization started our CoE application back in late October, but at this point it has been 95+ days and still no CoE. Historically for our organization it’s usually a 2 week process but our case has been a wild card.
My colleague in Japan has called several times and was told it was still processing, however in the most recent calls the Immigration Office worker said they would “hurry”. They called us back afterwards two times to give updates. They said in one of the most recent calls that they would call us soon about shipping options. We didn’t get that particular call back, so he called to make sure they had his updated address. They said they might call back with questions, but they also might just mail it out without calling.
Here’s the kicker. My wife is pregnant and due the first week of May. We are starting to consider that past a certain point (early March?) we may need to stay and have the baby in the States. Obviously being unsure right now what country our child will be born in is a huge stressor. We are currently making sure we have everything set up (healthcare, a place to stay with family, etc) to have the baby in the US if needed. Thankfully, our employer is completely supportive/helpful and is already paying us while we are in the States waiting. They’ve stated that whether soon or after the baby is born, they’re committed to getting us over to Japan.
My question though- is it fair to expect that we will have the CoE soon? Or are the Immigration Office workers just being polite?
Also, any advice for our situation in general? Thanks y’all!
4 comments
Yes it is normal, I’ve waited for 6 months to get mine.
I’m from the USA – Mine took only 1 month (they said 1-3 months because it was in the middle of some holidays in Japan). Processing started mid-November and I got my CoE in the mail late December. If you’re getting communication from the office then I think you’re still good, but since my story is only anecdotal YMMV
Immigration is *notorious* for being uncommunicative, with the standard line being “It’s processing”. So you’ve already gotten more out of them then they usually give.
That said… Any estimate on your processing time would be worth exactly what you paid for it, and would probably need to get wiped off after being pulled out of you-know-where. You’re getting a fairly rare visa type, so your organization probably has a better idea of normal times than we could give.
You’re outside what would be considered the average processing time, but not ridiculously so. Average is 1-3 months, so you’re just outside that range. Your CoE could show up tomorrow, it could take another month.
The most important thing here is your wife and your child. Have you or your organization laid any groundwork for having the baby in Japan? People here generally start reserving birthing suites and all the other stuff literally as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, so you’re already *well* behind the curve in that regard. Frankly even if the CoE shows up tomorrow you’re already going to have a lot of trouble getting things organized for a May due date.
I submitted my CoE information for study abroad back in November through the host institution, and I got confirmation of it being accepted like 3 days ago. Part of that may be End of Year/Holiday stuff, but yeah, it took forever to get back.