Hello, I recently found a job in Japan from overseas but it seems my company made some mistakes when filling out the paperwork for the visa and basically they changed my job title and description to be aligned more with my degree. Unfortunately, the visa (international/humanities visa) has been delayed for a bit and it could be issued this month but there’s also the probability that it will come 3 or 4 months after from what I heard.
The company wants me to come this month, to get used to life in Japan (getting to know the place, learning to drive) and hopefully attend the entrance ceremony in April by using a tourist visa.
However I feel confused since they also want me to start work later while on the tourist visa, and I might not get pay for it until the government issues the work visa. It sounds kind of illegal though, and I feel worried about coming to Japan especially since I don’t know if I actually have the funds to simply support myself on a tourist visa or not. Also I would need to come back to Canada to submit my documents to the embassy if the CoE gets approved, and then come back to Japan again. I actually visited Japan last month on a scholarship, and I think the immigration officer/person at the airport will ask me many questions plus I think that lying about my intention on the tourist visa and being caught for doing so could get me in big trouble. If I land in jail, or get a huge fine, or even deported, it would be really bad as someone who plans on working there and it seems like a huge risk for me to book a flight ticket to Japan without knowing when I get my VISA and all that. My company thinks it is fine to come on a tourist visa for now because of this situation, and then I could come again on a work visa because apparently switching from a tourist to work visa is a method that is allowed. I’ve heard of some people doing it back then, but I’m not sure if this is still allowed.
I really don’t want to get in trouble with the law in Japan, are there any suggestions about how I could handle the visa issue with the company? Like maybe going on a working holiday visa and traveling around Japan while using the work to fund my trips to different parts of Japan. Or maybe I could ask to push my start date to next year since it might be less of a hassle. I can’t really go later than April apparently because some people will see that as me having “special treatment”, so I am thinking about these two options. The other thing is that the contract I signed, mentions that I can’t really opt out after signing unless there was a circumstance out of my control (being sick, committing criminal activity, etc.). The people in the company are not really bad people, they seem nice and I get along with them but apparently this is the first time they are also dealing with a delay on the visa and I am afraid they are handling it the wrong way… they do also consult with lawyers though so I am not exactly sure if this is the right thing to do. Is it really worth booking a flight to Japan late March? I still think about it. I need some third person perspective on this matter, and any stories or advice would be helpful.
3 comments
I’m doing research right now and from my understanding, it is illegal to work on a tourist visa.
Also none of this seems okay. I see some people online wrote stories of being exploited on a tourist visa with no pay, no health insurance, etc.
It sounds wrong to me. I think I won’t book the flight. Correct me if I’m wrong though.
The company are asking you to work illegally?
It really doesn’t matter whether you get paid now or later, you cannot engage in work on a tourist visa waiver.
Any type of labour that benefits a company is equivalent to paid work, even if you yourself are not paid.
What they are asking you to do is definitely illegal.
What kind of company is this, and why is the COE “delayed”?
There is a possibility that they plan on exploiting you as free labour, with your COE being “rejected” at the end. You will have no recourse.
Being asked to work on a tourist visa is a huge red flag as it is illegal. Period.
And if they want you to come out before your employment date, and not pay you (since you are not employed yet) while expecting you to pay rent/hotels, pay for driving lessons, etc, that is also a huge red flag.
I moved to Japan in 2021 and when there was concern about being able to have a visa issued in time (it was a bit rough at that time, obviously) we just moved my start date out to accommodate that.