Hello!
I’m interested in joining a Japanese language school despite having no prior knowledge of Japan. The program lasts two years, and I aim to reach N2 or N1 level proficiency from N5.
However, I’ve learned that immigration now requires applicants to have either JLPT N5 certification or at least 150 hours of Japanese language study with a certificate showing the number of hours completed.
I would appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to fulfill the 150 hours requirement. Thanks for your attention! 😄
3 comments
The moment you reach out to a school to the moment you set foot in the school will be about 9 months.
The moment you reach out to the school to the moment immigration wants your JLPT N5 results will be about 5 months.
My advice would be to begin studying now, reach out to schools in September/October, take the N5 in December, and submit your passing result in March. You’ll begin school in July 2024.
This is doubly good because language schools are infamously bad for very low level Japanese (a lot of これはペンです。i.e. saying “this is a pen” and other rudimentary phrases over and over). So starting with N5 as a baseline will propel you to the good stuff.
I know it sounds far away but this would be the safest plan if it works for you logistically.
Huh.
Did they change the rules recently or something? When I was in a language school (now 3 or so years ago) there were people who couldn’t read kana.
Having seen that, yeah, N5 as a baseline beforehand actually sounds like a good idea, but that’s surprising if that’s an immigration requirement now.
You can reach out directly to the Japanese language school for guidance as they typically have a visa expert on staff and should have a better grasp on what the visa reviews actually require. IME, visa requirements and processing speed varies a lot over time.
Some ideas would be a community college or language program in your hometown, if they are available.