Hello guys 🤗 in less tan a month I’ll be moving to Japan for 6 months for a student exchange.
I know the requirements to work with a student visa for a Japanese employer, but recently I got the opportunity to continue working for my current employer, an American company, working from home while I’m in Japan.
I don’t know if that’s even possible because the info I got on internet don’t specify if it is possible to work for outside Japan companies with the student visa, or maybe I don’t even need to legally tell Japan that I’m working because they are not involved. I don’t really know. I made a call to the consulate of Japan in my country and they told me “we cannot provide you an answer to that question you have to talk with the immigration office once you are in Japan” 😒😒. So I hope one of you guys can help me with this, maybe someone here have been in the same situation as me.
Side question: is it too much trouble if I don’t tell to the Japanese government that I’m working at all? 🤣😅
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Need advice about work with a student visa**
Hello guys 🤗 in less tan a month I’ll be moving to Japan for 6 months for a student exchange.
I know the requirements to work with a student visa for a Japanese employer, but recently I got the opportunity to continue working for my current employer, an American company, working from home while I’m in Japan.
I don’t know if that’s even possible because the info I got on internet don’t specify if it is possible to work for outside Japan companies with the student visa, or maybe I don’t even need to legally tell Japan that I’m working because they are not involved. I don’t really know. I made a call to the consulate of Japan in my country and they told me “we cannot provide you an answer to that question you have to talk with the immigration office once you are in Japan” 😒😒. So I hope one of you guys can help me with this, maybe someone here have been in the same situation as me.
Side question: is it too much trouble if I don’t tell to the Japanese government that I’m working at all? 🤣😅
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You would still need to request permission to engage in activities outside the scope of your status of residence (same as any other work), and you’re still restricted to 28 hours per week.
Additionally, as you’d be physically present in Japan while doing the work that you’re being paid for, the income from that work is considered domestically sourced which means you’d owe Japan taxes on it. There is a tax treaty between the US and Japan, so you wouldn’t be taxed twice on that income, but you’ll owe Japan first.
>is it too much trouble if I don’t tell to the Japanese government that I’m working at all?
We don’t discuss or endorse fraud here.
>but recently I got the opportunity to continue working for my current employer, an American company, working from home while I’m in Japan.
You would still be limited to 28 hours a week. And I *believe* you would need to request special permission (not just the blanket permission every student gets) from immigration to work for a non-Japanese employer.
>maybe I don’t even need to legally tell Japan that I’m working because they are not involved.
You ***absolutely*** do, because they absolutely *are* involved. As u/Benevir said: You’ll owe Japanese taxes. Failing to follow the proper procedures can result in your visa being cancelled and getting deported/banned from reentering the country.
>is it too much trouble if I don’t tell to the Japanese government that I’m working at all?
That would be visa fraud. See “your visa being cancelled and getting deported/banned from reentering the country.”