Long story short: I taught in Japan for many years. I have a three-year status of residence, valid util July of next year. Two years ago (shortly after renewing that residence status) I had to move home to the U.S. in a hurry, to help an elderly family member who was starting to have difficulty living alone.
Family member is doing better now, and able to live alone again (and getting some other help to do so). No longer needs me to stay here. So I’m moving back to Japan. I still have my 在留カード and I do have a Re-entry Permit.
Questions. 1) My employer unofficially assured me I could have the job back whenever I returned. On paper, it had to be a resignation rather than a leave, because I wasn’t sure of how long I would have to be away. I explained all this to Immigration when I applied for the Re-entry Permit, and they still granted it. Is there some chance of this (my not having a job any more) being a problem for Immigration when I return?
2) I moved out of my rented apartment when I left Japan. I’m going to be staying with friends at first when I get back, until I can get a place on my own again. My Zairyu Card still has my old address. Are they likely to ask at Immigration about where I’m staying, or will they just be OK with the address on my card? (if they do ask, my plan would be to simply explain the situation, and give them my friends’ address).
3) I’ll obviously need to get a job. Once I report to Immigration that the previous job doesn’t exist anymore, am I likely to get the usual 3-month grace period before I need to worry about my residence status? Or would my two-year period away from Japan somehow be a problem?
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Moving back to Japan–questions**
Long story short: I taught in Japan for many years. I have a three-year status of residence, valid util July of next year. Two years ago (shortly after renewing that residence status) I had to move home to the U.S. in a hurry, to help an elderly family member who was starting to have difficulty living alone.
Family member is doing better now, and able to live alone again (and getting some other help to do so). No longer needs me to stay here. So I’m moving back to Japan. I still have my 在留カード and I do have a Re-entry Permit.
Questions. 1) My employer unofficially assured me I could have the job back whenever I returned. On paper, it had to be a resignation rather than a leave, because I wasn’t sure of how long I would have to be away. I explained all this to Immigration when I applied for the Re-entry Permit, and they still granted it. Is there some chance of this (my not having a job any more) being a problem for Immigration when I return?
2) I moved out of my rented apartment when I left Japan. I’m going to be staying with friends at first when I get back, until I can get a place on my own again. My Zairyu Card still has my old address. Are they likely to ask at Immigration about where I’m staying, or will they just be OK with the address on my card? (if they do ask, my plan would be to simply explain the situation, and give them my friends’ address).
3) I’ll obviously need to get a job. Once I report to Immigration that the previous job doesn’t exist anymore, am I likely to get the usual 3-month grace period before I need to worry about my residence status? Or would my two-year period away from Japan somehow be a problem?
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