Hi! I’m a first year JET that is leaving after one year, actually in two months. I had a question that me and my fellow cohort don’t have a clear answer on.
I plan to leave Japan 2-3 days after my contract. Do I have to get my visa changed to a tourist one or will I be able to safely leave Japan with my visa that says 3 years?
I remember reading something about if I were to stay past 30 days I would have to change it, but I wanted to be sure!
Thank you!
7 comments
If it’s only 3 days, you’re fine. Don’t worry
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My understanding from when I was a JET was that if your visa expires(e.g. the 3 year visa ends) you need to change it. If you still have time left on your visa, not your contract, you can carry on. There are some rules about notifying immigration of an employment change after a certain amount of time and a window of 3 months that are used for seeking employment. If it’s just a few days AND your visa is still valid, it shouldn’t be a problem.
* Check the dates and rules with immigration, I am going from memory here, and it’s a little fuzzy.
Nope, you’ll be fine! As long as your visa is still valid- which as a first year it will be- you don’t have to change it. Lots of people stay for a few days/ weeks after their contract ends without changing their visa.
A lot of people stay a couple of weeks after to clean up their lives anyway. A couple of days isn’t a big deal.
You should still have two years left on your visa, and you’ll be leaving before being jobless would become an issue with immigration (there’s a three month grace period to find a new job if you become unemployed and still want to live here).
It’s better to check with the immigration bureau.
My case was different, and if I decided to leave my job, I have 3 months to pack everything and leave the country even with my visa valid (3y).
So it’s better to check it. They can answer this by phone. Just ask for help in English or whatever language you speak.
No you don’t. You have a grace period of 3 months to find a new job. Your visa will be valid. The 30 day thing is only a rule created by JET about paying for your flight home.