Hi, everyone, I apologize in advance if the same question has already been posted but I am a bit stressed and really looking for help.
I have been attending to a Japanese language school since April last year. I did not like it since the beginning as the vast majority of the students but decided to endure it since I really wanted to learn the language and have the chance to continue living here. Right now I am at my limit and want to quit immediately.
I have paid the school until March next year and visa actually expires in May. The school has always told us that the moment we quit or graduate we have to immediately leave the country, like no more than a week and preferably next day (except if we were going to university, getting married or if we find a job).
Consequently, I contacted my country’s (Spain) embassy about how could I change my student visa to a tourist visa in order to stay here around around 80 more days (being 90 days the limit). They told me to ask in Immigration but that they have heard that it was possible to stay here the same amount of time without doing anything at all. Today I have gone to Immigration and I have received the same answer. So, has my school been lying to us during this time?
I am paranoid about not doing everything properly as 1) I don’t want to be deported, 2) I would like to come back to Japan maybe in a year and a half with the working holiday visa.
Sorry for the long post and thank you so much for any advice or piece of knowledge you can give me! 🙏
6 comments
[Status of residence “Temporary Visitor” | Immigration Services Agency (moj.go.jp)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/temporaryvisitor.html?hl=en)
here is what you have to do after you finish your studies to get tourist visa
language schools are s***. I had to go through two years of that bs🥲 just to get in to a vocational training school.
language school teachers lie all the time and mostly be rude to third world country students like myself.
better to deal with immigration directly and don’t listen to language school’s BS.
well technically not all the countries have this 90 days short term visa for tourism without any requirement, so the school is just covering their asses and telling everyone to leave the country the day after the finish the school term. They cannot explain this particular visa for every single country.
I have several passports, one of them also from Spain which I used back in 2015 for 6 months student visa and the school finished in december 20 something and I stayed in Japan until January 7th, nothing literally happened, the visa was expiring in February and no single fuck was given by anyone.
Language schools are basically a scam in Japan, yes you go there to learn the language but they most interested in people who will have a semi slave for work in convinis, factories, etc…
I think the reason is the school is your sponsor till your visa expire , so of course you can quit and stay but in case something happen to you ( crime , death , etc ) your school is your sponsor in this country because they are the ones that apply for that visa .
>I have paid the school until March next year and visa actually expires in May. The school has always told us that the moment we quit or graduate we have to immediately leave the country, like no more than a week and preferably next day (except if we were going to university, getting married or if we find a job).
IIRC it’s actually 2 weeks. That being said it sounds like the immigration guy was like sure we can switch you over to a tourist visa for the remainder of your stay.
The reason for the 2 weeks is some folks, particularly from impoverished countries, would enroll in language school, get a visa, move to Japan, then work 120h a week not actually attending the school. It’s why the schools have such a huge PITA infrastructure set up around tracking your progress and enrollment – because the government basically put the responsibility on them.
When you leave your school will have to report this to immigration. If you don’t change to the proper visa immigration will boot you. Immigration will, however, be more than happy to give you a visitors visa for the remainder of your stay if you ask them.
Would you be open to getting a job? I was also really stressed and almost got depressed towards the end of my language school. Made my first priority getting a work visa sponsorship, and only attended half my classes two months straight (not because of job hunting, simply because I couldn’t bring myself to go to school). Not encouraging you to start missing school, but you could also learn the language while working here. So leaving Japan may not be the only option?