Hey everyone,
I’m seeking advice on a difficult decision I need to make soon, and I hope you can help.
I’m from Latin America, and I just turned 30. I graduated from university, and I speak fluent English, Portuguese, and Spanish. I came to Japan on October 1st of last year as a student to study Japanese. Over the past year, I improved my Japanese from N5 to N3, certified by the JLPT, despite my school being pretty bad and most students not caring about studying.
Now, my student visa will expire on September 30th, and I want to stay and work in Japan. The problem is that I’ve had difficulty finding a job, especially since I live in Morioka, which is a bit rural. I’m living with my Japanese girlfriend, but marriage is not an option for us (she’s made that clear, but that’s a different story).
Here’s where I’m stuck:
I’ve been told that once my school notifies immigration that I’m no longer a student, I’ll have about three months to either go home or change my visa to a work visa. However, I do have the option to extend my studies for six more months if I pay ¥360,000 by the end of this month.
Is it worth risking my visa status while job hunting, or should I just pay for another six months of a pretty useless school while I continue looking for a job?
Any advice would be appreciated!
by Mysterious-Use648