Student Visa in Japan

Student Visa in Japan 留学資格

• Japan Student Visa
• Certificate of Eligibility
• Entering Japan on a Student Visa
• Residence Card
• Working as a Student
• Re-Entry to Japan
• Health Insurance
• Liability Insurance
• Living in Japan

Japan Student Visa

Everyone living in Japan who is not a Japanese national has a status of residence as set out in the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, and one of them is ryuugaku. The ryuugaku visa is generally translated by the Ministry of Justice as a "College student" visa. A better description would be an "international student" or "exchange student" visa. A non-Japanese citizen studying at an educational institution in Japan, including a high school, must have a ryuugaku visa.

A ryugaku visa, like any other visa to enter Japan, must be applied for at the Japanese embassy or consulate general nearest to where the applicant lives. The applicant can make the application him or herself, or authorize a proxy to do it, or in some cases do it through a travel agent approved by the embassy/consulate.

Applying for a student visa to enter Japan requires:

1. a valid passport

2. a filled out Visa Application Form to Enter Japan

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/pdfs/application1.pdf

3. passport-size photo

(4. Certificate of Eligibility)


(5. Photocopy of Certificate of Eligibility)

The institution where the student is intending to study may also have to submit forms such as:

-Letter of Guarantee

-Letter of Reason for Invitation

-Overview of the Organization form

but this is case by case.

Certificate of Eligibility

A Certificate of Eligibility for Resident Status (zairyu-shikaku-nintei-shomei-sho) is, strictly speaking, not a required part of your visa application, but has virtually become a required part of it. Submitting one will significantly speed up the visa application process, meaning the result should be known within one week rather than taking several months.

A Certificate of Eligibility is applied for by the institution where the student will be studying. The staff of the institution apply to a regional immigration bureau in Japan on behalf of the prospective student. Issuance can be quite slow: usually a couple of months, but up to three.

Once the Certificate of Eligibility is issued, the educational institution sends it to the prospective student, who includes it with his or her visa application to the embassy/consulate.

Submitting a Certificate of Eligibility does not guarantee that the applicant will get a visa to enter Japan. And even if a visa is issued, upon landing in Japan, an inspection may reveal, for example, that the Certificate was based on false information or that there is a problem with the holder's passport. However, it will facilitate visa issuance, and is therefore highly recommended.

An application for a Certificate of Eligibility requires the submission of an application form, a 4cm x 3cm photograph of the applicant, a copy of your passport, a letter from the school proving that you have been accepted for admission, evidence of financial support, a resume/curriculum vitae, among other documents. However, as most of the application process is undertaken by the school on the applicant's behalf, such requirements will be communicated to the applicant by the school as necessary.

Many schools require advance payment of a portion of the school fees before they will send the applicant an issued Certificate of Eligibility.

Unlike a visa, for which a fee is charged, no fee is charged by the Ministry of Justice for the issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility.

Entering Japan on a Student Visa

So, you have finally had your "College Student" visa issued by the Japanese embassy or consulate in your home country. You can now go to Japan. Once you land in Japan, you are screened by immigration at the airport.

1. An immigration official will check your passport to make sure it is valid and contains a valid visa.

2. You must submit your filled-out embarkation/disembarkation ("ED") card, handed out in the airplane.

3. Photograph and fingerprints are taken.

They may question you to ensure that you are indeed coming to Japan for the purpose you state. Being able to produce a Certificate of Eligibility for Resident Status will make this much easier. If all goes well, they will stamp your visa and you will enter Japan.

Residence Card (Zairyu Card)

If the student (ryuugaku) visa is valid for three months or more, the holder will be issued a Residence Card (zairyuu card) at the airport (in the case of Narita, Haneda, Chubu and Kansai airports) or by mail at a later date to the address recorded in your visa application.

Whether you receive a Residence Card at the airport or get a stamp for later issuance of it in your passport, you must go to the office of the local authority (e.g., ward or city office) for the area you live in Japan within 14 days to register your details.

Working as a Student

Once in Japan, a person on a student visa may apply for permission to do part-time work, formally known as Permission to Engage in an Activity Other than that Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted (or, in Japanese, shikaku-gai-katsudo-kyoka).

This requires filling in an Application for Change of Status of Residence (zairyu-shikaku-henko-kyoka-shinsei-sho). An application requires other documents, including a Letter of Guarantee from someone in Japan, and a 4,000 yen fee.

Once granted, permission allows a student to work up to 28 hours per week during study term, and up to 8 hours per day during study vacation periods. The work involved must be "above-board," i.e., have nothing to do with gambling or sex.

Note that schools will often only grant a supporting letter required for this application if the student has met requirements for a certain length of time relating to academic achievement and the like.

Re-Entry to Japan

Japan's Special Re-Entry Permit System allows a person on a student visa to leave Japan and come back during the term of the visa without losing his or her visa status.

Make sure that when departing Japan you pick up an Embarkation Card for Reentrant, and tick the "Departure with Special Re-entry Permission" box on the card before handing it in at the immigration departure checkpoint. That's it!

Health Insurance in Japan

National Health Insurance in Japan covers all holders of a ryuugaku visa, administered by the local authority (i.e., city office, etc.) with jurisdiction in the area the holder lives in Japan.

The amount of the National Health Insurance premium to be paid is calculated based on the applicant's income in the previous year, so students generally qualify for the 70%-reduced premium that applies to an income of 330,000 yen or less. The premium in this case usually works out at about the equivalent of USD200 per year. However, you must actively apply for this discount when joining the National Health Insurance program. You cannot apply for the discount after having submitted your application to join.

The ward or city office will issue the applicant an NHI Certificate (hoken-sho). 

In the event of requiring medical care, the insured student must pay only 30% of the cost of treatment (except in cases of traffic accidents where the person who caused the accident has been identified, immunization, health check-ups, childbirth, eyeglasses, contact lenses and plastic surgery).

Therefore, it may be advisable to take out insurance in your home country before going to Japan to cover the 30% you may have to pay. Please note however, that hospitals in Japan do not accept foreign health insurance policies. The Japanese hospital must be paid in cash, and the receipts submitted to the foreign health insurance company for reimbursement.

Liability Insurance

Foreign nationals studying in Japan may find themselves required to pay for damage resulting from carelessness on their part, or plain bad luck.

Many schools have a compulsory liability insurance plan which students must join to cover them in such cases. However, students at schools with no such program are advised to look into such insurance themselves.

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