Applying for a Working visa from the Japanese language school student

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Q: Can students at Japanese language schools apply for a working visa?
Key issues when taking up a job directly from a language school
Will a work visa be granted for a college degree without a bachelor’s degree?
What are the documents required for transferring from language school to working visa?
<< Documents to be prepared by the applicant >>
<< Documents from your employer >>
Our office makes them one by one according to each situation.

Q: Can students at Japanese language schools apply for a working visa?

“I am currently attending a Japanese language school to study Japanese and after I graduate, I don’t want to go to university or a vocational school (Senmon-gakko) and work directly in Japan, is that possible?”

Thank you for your enquiry.

Generally speaking, the largest number of foreign students choose to work in Japan after graduating from a university (graduate school) or vocational school.

However, if you are eligible, you can apply for a working visa after graduating from a language school, or even whilst you are still studying at a language school, if you can find a company that will hire you.

Key issues when taking up a job directly from a language school

To work in Japan, you will generally have to apply for a change to the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” Visa.

You do not have a diploma of university or vocational school in Japan, so you must have a university degree from your home country (or a third country) to be eligible.

A university degree from a country other than Japan can also be considered an academic requirement. If you have graduated from a university with a Bachelor’s Degree, you will be eligible for the Working Visa.

Will a work visa be granted for a college degree without a bachelor’s degree?

As a conclusion, you can apply for a working visa with a full-time college degree, not for “Specified Skilled Worker (SSW)”, but for “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”.

Even if you do not have a degree, graduating from a three-year college can be considered by the Immigration Bureau to be equivalent to graduating from university.

However, please note that if you are a “Adult University”, “Self-education”, “Telegraphic University”, “Correspondence Course”, or if you are enrolled in a university other than a university entrance examination, you must have a degree certificate (bachelor’s degree) issued by the university. Without a degree certificate, the qualification required for the visa will not be recognised.

What are the documents required for transferring from language school to working visa?

The following documents are required for the transfer of a language school to a working visa;

<< Documents to be prepared by the applicant >>

Application form
Passport
Resident card
Certificate photo (4cm vertical x 3cm horizontal)
Personal resume (CV)
Certificate of graduation and degree from a foreign university
Certificate of academic performance from a foreign university
(If work experience is available) Certificate of employment of previous employment
Proof of business-related qualifications
Certificate of Japanese language proficiency (pass certificate, etc.)
Proof of attendance at a Japanese language school, proof of attendance, proof of grades
Reasons for application (if any)

<< Documents from your employer >>

A copy of the previous year’s “Statutory Statement of Receipts from Sources of Income”
Copy of employment contract
Company profile
Certificate of all business registration history
The latest annual accounts
Application form for the establishment of a company

All documents not in Japanese must be translated into Japanese.

The documents to be prepared vary according to individual circumstances.

It takes approximately 2 weeks to 1 month to review your application after it has been accepted by the Immigration Bureau and until the results are known.

In the event that your application is rejected, it will not affect your original student visa. Your student visa will remain valid until it expires. However, you will not be considered a foreign student after you have graduated from your school or withdrawn from your studies. Therefore, you will need to take steps such as resubmitting your application or returning to your home country as soon as possible.

Our office makes them one by one according to each situation.

Changing from a Japanese language school to a working visa is certainly possible, but you need to be careful in order to be successful. For example, you will need to prepare documents and justifications.

Our office has a lot of practical experience in changing from a language school to a working visa. Our Gyoseishoshi lawyer will listen to your situation and advise you on the best way to proceed, as well as creating individualised application forms and justifications. None of the documents are the same.