Japan student visa
A course in Japan longer than 90 days needs a student visa, and a student visa needs a Certificate of Eligibility first. The school applies for the certificate at the immigration bureau in Japan, sends it to you, and only then does the consulate come into it.
The order of operations
Get the order wrong and you lose a term. The school applies for the certificate. The certificate reaches you. You take it, with the rest of the file, to the consulate that covers where you live. The consulate issues the visa, usually within a few working days.
| Step | Who does it | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Eligibility | Your school | Immigration bureau in Japan |
| Visa application | You | Your Japanese consulate in the U.S. |
| Residence card | You | On arrival, at the airport |
| Address registration | You | Local city office in Japan, within 14 days |
A student visa issued to an American is free: the United States is on Japan's list of countries exempt from visa fees.
How far ahead to start
Work backwards from the first day of term. The Certificate of Eligibility is applied for in Japan and takes weeks to months; the visa itself takes days. Most schools tell students to have the certificate application in three months before the course starts, and that is not a generous margin.
If the certificate has not arrived four weeks before term, contact the school rather than the consulate. The consulate cannot chase a file that is with immigration in Japan.What happens when you land
You receive your residence card at the airport, not at the consulate. Within 14 days of settling, you register your address at the local city office, and that registration is what connects you to health insurance, a bank account and a phone contract.
Working while you study
A student status does not by itself permit paid work. Permission to engage in activity outside the status is applied for separately, often at the airport at the same time as the residence card, and it caps the hours you may work.
Doing paid work without it is treated seriously, and it affects later applications to change status. If you plan to work part time, ask for the permission on arrival rather than later.