Tokyo Blog

I’m now the very proud owner of a work visa for Japan. When I originally came here on January 15th 2008, I entered Japan on a working holiday visa for 1 year. The term of this visa, therefore, was due to expire in January 2009 (about now), so I was sailing pretty close to the wind getting it switched. The rules state, that a British national with a working holiday visa cannot change their visa status. So, when I first entered the immigration office in Shinagawa hoping to do just that, I was massively deflated. Then, after me utilising my best Japanese, and saying ‘Sorry’ and ‘I am being rude’ and ‘If you would be so kind’ many times throughout our exchange, the lady at the counter gave me the forms to apply for a certificate of eligibility. A certificate of eligibility is usually the first step in acquiring a visa to stay and work in Japan. I filled in the forms using the info my boss had given me, and took them to a different counter on another floor. To my dismay, I was greeted with another “You’re a British working holiday visa holder, so you can’t change your status”, but after checking my application she said that my application will be filed for approval, but I may not have enough time left for the process to complete. I had to await the certificate of eligibility in the mail, and hope that it comes in time. I also had to return the following day with my degree certificates which I hadn’t bought with me that day.

When I came back to Tokyo after my Christmas break I had an undeliverable item notification waiting for me from the Japanese postal service. The notification told me that the letter had been sent from the immigration office! So I piled down to the local post office with the slip of paper and collected my letter. That was the day I got my certificate of eligibility. Then, the next hurdle presented itself to me: it said I had to use the certificate to get a visa in a Japanese embassy in a country other than Japan. I had to leave again. I also spoke to a friend who confirmed that this was true, and advised me not to waste my time taking the certificate to immigration, as it I would not be able to get a visa from there. I wanted to try anyway, so I did return to the immigration office in Shinagawa, and I took my certificate of eligibility with me. It was the first day of business of the new year, 5th January, so the place was total pandemonium. Never the less, after a three hour wait and 4 counter visits, I proved my friend wrong. I got a visa to live and work in Japan. Then I had a load of Japanese food and got drunk with my friends.