Rocky Immigration Law OfficeA Visa and a Status of Residence Are Not the Same Thing
People often say "I got my work visa" or "I need to change my visa." Under Japanese law, though, a visa and a status of residence are two completely different concepts.
A visa is for entering Japan
A visa (sasho in Japanese) is issued by a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad. It shows that a foreign national meets certain conditions to travel to Japan and be examined on arrival. In short, its main role is getting you into Japan.
A status of residence is for staying in Japan
What actually governs your stay is the status of residence. The Immigration Control Act uses statuses of residence to control what activities a foreign national may engage in and in what capacity they may stay.
All of these familiar examples are statuses of residence, not visas:
- Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services
- Business Manager
- Spouse or Child of Japanese National
- Student
- Permanent Resident
Coming to Japan for a long stay for the first time
- Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
- Apply for a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate
- Enter Japan with the visa
- Receive your status of residence after the landing examination
First-time arrivals meet three terms at once (the COE, the visa and the status of residence), which is why they are so easy to mix up.
Legal terms and everyday language
Everyday language is a different matter. Foreign residents, companies and even the media all say "work visa," "student visa" or "spouse visa," and everyone understands each other, so in daily life it causes few problems.
But once you read official Japanese documents or apply for a status of residence, you will see that the government always says "status of residence," not "visa."
Recently, several international students asked me about "work visas." In fact, Japanese law has no such thing as a "work visa." What does that mean? More in the next article.
Understanding Japan through law.
This article provides general legal information, not legal advice on any individual case. Please consult us about your own situation; for disputes or litigation, consult an attorney.