Self Sponsored Visa in Japan: SUCCESSFUL application
My first self-sponsored visa application, submitted in Jan 2005, was successful. I am now the proud bearer of my very own shiny self-sponsored visa. Read on to hear how it happened, and be sure to read the comments from other readers as they may shed some light on your particular situation.
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This page is now quite old and probably a little out of date. I have noticed a sad consistency with all visa applications in Japan: they are run case by case, case-manager by case-manager and you NEVER get told the same thing. Kinda like Russian Roulette.
Good luck with your applications – I have reopened comments but I am NOT an immigration specialist and I don’t have the time to go investigating your questions – but maybe someone else will (though this is not a forum board)
Lets start at the beginning: Dec 6, 2004:
I didn’t really know many people who had done the Japan self sponsor visa dealio here, and there is not a lot of info on the net, except for this cool link and some forum threads on gaijinpot, so I figured I would make a special post documenting my experience – updating it with each new episode. Hopefully this will help people out there who are sick to death of being tied to one company for sponsorship.
The option to have a number of part time jobs and private lessons serves 2 purposes: it’s quite flexible and is also more lucrative than many of the full time teaching jobs available in Japan (well, in the bigger cities, anyway), and I really didn’t want to have to lock myself into another contract just to get visa sponsorship. Although the piecemeal approach to employment can get very tiring after a while. Depends how hard you are working, I guess.
Anyway, I went into the Shinagawa Department of Immigration in Tokyo a month before my submission was due to investigate.
The initial Requirements requested (update: No extra documents were requested):
1. Certificate of “Retirement” [a taishoku-shomeisho ÈÄÄËÅ?Ë®ºÊòéÊõ?] from the last company who sponsored your visa
2. Certificate of Employment from your current companies/agencies (jinbun chishiki kokusai gyomu)
3. Payslips [kyuryo-meisaisho Áµ¶ÊñôÊòéÁ¥?Êõ?] for the past year
4. Tax forms for the past year (eventually unavailable at that time of the year and not submitted)
5. Invoices [seikyusho Ë´ãʱÇÊõ?] for any private students you will be paying tax on (ie any agency who will be filling in a Certificate of Employment for you) (eventually unavailable and not submitted)
6. The Dept of Immigration 3 page “Application for Extension of Period of Stay” form.
_________________________________________________________________
January 20, 2004 UPDATE #1 on Self-sponsoring a visa in Japan.
I put my visa application forms in on Jan 13th, 2005. They told me there would be a 3 – 4 week wait. The papers I eventually submitted included:
1. My Nova Part Time Contract (Nova were particularly iffy about providing a jinbun chishiki kokusai gyomu as they are completely against any form of possible unknowingly becoming “main sponsors”, which is apparantly how these things sometimes work)
2. 2 x Letters of Employment (jinbun chishiki kokusai gyomu) from my other two part time jobs
3. A Certificate/letter of “retirement” [a taishoku-shomeisho ÈÄÄËÅ?Ë®ºÊòéÊõ?] from the last company who sponsored my visa
4. Pay slips [kyuryo-meisaisho Áµ¶ÊñôÊòéÁ¥?Êõ?] and invoices [seikyusho Ë´ãʱÇÊõ?]
5. The Dept of Immigration visa extension forms
6. A cover letter explaining that I was looking for a self sponsored visa.
What I DIDN’T hand in:
1. Any tax info (completely unavailable from my companies at that time of the year)
2. Invoices for private students
The lovely English speaking counter staffwoman told me that they’d write to me if they needed any more info, but that she thought everything would be OK.
Most importantly, I did get an email that same day from another friend who had applied for a self sponsored visa in December. He was granted a full visa and he only handed in copies of his contracts (and nothing else)!
Amazing – it sounded like I actually had a good chance, like it might actually be quite a reasonably easy process. Just as long as you can prove that you are earning at least 250 000 yen, although I also heard from one source that someone who earned only 220 000 yen received a self sponsored visa last year. Could be just a rumour though.
Anyway, good luck to any self sponsored visa hopeful’s out there. Please feel free to add your own experiences here, too.
_____________________________________________________________
January 31 2005 UPDATE 2
15 days after I put my self-sponsored visa application in, I received my notification postcard back. I made the early morning trek down to the Shinagawa Immigration office with some mild trepidation. Ok, maybe not so mild.
I went to the “approval stamp” counter and waited in line for 20 mins. The woman took out my folder, glanced inside, asked for the 4000 yen stamp (purchased from the convenience store downstairs – which also has, conveniently, photocopiers and a passport photo machine – there is also an all purpose ATM in the foyer), gave me ticket number 32 and asked me to sit down and wait for my number to be called.
15 minutes later, 32 came up. The woman handed me my passport, open at the golden, gleaming new approcal stamp, told me to report my changed status at my ward office and then went back to her paperwork.
That was it. Done. Too easy.
Just don’t forget to stay on top of your own personal income tax!
I’d like to strongly encourage anyone who has any more information or personal experience in this area to add their own comment below – I’d like to keep this resource as up to date and valuable as possible.
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frangipani 2.0
This blog began in November 2002, just prior to my departure to Japan at the url frangipani.info. It became my lifeline to sanity as I wrote about living in the surreal surrounds of a non-English speaking, highly structured and utterly hilarious Asian country. It opened up a world of opportunities for me, and helped me meet most of my great friends in Tokyo.
I left Japan in early 2009 for a small beachside town in tropical north Queensland, Australia, and took a short break from blogging. But writing is in my blood and I love sharing my life and photographs with friends now scattered around the world. Keeps me feeling plugged in.
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Please go take a look at my photography-work blog at martinecotton.com
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Hello. I’m not sure if this page is still being updated or not but I was wondering if anyone could comment on my situation. Having read through everyone’s comments, I too have a similar dilemma. I currently am on the spouse visa but I divorced a little while ago. So of course, I want and need to change my visa. Does having a spouse visa somehow make it more difficult to switch to a working visa? I’m a little worried if I somehow get refused due to this. Any info appreciated.
hi! i just stumbled onto this page in quest of the mythical “self-sponsored visa.” i have no idea if this comment thread is still being checked, but i hope so! i think this is a great resource, so thanks for this posting!
anyway, i have a couple of questions:
1. has anyone figured out in the past couple years since the last comment was posted how to state clearly in japanese the type of visa this is? ^^;
2. am i to understand that there is no actual “application” for this type of visa, just the regular extension of stay permit plus a cover letter explaining what you want? has anyone had any more recent experience with this?
THANK SO MUCH to frangipani for this and anyone else who can shed some light on this for me! i am actually intending to quit my teaching post at a jr. high school to become full-time GM/caretaker of a bar/restaurant when the owners leave japan next spring, and i don’t think i can meet the japanese language proficiency requirements of permanent residency at this point, so the self-sponsored visa seems the best route. thanks again!
Hi Daniel and Joel,
I can’t really answer your questions but maybe someone else can.
Have you tried posting at the fucked gaijin forum-boards, or any of the other forum boards?
Good luck with your applications!
The self sponsored visa is really difficult to obtain these days. Yes, it was easier to get it years back – however after 9/11 it is much more difficult. I am not a consultant and do not pretend to be in terms of the visa process – however you might want to check into a “training visa” or a “cultural visa”. If this does not work, you may want to check into the H1B visa. As I said, I am not a visa consultant. However, I hope this helps you a little bit.
I am thinking about pllying for the self sponsorship thing,however, I have some questions first
I am on a SIH 3 year visa and it will expire in June next year. I have been out of work for 7 months and paid no income tax during that time,would this affect me extending my visa?I have found 2 part time jobs one is a big language school and the other is an agency which will find you private students to teach at a cafe. Will this agency be ok for the certificate of employment?
Any info appreciated thankyou
Jeff,
I don’t think that it will affect obtaining your visa, however Jeff – teaching private students flags that you are receiving cash under the table. The immigration officials may probe into your bank accounts and question you about how you are making a living in Japan.
Be careful.
Keiko
I’ve been inquiring into the self sponsor visa. Is it necessary to work two or more jobs to obtain the visa? It’s just that on the application form there is only a single space for stating company/employer.
I work for two companies, actually for almost one year now. 3 days at one, and 2 at the other. My total salary is about 250,000 after tax. Will these points be enough to satisfy immigration? I’m currently preparing the documents for application. But has anyone successfully applied for the visa with similar points as my own?
Any information appreciated
Hi all,
I have just applied for the “self sponsored visa.” I put this in inverted commas as there really is no formal name that i can find for it.
Any way the actual process, as frangipani has said is definitely case by case and if you speak to different Immigration workers you will get told different things and different requirements.
I went to Shinagawa once and one man just flat out lied to me and said the visa doesn’t exist. he said, “If i don’t believe him, ask someone else.” So i asked the person behind him and got all the information i needed.
I had to go to the Tachikawa office for a different reason and i enquired again, as at shinagawa it was a while before my visa expired, and i got a better/easier list of requirements from Tachikawa.
But what seems consistent for everyone is you need employment letters, a certain amount of money per month to stay (i had to have 2 jobs or more giving me 20mun or more), and of course the application forms. The rest is up to the person you speak to. And then the person you actually give the applications to could ask for more or less. I was asked for less.
Can you change from a working Holiday visa to a “self sponsored visa”? Yes but it doesn’t mean you will get it. You can have everything you are required to have, and more, and not get it.
It really is case by case.
Will update my result when i get it. Should be any day now.
Cheers
Mark H
Well I got my result. Even though i had everything they want and i was earning a decent amount of cash i got rejected. My friend on the other hand has shit money, but financial backing from parents and she got a visa
Just goes to show how random the immigration system is here.
Good luck to everyone else.
Exit, stage left..
So sorry to hear that, but it does prove my point: it’s case by case, case manager by case manager….. ridiculous.
Did you ask why they didn’t accept you? You should find out why.
Just to help keep this useful site going.
I am about to renew my ‘self-sponsored’ visa again which is my third time.
I think people who are rejected or have trouble are applying for the first time.
This time around I’m finding some companies cannot provide a “jinbun chishiki kokusai gyomu” (or certificate of employment) as it can only come from a full-time employer, apparently.
I asked my employers for this:
?????, zaishoku sh?meisho
Note: Found this info. from here…http://tinyurl.com/239g2t8
“Renewing your working visa is simple, just bring all the right paperwork and be ready to chill. What paperwork do you need?
* Your passport and Alien Registration Card… duh.
* A photocopy of your contract.
* Your company’s brochure. Yeah… a brochure. Ours was colorful and had lots of stock photos of happy multicultural people teaching happy multicultural children. And some pie charts.
* Some official papers from your company – certificate of employment (?????, zaishoku sh?meisho) and certificate of tax payment (?????, n?zei sh?meisho).
* If you changed jobs, you need a letter of release and some sort of tax document from your previous employer. The document is called a Rickshaw or something. Well, anyways, it’s something with an R.
* The application form. You can probably print it off the internet.
* Do you need some photos? I can’t remember.”
Can you help!?
I am about to finish up an English teaching contract (after 2 and a half years) and I’ve opted not to continue for various reasons. I have had offers for other things but I’m not sure if they will work. I am done working with the English teaching business (done teaching English as a main means of income), and if I have to teach English, I want to do it myself.
1 Two different friends have offered me part time work and a good wage to work at their resteraunt and cafe.
2- A friend of a friend is looking for someone in Japan to help with his shipping company. I think his business is registered with the US, not Japan, so will any money I make from this be valid with the Japanese government?
3 I already do a lot of part time translation for people, all the regular stuff is based overseas and paid through paypal. Is this useless for my visa?
4 I have some private students that I teach English to.
From my understanding, you need to prove to them that you are making enough money to survive and not cause problems by getting signatures and receipts from your employers/whoever is paying you. Is this possible for any of these situations?
@Z
If this is your first time self-sponsoring yourself then you have to have at least one Japanese company provide a Certificate of Employment. Here is the original list from this site minus the tax forms which in three applications I’ve never been asked for.
1. Certificate of “Retirement” [a taishoku-shomeisho] from the last company who sponsored your visa
2. Certificate of Employment from your current companies/agencies (jinbun chishiki kokusai gyomu)
3. Payslips [kyuryo-meisaisho] for the past year
4. The Dept of Immigration 3 page “Application for Extension of Period of Stay” form.
If I were you I would get a full or part-time job with a well-known agency like DIC or Interac etc. and get them to provide a Cert of Employment. Once you have your visa you can quit the job and do what you want. After the first self-sponsered visa it gets a little easier.
Hi everyone,
I’m currently on a student visa. I’ve finished my coursework through my program and I’m currently hoping to find employment here in Japan. However, I have found the work and legal process to be overwhelming and incredibly random.
For example, I applied for a position at Gaba the week I finished classes. Two to three days later, I received a phone call from a representative about a phone interview. I called back and was unable to do the interview immediately as they had technical difficulties in bringing up my application and asked to call back. Twenty minutes later, they return my call and we start the interview. The questions are quite standard–your name is X, you were born in Y, you are Z-years-old, etc.
Then came the part about my current visa. “Oh, you’re on a student visa?” I replied that I had finished my classes and am hoping to find work. “Well, we can’t go further in this application process until you obtain a job-hunting visa. Go to your school or local immigration bureau and ask them about it.”
I struggled with that issue for a month, with the largest missing piece of paperwork being a letter of recommendation from my school. They would not issue it to me on the grounds that I wasn’t a four year student. I gave up on it, figuring that this is a BS step in the process and it would be much easier to simply continue to apply for work with a handful of companies.
It seems that not many companies will even consider you without the “proper visa.” How on earth am I supposed to obtain this visa? I’ve considered lying on the application for companies and saying that I do have a “proper visa,” but I don’t want to put myself in any legal trouble. I’ve considered collecting a handful of part-time jobs and going to the immigration bureau to present my case, which seems like it will likely be the most reasonable way to switch into a work visa, but reading this I feel sick to my stomach because it seems like it’s really 50/50. I’m concerned about my case because I’m a university graduate (hold a degree in Japanese and Spanish from a US University, plus certification of completion of a Japanese language program through Waseda) and have JLPT N2 certification as of August 2011, but I don’t really have many skills other than being trilingual, having done some translation work and teaching English conversation privately.
Anyway, I’m curious: is there anyone out there reading this who is/was in a similar situation? If so, any tips or hints for a struggling student like me? I should also mention that my current visa expires in December of this year and I would hate to leave because I’ll have to leave behind my partner, who would be unable to get a US visa, and don’t know how long it would be before I could come back.
@Chase
A “job-hunting visa”?! There is no such thing in Japan, unless something has changed
recently. Sounds like they are talking about a Tourist Visa. You will have to leave the country and come back as a tourist. That’s how most Eikaiwa get a lot of their new teachers – on tourist visas.
Hi Kevin,
It’s not the formal name for the visa. You would have to apply for a designated activities visa and fill in the activity as kyuushoku or shuushokukatsudou.
I have continued looking for work without obtaining this “visa,” and I have been offered a few part-time jobs. I had one interview last week and will know the results this week. The next interview is this coming weekend. I think this will be the easiest way to do it based on my current situation.
Clarification
“jinbun chishiki kokusai gyomu” (?????????) does not mean “Certificate of Employment”.
This is the type of VISA typically given to English teachers: “Specialist in Humanities/International Services”. There are one and three year versions.
It would seem “Certificate of Employment” is “zaishoku shomesho” (?????) and that this need only be the term of employment (starting date) and amount of salary (monthly? or annually?) most likely accompanied by the company seal as was partially explained to me in extremely vague terms by a completely incompetent immigration officer.
Is there an official format for the payslips (kyuryo-meisaisho, ?????)?
I have collected payslips from everyone I work for but some of them are just handwritten pieces of paper with no official seal, others have layouts that are unique to each office they are made in. I didn’t bring these to the office today. I googled the kanji and came up with a large variety of very complicated forms in an assortment of layouts.
In fact, didn’t NOVA become your main sponsor anyway? How was your Japanese level during this process and are you sure they explained how things happened adequately (as they rarely ever do)? As far as I can tell, there are no official resources explaining the situation in English and likely none in Japanese either. Other posts here and there say that you have no choice but to use a main sponsor (chosen by the highest salary among your employers at the time of application) and don’t have any clear information about what happens to the other employers’ documentation.
All the same, I want to get a VISA this way if I can. I don’t want to be tied to any particular company and I don’t want any companies held directly responsible for me. It’s very important to me to be legally independent of the people I work for, but I don’t have the capital to found my own business yet (apparently a single-proprietor VISA requires bank savings over 5,000,000 yen OR two employees and a lesser amount of savings).
I tried very hard to get answers to my questions at the immigration office today, but the immigration officers seem to have no idea what I was talking about (in any language) and insisted that none of this is possible under any circumstances and that I would have to choose one of the companies I work for as my single sponsor, providing both contract and certificate of employment, unless I want to try to get a single-proprietor VISA and open my own company.
The information in my post was written in 2004 and was correct at the time of writing. I left Japan 3 years ago and keep this page open just in case it can be of use to others. I’m sorry I can’t really be bothered answering your many questions. Maybe someone else currently in Japan will swing by and do that for you.
@Quequotion
For people to answer you try keeping your posts short and to the point. Here’s my answer anyway;
First, this is Japan, where ambiguity is a fundamental part of the culture – don’t expect straight answers like you would back home (especially from public servants)
A self-sponsored visa is just as easy to get as it was when Martine started this thread, BUT note that you have to have some form of proof that you are NEEDED by Japan (i.e. have a specific skill you are experienced at that Japanese can not do – usually teaching English), and that you are financially secure.
Look over the above posts of successful self-sponsor applications and try again.
Good luck!
OUT OF DATE
Sad to say, but these procedures are officially out of date. The law was changed in 2010.
I have just completed my application under the new regulations and I’m waiting for approval.
The bad news, as explained to me by Yoko Majima of http://www.juridique.jp via e-mail:
“Actually the procedure has changed last year and now it is required to choose one company that is willing to sponsor your work visa.
This company doesn’t have to provide all of your income, so you can have several part-time employers but one of them will have to provide all the required documents (such as the company’s registry certificate, financial statements, etc.) and put their company seal on the application form.”
I can verify that it is imperative to have a sponsor at this time, although that sponsor need not be a full time employer.
Aside from the application form, which you and your sponsor should complete together, you need the following documentation (in 2011):
You still need the document proving retirement from your previous employer(s).
You also need documentation to prove your other employments and total salary.
To prove employment status, term, and salary, written contracts are best, zaishokushomeisho a distant second but acceptable if you explain that you have a verbal contract. One company refused to give me either, but did give me internal documentation proving all of the payments made into my bank account and this somewhat satisfied the authorities.
To prove your salary kuryomeisaisho are best. Make sure they cover the current year and total up to within 10~20 thousand yen of the magic number (average salary of a japanese person your age, in your area and in your industry). Again, one company refused to provide these but gave me internal documentation proving all payments into my bank account; this somewhat satisfied the authorities.
You should provide copies of gensenchoshu from the previous year. If you don’t have them, ask your employers to remake them.
Finally, I was asked to get two documents from the city office. I was told they prove my salary and my tax. They cost 600 yen.
I received one very interesting document on my last visit to the office: al list of all the magic number salaries to get VISA approval. Unfortunately, it seems this list is only valid for my prefecture. It is based on data collected by the (semi-?)private employment agency “Hello Work” and varies by prefecture. There are different numbers listed vertically by industry and horizontally by age.
As of December, 2011, the magic number for language arts workers, age 25-29, in Oita, Japan is: 1560000 yen annually and the language arts worker overall average is 1830000 yen annually.
@D.P.
Be careful about making sweeping statements like, “these procedures are officially out of date. The law was changed in 2011″.
As mentioned on this thread before, this is Japan where “fussy law” rules and authorities can make changes to laws as they see fit, so no two prefectures, or individual immigration officer or even the same officer on different days will ask for the same thing (that includes legal advisors like Yoko Majima). I know this from experience and it’s pretty obvious reading through this thread.
Also, I think one thing that has always been constant among all applicants is that the FIRST time you apply for a self-sponsor visa you need a company to “vouch” for you, and you need prove of earnings. So nothing new there.
>>Kevin
It’s not a blanket statement; it’s a fact. Since /2010/, it is no longer possible to acquire or renew a /work/ visa without a sponsor.
I understand your experience as I have the same. I’ve been here more than five years.
Have you tried to getor renew a self-sponsor VISA since 2010? I was told quite flatly that is not possible, and sought confirmation from Majima. I trust her advice as it was everything japanese law isn’t: simple, to the point, free, and readily available. Also, frankly, there’s nothing else to go on as the authorities refuse to publish official documentation. This is the primary dilemma in Japanese immigration law: while policies change year by year, in the absence of any official announcements, foreigners are left to rely on heresy and rumors (anything posted on the Internet should be regarded as such).
It is also true that no two immigration officers, offices, or prefectures follow exactly the same procedure and they generally do not explain or even understand the proper procedures.
You can get a sole-proprietor VISA on your own, but it requires proof of a 5 million yen investment in a business physically based in Japan or two full-time Japanese employees. Self-sponsored work VISAs however, are no longer available (for now).
@D.P
I renewed my self-sponsored visa this March at the Shinagawa immigration office without any problems at all, and no help from any of my employers(except statements of earnings).
It was the fifth time I have done so since 2004. I make 8-10 million a year so maybe that is a factor. Who knows??
All I know is, I and a number of my colleagues, continue to renew their self-sponsored visas without difficulty.
So, don’t give up people.
@Kevin
Thank you for your insightful comments but I have one important question.
What is the name of the visa you are renewing?
I think it is amazing that you have successfully extended it five times. What is the actual Japanese name for the visa that you have? Is it written on the stamp in your passport?
@Gdon
It’s only surprising to people who have been in Jp a short time I suspect, it’s pretty wide-spread and common in my experience. I have a Humanities Work visa (which is what most teachers have.
Think about it folks, Japan is in constant need of experienced and trained English instructors, they very much WANT people like us to stay and work here in Japan, why on earth would they want to make it difficult?
If anyone is having trouble getting a visa without having to be sponsored by a company it is likely because the immigration authorities are uncertain your experience, qualifications and earning power are sufficient for you to “look after yourself” so to speak.
If, like myself, you can provide evidence of being able to attain steady, secure income through work you have arranged with various companies by yourself in the past year or so, there is little reason for immigration to turn you down for a visa. Period.
@Gdon
Missed one of your questions;
In Japanese my visa (stamp)reads;
?????????
Specialist in Humanities/ International services
It’s the same visa sponsored by a company or not by the way.
@Gdon
The Japanese obviously didn’t come out.
jinbun chishiki/ kokusai gyoumu
(Specialist in Humanities/ International services)
@Kevin
Thanks for your response, Kevin. I have been hunting down information since i made that post and I understand the procedure more now.
While I agree with most of your statements, I will say that immigration has a tendency not to make anything “easy.”
As for myself, I’ve lived in japan for over 7 years on both an instructors visa and now I currently have the same visa as you.
I understand that the basic process is to apply to extend my current visa while providing proof of contracts that provide me with income (as described countless times above).
However, there does seem to be some necessity to be sponsored by a main employer. Do you have to submit proof of having a main employer (with official documents from the company proving you are employed by them) or sponsorship each time you renew? Or do you only have to show contracts and proof of income?
@Gdon
“Do you have to submit proof of having a main employer (with official documents from the company proving you are employed by them) or sponsorship each time you renew?”
Yes, all this information can be found above; the first time you apply (you need less the second time)you do need prove of employment and earnings, and at least one company needs to supply information about their company (number of employees and annual income etc.). You need a letter from the employer basically saying they need you. Read above again.
@Kevin
“Think about it folks, Japan is in constant need of experienced and trained English instructors, they very much WANT people like us to stay and work here in Japan, why on earth would they want to make it difficult?”
Japanese schools and Eikaiwas are in constant need of completely untrained English teachers (training really means nothing here; let’s just be clear about that). A few are even looking for experienced teachers.
Japan on the other hand, at least the government of Japan, has no need for any new foriegn people to come into the country ever. Despite a dwindling population, despite recommendations from the UN, despite a lacking labor force and despite an economic recession that hasn’t really budged since the mid 90′s, they still won’t accept a large foriegn population residing on their soil.
That is why, yes indeed, they do want to make it difficult. They don’t want anybody who won’t do all the ridiculous paper work, approach the counter with humility and accept that you’re going to have to go through it all over again next year, or three years from now if you’re lucky. They especially don’t want anybody they don’t “need” (read: ostensibly required to perform a job for a company and not going to engage in uncontrolled activities).
“Yes, all this information can be found above;”
Indeed. In my post. Which you disputed…?
You will need complete documentation to prove your main sponsor at your first application and every renewal afterward.
You will not be able to apply for a visa without a sponsor.
The only way I can understand your situation Kevin, is perhaps that since you recieved your VISA several years ago, the immigration office has somehow allowed you to be exempt from changes in the law (unlikely). That, or you have a good personal relationship with your local customs agent (it is a country of fuzzy laws).
There are no new working visas issued without sponsorship anymore and it is not possible to renew without sponsorship either.
@D.P.
I guess some people are having very different experiences trying to get their working visas without having to be tied to a company. Maybe next year when I have to renew mine I will have more difficulty. But I doubt it.
The news media in the last year or so has been reporting on how immigration in Japan is loosening up in various sectors to encourage more foreign workers in an effort to increase competitiveness and make up for the declining native work-force. Examples include the upcoming increase in maximum visa length from 3 to 5 years and the move from local to national admin of Alien Registration Cards.
http://goo.gl/jRl3b