Help to understand the visa process

Looking for advice here, kinda confused as to the process: here's my situation

- Been accepted for a job as English teacher in an ALT position started in mid-April to May. All my documents for visa processing will be there next Monday, have to wait for board of education etc to approve etc.

- Will have been here over 180 days as a tourist, tourist visa ends in two weeks.

- Based on what I know hoping that I can put in my application for COE before my tourist visa runs out and then get a plane ride out of here back to America.

- I have zero idea of when I should make my return trip though, nor do I understand the process. Will I be collecting my visa from a consulate in America in this situation?

Current plan is to leave the 17th and have a return trip of 29th... no idea if this is enough time, would love not to leave but...

any advice on how this works?

If you are still in Japan and get those documents within the 2 weeks, you don't need a COE. Take everything to Immigration and apply directly for a new permit to stay (depending on the company, it'll be either an Instructor or Humanities). If you can have someone vouch for you from the company and come with you, you may even be able to extend your current permit to stay since you are being offered a job.

COE is for people outside of Japan coming in. You could fly back to the states, then fly in again when you've gotten that, but it seems like a waste of a flight unless you want to go home for a visit.

I'm still so confused: get conflicting answers all over this: according to this site if you aren't a on a long term visa you will need a COE even if you are in Japan already:

http://www.juridique.jp/visa1.html

"Once you have chosen the type of visa that best suits your case, you will need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (if you don't live in Japan under a long term visa yet).


Certificate of Eligibility (COE)

To obtain a long term visa while living outside of Japan, it is first necessary to apply for the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) at the immigration office in Japan, rather than applying at the Japanese Embassy / Consulate directly.

The application can be submitted by a familiy member staying in Japan (for the family related visa), by a personnel of the hosting organizations (for other types of visa), by the applicant himself visiting Japan with a temporary visa, or by the Immigration Lawyers like us.

The fact that you have applied for the COE doesn't give you the right to stay in Japan after the expiration of the temporary visitor visa, so if it will expire before the COE is issued, it is necessary to leave Japan.

It takes about 1-2 months to receive the result of the application. Once the COE is issued, you can then go to the Japanese Embassy or Consulate nearby, in order to have the visa issued/stamped on your passport, which will only take a couple of days."

Did you ask your hiring company? Usually the proxy in Japan will apply for your COE on your behalf if you are not a resident of Japan/not in Japan at the moment.

One your COE has been approved, the proxy (hiring company) will mail the COE to you in your home country. Then you'll have to go to the embassy in your country of residence to obtain the visa. This visa will enable you to enter Japan and then you can change your SOR (status of residence) to that of a resident instead of tourist.

I'm saying this based on personal experience.

In your case, it's a bit special because you are already in Japan. You can submit your COE in Japan or get your hiring company to do it for you. Then, you'll need to go back to the US (because it's not guaranteed your COE will be approved in just 2 weeks, especially now it's March - a busy time of the year). Once you're back in the US, just follow the steps which I've mentioned earlier. Go to the embassy with your mailed COE to get it changed to a visa to enable you to enter Japan.

Then once you're in Japan, you'll receive your resident card (either at major airports or going to the city ward office) which enables you to stay for the period mentioned on your COE as a long term resident.

You could have them send the COE directly to you in Japan and if you're able to apply for your visa while in the country (not sure if possible) that would make things a lot easier.

You would be able to apply for a change in visa status (which I don't know much about) or take a quick round trip to South Korea (2.5 hrs) or Taiwan (4 hrs) and re-enter the same day with your new visa. You could even take a couple of days to explore a new country :)

The normal procedure to ENTER Japan is as follows:

1. Determine your desired status of residence based on the activity you want to perform in Japan, and ensure you satisfy the requirements to obtain it.

2. Apply for a CoE at the immigration bureau in Japan. This is typically done by your sponsor on your behalf.

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/01.html

3. Apply for a visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate which has jurisdiction over your place of residence.

In some particular cases, some of those steps are not necessary. This is most notably the case for citizens of certain countries who wish to acquire the status of "Temporary Visitor": then you neither need a CoE, nor a visa, so you omit steps 2 and 3. In some other cases you can omit step 2 and apply for a visa directly without a CoE.

Now, the above is for people who wish to ENTER Japan. If you are already in Japan (and do not plan to exit and re-enter), none of it applies to you. Instead, you must apply for a change of status of residence, to change the status you currently have into some other.

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/02.html

If you are already in Japan (and do not plan to exit and re-enter), none of it applies to you.

Actually, yes, of course step 1 still applies to you: in your change-of-status application, you must state the status you wish to obtain (and of course you must satisfy the requirements for it). The change-of-status procedure is very similar to application for a CoE.