Immigration concern

Hi Everyone! I seriously need your help guys. I'm puzzled. Too bothered!

I got a 1 year working VISA which is still valid this year. Unfortunately, I only worked 1 month from my company. I quit because I was physically abused. I got bruise in my arms, at times I was thrown something whenever I did something wrong. We were working 10 hours in a day and paid too low. So unlucky! I guess this is the disadvantage of working in a foreign country as a gaijin. They will take advantage of you! Horrible experience.

So now, I quit and run away, I only have my passport, residence card and some clothes with me. The company threatened me that they will report me to the immigration and cancel my VISA if i will not go back to work. My hands were trembling when i read the message and started to feel regret working in japan. After a week. Luckily, I got hired from an English School. The head teacher almost cried when she saw my bruise on my arms and told her how I was treated.

I've been working now as an English teacher for Kids for almost 6 months. My question is, if I'll go back to my country 2 weeks before my VISA expires, will the immigration arrest me at the airport for working outside of my Category? From factory worker to an English Teacher? The school and I did not inform immigration about my current situation. Rest assured I will go back to my country 2 weeks before my VISA expires and no plans going back here.

Please help :(

I think you and your employer should contact immigration as soon as possible. Your former employer cannot cancel your visa - but they are required to inform immigration. Working a job which is not in your visa category is technically illegal, but I think if your new employer is willing to sponsor your visa, it should be OK.

Do not put this off. Visit immigration as soon as possible. Go today. Go now.

Thank you so much for your prompt response i appreciate it.

The immigration will need a "letter of release" from my previous employer but they won't provide one. So my current employer said she will file and sponsor a new visa for me at least 1 month before my current visa expires.

So in that case, i will go back to my country before my visa expires while she files my new visa. So my main question is. Will the immigration arrest me or detain me at the airport??

So far i've been travelling within japan but nobody arrested me or something.

Why wait until a month before your card expires? You're currently working illegally. Have your employer submit the paperwork NOW. Hopefully you can receive the change in status before you leave, and then it wont be an issue.

Alright, thank you. I'll tell my current employer about that.

You've helped me a lot, have a nice day. :)

If you leave the country having been working illegally (your current situation), you will never be able to get another visa.

I see. Let's say i won't renew my visa and just wait until this visa expires and go back to my country before visa expires. Will i be detained at the immigration?

What do you want to do?

If you just want to leave Japan and never intend to come back to work, you can just leave toward the end of your current visa (or resident status, to be precise). No one is going to detain you upon your leaving Japan. The former employer might have reported that you left that job some time ago, so immigration might ask what you were doing since, but they will not detain you upon leaving Japan.


If you want your current employer to apply for a change of visa from your earlier type of work visa to the one that allows you to continue to work for that employer, it is a bit tricky. This is the same if you go back to your country once and get the current employer to sponsor you for a new visa.

You have been doing illegal work so far since you changed your job, working as an English teacher though you had a different visa from the one that would allow teaching job. So that will be an issue once any application about you reaches immigration, be it you are outside or inside Japan.

However, you had a VERY good reason to leave that first job, physical and other abuse. (Actually, what you and your current employer should have done is to report the first employer to the police and to immigration for their misconducts). So you had a valid reason to run away and to seek another employment, which should be morally allowed.

Actually I would recommend going to an immigration lawyer in Japan together with your current employer to ask for the best approach.

I just hope that you do fulfill the requirements for the work visa allowing English teaching, because they are probably different from the ones for the visa you currently hold. There are many different kinds of work visas.

You're trolling. From factory worker to English teacher? Please...

You're trolling. From factory worker to English teacher? Please...

I'm not commenting specifically to the OPs situation, but keep in mind that this is a totally plausible situation considering the poster is from the Philippines and has shown a level of English sufficient to work in an Eikaiwa.