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Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/16 05:07
I tried to find an answer to my question but I am still very much concerned how to solve my problem and what are my options, so maybe someone might be able to give me some advice here.

Basically I would like to return to Japan this year in December to study Japanese for about 6 months. After 6 months of studying I'd like to find a job in Tokyo.

Now the thing is that I had been already living and working in Japan starting in May 2014 until December 2015 under an engineer residence status, but then I moved to the US with my ex-wife. At that time (in May 2014) I got a visa which is valid for 5 years, that is it is valid until May 2019.

When I left the country I quit my job but I didn't notify the immigration office about being out of work (which my former company Rakuten might have done on my behalf anyway, I don't know). To be honest I wanted to return to Japan in a few years and find another job under this very same visa.

Now that I am searching this forum I found out that my thinking was very naive and I might not be able to return to Japan under the same residence status, using the same visa, since my status might have been revoked by now.

When I left Japan, I de-registered myself at the kuyakusho in Setagaya, paid my due taxes and canceled my rental contract of my apartment. But I also had applied before leaving Japan for a re-entry permit which I was granted, so now I have landing permission/re-entry permit (not the special one that you get with the embarkation card, but the real one), and I also have my residence card which all state that they are valid until 2019.

So the question is, is it possible to do the above? What are the chances that I will be able to enter the country under my old residence status and won't be denied to enter at the airport? How can one find out if his residence status has been revoked while he was overseas? Is being overseas and not engaging in those activities which are described in my visa requirements falls under the same rules as being in Japan and not engaging in those activities?

And one more question: has anyone met someone who was in the same situation? Let me know if something is not clear or more details needed. I really appreciate any help/advice.

(Just one note, of course I thought about a generic solution e.g. to apply for a new work visa, but the first work visa was taking me 2 years to get remotely from Europe and just traveling to Japan without a work visa and do the above is not something I would like to do)
by Fogetti  

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/16 12:30
I lived in Japan on engineer visa for more than 5 years. You left Japan in Dec2014 with engineer visa. Right!!!. You will need the sponsor company in Japan. The enginner visa holder cannot remain unemployed in Japan for more than 3 months. Now as per my knowledge, you will need the company sponsorship in this situation. If enginner get 5 years visa, if he works for 2 years and quit the job, he need to find the job within 3 months. The engineer visa holder cannot remain in Japan without job for remaining 3 years. You must do the activities of your visa type
by guest21 (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/16 12:46
You are coming to Japan to be a student - start from scratch.

(Because you are doing something different and you didn't get a re-entry under your last visa. My understanding of the process is that you invalidated the 5 year visa when you left based on what you said.)
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/16 15:17
People assume visas are theirs to keep until it expires, but if the circumstances that substantiated your stay in Japan have changed, it may be revoked. I assume your former employer probably would have informed Immigration that you left, because that is something they need to do within 14 days after you've left (and that is your obligation too).

Even PROVIDED that none of that happened, when you come back into Japan, the immigration at the airport will see that you've been away for two years, so they are likely to ask if you are coming back to the same job, or what happened. What can you say? The moment you tell them you left the job to return to the States, they will likely invalidate your card (had they not done so already). If you just tell them you came back to study the Japanese language, they are likely to ask which school, and ask you to apply for Student visa.

If you want to start studying in December of this year, if I were you, I would start looking for school right away, apply, and start the Student visa process, as US citizens can stay in Japan on Temporary Visitor Status only up to 90 days. Yes, this means starting from scratch.
by ........ (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/16 16:00
Thanks for all the answers. To be honest (now that I googled it for a few days) I pretty much know the theory that I have 3 months to find another job, I have to notify the immigration bureau, have to engage in those activities listed in my visa, etc.

But I am more interested how this works out in practice, because the law says that the immigration office might (which also implies they might not) initiate the revocation of the residence status, so they have to start a process and go through it, being triggered on their side which is not getting triggered automatically just by being out of work or leaving the country (at least that's how I imagine it).

The card invalidation is a good point but I checked it online and my zairyuu kaado is not revoked yet.

So to rephrase my question and simplify it: does anyone know someone who was out of work for more than 3 months in Japan, who also left the country and returned later? Or conversely does anyone know someone who was out of work for more than 3 months and then he was handed a residence status revocation notice?

Last commenter: you are right. I don't know what to tell the immigration officers if they stop me. That's a bummer I agree. Anyway, I will also contact a language school and see if they can provide me a 6 month visa.

Sidenote: I am not a US citizen. I am from the EU.
by Fogetti rate this post as useful

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/16 19:25
AFAIK, unless you are from the UK (which grants six months to Japanese tourists upon entry), you won't get six months' stay without some kind of resident status anyways.

I do not know anyone who has done that.

They might not have revoked it, but since you've been away from the address on the card for long, and you have not been fraudulently using your resident status (such as engaging in activities other than those permitted), they simply might not have done anything yet. (The only thing you have not done right so far is that you have not informed immigration that you left your employer.) When you come back in, they might find out that you are no longer with that employer, and that might be the reason to nullify the resident status.

But suppose you just walked through - would you be able to find an apartment without an employer (or "wrong" employer on your card), if you do, go change your address on the card hiding the fact that you were outside Japan for two years, comfortably study for six months on that status, and then look for work after (or soon before) that? Should you get stopped by a police for "any" reason during that time, and they check your ID, and you have to tell them you left them two years ago...

With schools, you enroll in their full-time course, and if you pay in tuition for a semester (let's say six months) you might get that length of visa. Otherwise if you enroll in a full-time course, the full duration of which is 2 years, you might get a one-year visa as Student.
by ........ (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/17 06:49
Don't try any tricks. Do it the correct way. Your work visa and residence status were nullified the moment you lost your job (ok, 3 months after). What happens in practice does not matter, you should not take risks when it comes to things like this. Apply for a student status and start from scratch.
by .. (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/17 08:31
So to rephrase my question and simplify it: does anyone know someone who was out of work for more than 3 months in Japan, who also left the country and returned later? Or conversely does anyone know someone who was out of work for more than 3 months and then he was handed a residence status revocation notice?

Short answer, no, I do not know of any cases, but the system is in place where the visas lapse.
For those leaving the country and returning there are several other cases listed in this forum where they needed to start from scratch.

Your bigger concern (and those who fall foul of expired visas) is that you many be arrested, detained, and then deported and bared from returning (5 years).

Still looks like you can apply for a student visa and go to language school, or a three month tourist visa (to get the 6 months you need to apply before the end of the first 90 day period), but certainly your work visa isn't valid - expired three months after you stopped working irrespective of what is written on it.

As for your resident card - did you notify change of address? I think you mentioned you did (there is a category for moving out of Japan) - so that wouldn't be very useful either because it would presumably show you have no address in Japan. Also, they should expire when your visa expires. If you found on-line that it is not revoked, then it sounds like something is missing in the process.
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/17 09:17
I checked with my friend. He had same situation like you. If you want to come on engineer status, you need to find the new company who can employ you. The engineer visa must be sponsored by some company. Otheriwse its difficult to enter in Japan on same status. Its already 2 years passed.
by guest21 (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Returning after 2 years (same status/no work) 2017/7/17 13:45
I was in Japan for almost 10 years on Engineer visa and worked in deputation model where in I came to Japan and left when project was over, while the company hiring me was same I do have experience entering multiple times on same visa

Based on my experience, you have a good chance to enter Japan with your re entry permit, However you will face multiple hurdles living in Japan. For example the school you will attend will ask for your visa status and will get suspicious the moment they see work visa but you wanting to study full time and they will notify immigration
Your ward office where you will stay will expect your tax, since you are working on a visa, but you won't have any income. Same for your health insurance

Best is to get on student visa. It will be one time effort but will make your life easier
by .... (guest) rate this post as useful

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