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Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 01:02
I was an exchange student in a Tokyo uni from March to August 2016 (with a valid student visa from March 2016 to June 2017). When I left for my homecountry which is Italy, immigration didnft punched my resident card as I told them that I was coming back on Sept.
On Sept I came back to Japan (Osaka) and in my entry card for immigration I wrote that I was there to do an unpaid intership for 3 months. Obviously immigration saw everthing from entry card, visa, passport, resident card etc and told me absolutely nothing. In Osaka I went to my local kuyakusho to change address and apply for national health insurance: once again no problem whatsover.
After this Osaka intern, I went to Tokyo to do another internship (always unpaid, for 3 months). I went to the kuyakusho to change address and everything was fine. I stayed in Japan until the the end of March and eventually came back to my homecountry. At Narita airport, immigration simply asked me if I was coming back to Japan in the near future and, as a said no, they punched my zairyu card.
Let's say I was lucky enough to get away with this strange situation for 6 months and everything went smoothly, my concern now is that I'll have trouble in the future applying for a new visa to Japan. I mean, I guess immigration office would investigate my case, eventually find out that I was living in Japan illegally and reject my visa request. Could this happen even though they didn't "catch me" at the right time?
by Sara (guest)  

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 10:30
you worked and ern salary and declear unpaid ?.

well they wont find out ..you left the country properly.
by chike20 rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 13:09
Chike,
the OP said "unpaid."

OP,
There is a possibility that immigration considered your situation completely ok, thinking that the unpaid internship was part of your "continuing" study program. They would have definitely told you if you did something that would give you problem later.
by ........ (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 13:51
From March 2016 to June 2017 your student visa was valid, you visit Japan for internship in September.
Internship can only be done with a student visa or other visa which are valid for internship.

You came to Japan basically on a tourist since you student visa as finished, means you may not do any work (unpaid or paid)

Of course maybe you got lucky or not when you visit Japan next time and access will be declined. So maybe you can have trouble if they found out someday.




by justmyday rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 14:12
I thought she returned to Japan in Sept. of 2016, while her student visa was still valid. So the only fault of hers, if any, was that she didn't inform immigration that her studies with the initial university had been completed. And since she could come in on the same student visa, the school had not informed them that she'd left. Don't know what to make of it.
by .........I thought she came back in (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 15:10
Thank you for your answers.
I didn't earn a salary while I was there, and I didn't overstayed (my ryugaku finished on augurs 2016, the visa on June 2017). I guess somebody from Uni notified the immigration office that my studies ended on august 2016 but after that nothing happened. I don't know... either Uni didn't notified the immigration or between the notification and the entry of force of it there're a few months (this is just a guessing). To me it's really strange that nobody investigated my case if I there were some big problems (I went through kuyakusho twice or even more if you considerate “]‹“Í and “]o“Í, went through airport immigration 3 times).
My concern now is that on my future request for certificate of eligibility it'll show up that the last time I entered Japan I stayed for 6 months with ryugaku visa and no sponsor and, as a result, they won't give me a new visa for my future activities in Japan.
I know that's a strange case but as you can immagine in pretty concerned about the future...


by Sara (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 15:55
Once your student visa has finished you need to leave Japan. Since you stayed in Japan after that means you overstayed. There is no other term for that.

It doesn`t matter if you got paid or not for an internship, after your student visa and without any other propar visa which allow you to work, you work was illegal.

Your university should have informed you well/handled well, but also you need to be aware of the rules since you are an adult.

Nobody knows what the outcome will be from your action. Maybe nothing happens, or maybe next time you apply for visa it will be rejected. Even if you visit Japan you can be declined entry in worse case.

by justmyday rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 16:27
I don't have any explanation about why immigration never asked (when you came back into Japan) if you were still studying; maybe this meant the university never informed them that you completed your studies. (But it is not that immigration will try to track down everyone who has finished studying but has not left the country.)

The internship programs were unpaid, you still had a valid student resident status (though no sponsor), and you did not give it up when you left in August 2016, maybe because you thought you "might" return for another study program? (Did you know already you were coming back for internship?)

So the only thing I clearly can say you didn't do "right" was that you did not inform immigration that you completed your studies (no longer with the original university), which both the sponsor (uni) and the status holder (you) are obligated to do within 14 days of the change. And maybe another thing is (you don't say if you did or not but probably) that you did not inform immigration of the new sponsor (the intern employer, if I may call it that), and just made it look like you were still part of the initial study program but temporarily placed with those companies.

Did the company where you did intern ever asked about your status, and if they needed to do anything for you related to that, like supplying a paper saying that you are an intern there? Maybe not.

I really don't know what to make of it, but just to say that you did not blatantly do anything wrong, you thought you could do unpaid internship while on student status (which is not wrong, if done as part of a study program), you did have a valid student status, no immigration officer ever ever asked anything of it, uni (maybe) did not inform immigration, your intern "employer" posed no question, etc., etc. all those things by chance came together. And you (by now) already gave up that status. And since you did not earn anything financially off the internship programs, and I assume you did no part-time job during your internship? So you did nothing that someone for example on Temporary Visitor status cannot do (provided Italians are given six months with Temporary Visitor Status, because you stayed in total 6 months).

So...can anything bad happen?

If you ever get a chance to work for a Japanese company in the future, you (or your employer) applies for a work visa for you on the same passport, your passport number will appear in their record, immigration might ask you about your past stay in Japan, you tell them (with evidence if you can) that after your initial studies you did completely unpaid internships (to brush up your skills or whatsoever) for a while, in the belief that student residence status allowed it, what can they say.

The ultimate decision is of course up to the immigration authorities, so if you ask me can they ever reject your visa application, my answer would be, yes, there is always that possibility. But seeing how things fell into place so far, "what can they say?" is my take. (Japanese with a non-Japanese family member, who used to work in various work environment, so have seen different situations involving the immigration authorities...)
by .......... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 21:02
When I first left Japan on August 2016, I already knew I was coming back for the Osaka internship but I didn0t know that I had to specify with the immigration officer that I wasnft coming back for studying. I was excepting them to punch my resident card because I was leaving (at that time I didnft know about special re-entry permission and so on). After that I thought I could come back with a regular 90 days tourist visa (every unpaid internship via my uni in Italy is done in this way) and then leave Japan for Korea (or Italy during Christmas holidays) and come back for the other internship in Tokyo.
But as you know at the airport they didnft punch my resident card so I came back to Italy with my guntouchedh documents. While I was in Italy, I started to think that I might get in trouble once in Osaka so I called the Japanese embassy in Rome and explained the situation. They told me that once in Kansai airport, immirgration would cancel my ryugaku visa and give me a 90 days tourist visa which didnft happen at all.
The company of the second internship (the one in Tokyo, Jan-March 2017) asked me about my visa status and I told them everything. At that point, they didnft tell me that they were afraid because I was illegal there etc etc. Actually they told me they felt relieved since I was there with a valid visa and could get national health insurance and so on. After giving them my visa status, I donft know if they supplied a paper to immigration. I remembered I was asked to sign a paper for insurance on the job, so maybe they did something.
For these 6 months, I didnft do any part time jobs but Italians can stay maximum 90 days on a Temporary visitor visa so Ifm starting to thinking that in fact if was illegal from Jan to March something bad must had happened to me during that time. Otherwise how I could get away at the kuyakusho in Tokyo?

Plus, my passaport expires next year so I'll need to apply for a new one. Maybe this could play a positive factor?
Anyway I know I messed up with the rules, I was very naive but did not intend to. Definitely going to pay more attention next time...
by Sara (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/18 21:49
at least, you should not have joined national health insurance, because you already knew it isn't the right way.
if you find a job in Japan, you have to inform your previous stays in Japan. Immigration will know your old passport number.
immigration does not know the exchange student program was finished in August 2016.
generally speaking, students of "exchange programs" are not "real" students. they are "guests" from foreign universities. the returning (or going out ) from Japan must be guaranteed by foreign universities.
what you did is that you used the mutual good relationship between universities for your personal egoistic benefit.
if you don't speak this situation to others, especially to your neighboring "foreigners", you will be fine when you find a job in Japan in future.

you emphasize "unpaid". but, it is not important. your visa was expired when you finished the program. you knew the program was finished. it means after that time, you overstayed and illegally joined the insurance. all your excuse must be "the program was still in progress".
by ken (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/19 10:30
in your case some time immigration can make mistake . they made mistake in issueing you a longer visa.
so in this case you never commit any crime . thats why they did nothing.

normally 1year student visa = immigration will give 1year 3months.
they know that 1year is for studies then 3months will help you to enjoy japan then prepare yourself for going back home.


the most important thing is you have visa before living the counry.
by chike20 rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/19 13:40
above I disagree. It depends on the visa how long you may stay

International students are permitted to stay in Japan for 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 1 year and 3 months, 2 years, 2 years and 3 months, 3 years, 3 years and 3 months, 4 years, or 4 years and 3 months with the visa status of "Student" If you wish to remain in Japan with the same visa status beyond your authorized period, you need to apply for an extension of period of stay at the Immigration Bureau no later than the expiration date of your current visa.

This information can be found on the immigration site.
The poster mentioned that March to August 2016 (with a valid student visa from March 2016 to June 2017). After that period you just need to leave, extend or change visa. If you leave Japan for a short time you need to fill out a re-entry form.

The visa is valued until a period and after that you need to leave.
If you still stay in Japan you are basically overstaying.

by justmyday rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/19 15:53
justmyday,

I believe the original poster left Japan while her visa was still valid?
by ......... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/19 16:17
Yep, I left Japan March 2017 while having a valid visa until June 2017.
by Sara (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Unpaid internship with student visa 2017/7/19 22:54
You overstayed no matter how you look at it. Unpaid or not, you resided illegally in Japan for 7 months with a status that should have been revoked right after your study program ended. And you knew exactly what you were doing, I'm sure you're not stupid.

That doesn't mean immigration knows this. Just don't tell them unless they do. Try to apply for a new visa when you need it, and only then you will find out what you've come here to ask. Nothing you can do to change the past now, but stick to the rules next time.
by .. (guest) rate this post as useful

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