how much time does a working visa take?

hi everyone, i am thinking of moving to japan and working and living there. however i have a question...of course :P

i am now studying japanese and am in my final year.me and my teacher are looking into a internship wich will give me a working visa but to obtain it, he says, it will take 3 months...

my future plan was actually to go to japan on a tourist visa and look for a job and then obtain a working visa while i am in japan....so when you are in japan itself does it then also take 3 months to obtain such a visa? cause that would be a bit nasty considering that i can only be 3 months in japan max as a tourist...:/

In easy cases, it can be as fast as one month. In more complicated cases it can take three months. There is no major difference timewise between doing it inside or outside of Japan.

i see...so that means that. if you take a job in a bar...it might take just a month...and if you want to work at a big company it can take more? so it kinda depends on the job how complicated it is and stuff? hmmm....

Actually getting a visa for a bar would be harder then getting it for a big company.
Also you can't come to Japan on a temporary visa and change, unless you come to Japan for 90 days as a U.S. citizen or whatever nationality you hold that allows you to stay in Japan with issuing a visa, and find a job to host you for a certificate of eligibilty (which helps you obtaina visa faster), leave out of the country have the certificate mailed to you, get the visa and return to JApan legally able to work.
It seems complicated, probably because it is, but that way you won't lose time, meaning at least you'd still be able to spend some time in Japan as a tourist and then come back as a working person.

correction:

**without issuing a visa

thanks...it does sound complicated tough....

why would getting a visa for a bar be harder than some big company? because that kind of work is more...dubious? hmm that is rather annoying...what to do what to do..

so the best thing basically is..try to find a job online or other means in japan while still being in my own country, try to get the certificate and visa as soon as possible and then go to japan on a working visa...right?

mihimaru GT, it is possible to change from tourist to worker without leaving Japan, provided you receive the certificate of eligibility before the expiry of your stay as tourist (90 days).

You just have to take your certificate of eligibility and passport and application form to a immigration office in Japan and apply for a "change of status of residence":
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2221.html

but if i manage to receive a certificate of eligibility within those 90 days and then apply for the visa...this still might take some time...let's say it takes a month or 2 to get that visa, but my 90 days expire in that time...wouldn't i still need to leave the country?

There isn't a visa which covers foreigners doing bar work, that's why it is harder to get a visa for a job in a bar than in IT for example.

If you are from a country with a working holiday visa arrangemwnt with Japan you can come over sooner, and possibly find work in bars. You can then apply to change your visa status if you find a permanent job.

If you are from the US you are not eligible for a working holiday visa.

ah....doesn't bar work belong to the "entertainment" visa section? like waitress work and such?

doesn't really mean i really want to take a job in a bar but if the chance comes...

unfortunately i am not from the US but the country i come from does indeed also not cover a working holiday visa.....so that option is gone as well....-_-

It usually takes 2 weeks to 2 months to get a certificate of eligibility. Only in rare cases takes it three months or even more.

Once you get the certificate of eligibility, you can apply for a "change of status of residence" at an immigration office in Japan. It then usually takes no more than two weeks for the process to be finished. Once you have submitted your application for a "change of status of residence", you are allowed to stay in Japan beyond the expiry date of your initial 90 day period of stay in case the response does not arrive before the expiry date. In fact, you are required to stay in Japan, as your original passport is among the documents to submit to the immigration office.

i see...thank you for your reactions. this cleared many things up for me.