silentplummet
10-10-2008, 06:24 PM
Disclaimer: This post is simply a recount of events for the benefit of those who are concerned, that they might take any information from it that they will. If you are not concerned, or doubt the veracity of anything I've posted on this forum (which is the gospel truth and your loss if you don't believe me), please stop reading now and move on with your day.
Some of you may be familiar with my last thread about my visa situation. The short version is that I was in Japan from July on a 90 day 短期滞在 despite holding a 留学 visa. My visa is somewhat unusual in that it is valid for multiple stays of one year, over a five year period expiring in 2010. I planned to go to China to visit some friends and see sights from the end of September, when my 90 day stay expired, and return again.
I was uncertain about what would happen at that point, so I decided to consult a few different sources including the regional bureau of immigrations in Osaka and a smaller branch office at Kansai international airport. Everyone told me a different story, but the same logic underlay each: since I had opted to enter as 短期滞在 I would undergo a much stricter examination upon my re-entry. Whether this examination would constitute rectal probing was an item of dispute. Some suggested I would need to present a new certificate of eligibility, others suggested that I had better carry some proof of my enrollment in a school, which is actually quite reasonable to my mind.
Unfortunately, since I am not enrolled in any school, I decided to simply wing it: I alighted on Japanese soil from a boat arriving in Shimonoseki's ferry port. I stayed up all night long the previous day to ensure that my wits would not be about me so the results of the immigration inspection, whatever they should turn out to be, would not be due to any gaming of the system on my part.
I presented my passport to a nice looking lady behind the counter, and she informed me that I had forgotten to fill out one of those yellow embarkation cards. This was a huge mistake that I strongly caution anyone against making, because it starts an avalanche of attention, or conspicuousness, which can make bad things happen that didn't have to happen and be very difficult to turn. I was directed to a table to fill one out and watched over very carefully by another woman.
When I got to the part about the length of my intended stay, I wrote 'one year' and was immediately instructed to correct it to '90 days' because she thought I did not have a visa. I showed her that I had one valid for stays of a year and she countered by saying that I had used this already. Then I pointed to the part where it says 'multiple entries' and after pausing to think for a moment, said 'we will have to have the immigrations inspector look at this' and brought out a man in a more official looking suit.
This is the conversation I had with the immigrations inspector.
Me: Good morning.
Him: Good morning. (flips through my passport) So you want to come in, but you don't even have a visa.
Me: I don't have a visa?
Him: (seeing my visa) .... wait, ah yes. (referring to my yellow card) You've checked this box for 'other', but what does that mean? You want to work? Travel? What?
Me: Study.
Him: Study, really? At what school?
Me: I don't know.
Him: You want to study, and you don't even know the school's name? (Flips through passport again) Look at this picture. I can't even tell if this is you or not. (My passport picture was taken at an awkward time in my life when I had long hair and was unshaven.)
Me: ...
Him: Okay. You can stay this time. I mean it does say multiple. (Here he prints out a 上陸許可 sticker for one year with status 留学)
Me: Thank you very much.
Then I gave them my fingerprints and mug shot and went on my way.
Now of course there are a couple of issues I have to face. I feel like I should probably either get this status changed or start attending a school, but unlike my previous stay I'm not sure who there would be to check up on me. I told the inspector to his face that I didn't know what school I would be going to, and Nanzan which I attended back in 2005 surely has no reason to contact immigrations of their own volition anymore.
If I remember right I have to register my gaijin card within 90 days of the date of entry. I don't remember if, given my 留学 status, they will require any proof of enrollment or whether this process will trigger some other kind of check on what I'm doing.
I'm basically trying to figure out what I need to be doing and what timeframe I have to do it in. Employment seems to suck right now because of the economy thing, and while getting into a school to take whatever classes I can afford seems simple enough, there's a lot I'd rather be doing.
I just don't want to be banned from this country when I spent so many years learning Japanese. Anyway hope you enjoyed and maybe even learned from reading about my experiences.
Some of you may be familiar with my last thread about my visa situation. The short version is that I was in Japan from July on a 90 day 短期滞在 despite holding a 留学 visa. My visa is somewhat unusual in that it is valid for multiple stays of one year, over a five year period expiring in 2010. I planned to go to China to visit some friends and see sights from the end of September, when my 90 day stay expired, and return again.
I was uncertain about what would happen at that point, so I decided to consult a few different sources including the regional bureau of immigrations in Osaka and a smaller branch office at Kansai international airport. Everyone told me a different story, but the same logic underlay each: since I had opted to enter as 短期滞在 I would undergo a much stricter examination upon my re-entry. Whether this examination would constitute rectal probing was an item of dispute. Some suggested I would need to present a new certificate of eligibility, others suggested that I had better carry some proof of my enrollment in a school, which is actually quite reasonable to my mind.
Unfortunately, since I am not enrolled in any school, I decided to simply wing it: I alighted on Japanese soil from a boat arriving in Shimonoseki's ferry port. I stayed up all night long the previous day to ensure that my wits would not be about me so the results of the immigration inspection, whatever they should turn out to be, would not be due to any gaming of the system on my part.
I presented my passport to a nice looking lady behind the counter, and she informed me that I had forgotten to fill out one of those yellow embarkation cards. This was a huge mistake that I strongly caution anyone against making, because it starts an avalanche of attention, or conspicuousness, which can make bad things happen that didn't have to happen and be very difficult to turn. I was directed to a table to fill one out and watched over very carefully by another woman.
When I got to the part about the length of my intended stay, I wrote 'one year' and was immediately instructed to correct it to '90 days' because she thought I did not have a visa. I showed her that I had one valid for stays of a year and she countered by saying that I had used this already. Then I pointed to the part where it says 'multiple entries' and after pausing to think for a moment, said 'we will have to have the immigrations inspector look at this' and brought out a man in a more official looking suit.
This is the conversation I had with the immigrations inspector.
Me: Good morning.
Him: Good morning. (flips through my passport) So you want to come in, but you don't even have a visa.
Me: I don't have a visa?
Him: (seeing my visa) .... wait, ah yes. (referring to my yellow card) You've checked this box for 'other', but what does that mean? You want to work? Travel? What?
Me: Study.
Him: Study, really? At what school?
Me: I don't know.
Him: You want to study, and you don't even know the school's name? (Flips through passport again) Look at this picture. I can't even tell if this is you or not. (My passport picture was taken at an awkward time in my life when I had long hair and was unshaven.)
Me: ...
Him: Okay. You can stay this time. I mean it does say multiple. (Here he prints out a 上陸許可 sticker for one year with status 留学)
Me: Thank you very much.
Then I gave them my fingerprints and mug shot and went on my way.
Now of course there are a couple of issues I have to face. I feel like I should probably either get this status changed or start attending a school, but unlike my previous stay I'm not sure who there would be to check up on me. I told the inspector to his face that I didn't know what school I would be going to, and Nanzan which I attended back in 2005 surely has no reason to contact immigrations of their own volition anymore.
If I remember right I have to register my gaijin card within 90 days of the date of entry. I don't remember if, given my 留学 status, they will require any proof of enrollment or whether this process will trigger some other kind of check on what I'm doing.
I'm basically trying to figure out what I need to be doing and what timeframe I have to do it in. Employment seems to suck right now because of the economy thing, and while getting into a school to take whatever classes I can afford seems simple enough, there's a lot I'd rather be doing.
I just don't want to be banned from this country when I spent so many years learning Japanese. Anyway hope you enjoyed and maybe even learned from reading about my experiences.