Want to work part-time as international students? Get permission before starting a job

photo by bandt

The number of international students in Japan has radically increased since the turn of the century, and it is still growing after 2010. In recent years, we have seen a rapid increase in the number of South East Asian students studying Japanese at language institutes. While some students are well funded for their study, most international students seem to be living with a tight budget, just like Japanese students. You might think they can take up a part-time job; however, they need to go through some procedures adhere to regulations to do so, since the residence permits as students are granted based on the fact that their main purpose of stay is “to study or engage in research in Japan”.

Permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted

The main purpose of stay in Japan for international students must be study; they are only permitted to engage in their study or research. If you wish to earn any income from other activities, then you must apply for “permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted” beforehand. If you are found to be working part-time without this certificate, you can be accused of working illegally and forced to leave the country. If the activity you engage in is unpaid volunteering work, however, you do not need to apply for the permission. Also, you are not required to have the permission if the paid work is related to your academic study, such as helping organizing a lecture meeting, and you only receive a one-off payment.

Application procedures

You can apply for permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted at the local Immigration Bureau after your entry to Japan. There is no handling fee incurred for this application (a handling fee might be incurred if you decide to apply through an agent). The required documents are as follows.

Application for permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted
Residence card (both original copy and a photocopy of both sides)
Passport

Also, you can apply for permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted on your entry to Japan at the airport if:

You are entering Japan for the first time (re-entry does not apply)
You have a residence permit as a student (excluding those with residence permits under three months)

*You can download an application form from the web page of Immigration Bureau of JAPAN.

Regulations about the working hours for international students

Once the permission is granted, you can start working part-time; however, you are supposed to be aware how many hours you can work. Any activity conducted outside of your original visa status must be done in a way that it does not prevent the main activity. This means, as a student visa holder, your part-time work should not badly affect your study. The regulations are:

You can work up to 28 hours a week
You can work up to 8 hours a day during off-session periods, such as summer holiday
You are not permitted to engage with any paid work while you are withdrawn from school

Unlike working visa holders, student visa holders with permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted are allowed to engage in unskilled labor. However, part-time work in adult entertainment businesses or any businesses related to the industry (including cabarets, hostess bars, pachinko and slot machine parlors) is not permitted.

If the dependents of international students want to work in Japan

It is not uncommon for international students to decide to bring their spouses and children from their home countries to Japan. Those who granted dependent visas as family members of international students are not allowed to work. Like international student themselves, they are required to apply for permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted before starting working part-time. Once the permission is granted, you can work up to 28 hours a week.

Please note that dependent visa holders are only allowed to work “up to 28 hours a week” throughout the year, without any exception during an off-session period. This is because a dependent visa permits family members to stay in Japan in order to maintain the family life. This can include the spouses to take care of house work to fully support the international students and their children to attend schools. The family members are only permitted to work certain hours so that they won’t fail to provide their full support to the student visa holders.

Summary

The main activity for international students under student visa has to be studying, so there are many regulations and rules to adhere to for them to work while they study in Japan. A student visa itself does not allow the student visa holders to work, which means you can be in a serious situation if you are found engaging in paid jobs without applying for a permission. Fortunately, the application procedure for permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted has become a lot simpler since July 2012. Do not forget to apply for it before looking for a part-time job!