Want to stay in Japan after your working holiday ends? Apply for change of status of residence

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Working holiday, this special status of residence allows you to work while travelling within Japan. It is designed for young travelers who have plenty of time with little money, and best suits new graduates in gap year and young workers. One thing to remember is, this status of residence is valid for just one year and not allowed to be extended or changed. If you want to remain in Japan beyond the period of stay granted under your working holiday visa, you must apply to change status of residence.

Procedures to change status of residence from Working Holiday

Working Holiday is categorized in Designated Activities. Same as applications from other status of residence, you need to follow the procedures below.

Submit a completed application form and supporting documents at a local immigration office in your area
Receive an approval notice for change of status of residence once your application is granted
Bring your valid passport and the approval notice to a local immigration office to obtain stamp on your passport

Fee

4,000yen upon approval of permission (Payment must be made with revenue stamps)

※General processing time is 2-weeks to 1-month.

About required documents

Required documents when changing your status of residence from Working Visa vary depending on the type of status of residence you intend to change it to. For example, if you intend to change your status to working related visa, you need to submit supporting documents mentioned in “Finding a job in Japan? Application for Change of Status of Residence for expected graduates”. If you are applying for Temporary Visitor, you need to provide documents such as reason statement and a proof of intention to depart from Japan (e.g. returning flight ticket). Importantly, if you are applying for status of residence with restriction on working, you must provide a proof of funds covering all the expenses incurred while staying in Japan. Check Immigration Bureau of Japan website for details.

Important tips when changing visa from Working Holiday

Visa change may not be allowed depending on your nationality

The working holiday program is a bilateral agreement between two countries/regions which allow young nationals of both countries/region enter each country/region on the primary purpose of tourism while allowing them engage in employment to supplement their travel funds. Japan currently has such agreements with 16 countries. The requirements and conditions to obtain Working Holiday visa in Japan may differ depending on the nationality of the applicant. For the nationals of the following 6 countries among those 16, the primary condition of approval of Working Holiday visa is that the applicant must leave Japan before the end of period of stay granted, which means visa change from Working Holiday is prohibited for the national of these 6 countries. In reality, there are some cases visa changes were approved for working holiday makers from these 6 countries. If you are from the following 6 countries and want to change your Working Holiday status to other status of residence, inquire at your nearest local immigration office.

Countries and regions visa change from Working Holiday is prohibited
UK, Ireland, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Norway

Why visa change from Working Holliday to working visa is considered difficult?

While staying in Japan on Working Holiday status, you may find a job you want to apply for, or actually have a job offer from a possible employer. If a foreign national wish to work in Japan for a long term basis, he/she must obtain working related status of residence. Working Holiday makers allowed to change their status of residence to working visa under Japanese law as long as they meet all the requirements to do so. However, in reality, changing status of residence from Working Holiday is considered as a rather hard task. Why? The main reason is that the working holiday program principally target young generations such as under 25 or 30. As working visa is granted only to foreign nationals who are highly skilled, not to manual labor workers. To obtain working visa in Japan, you must meet strict conditions such as certain period of working experience in the industry or qualifications valid in Japan. If you are under skilled young worker, it is most likely that your application for working visa will be declined.

Holiday is over, what’s next?

Changing your status of residence from Working Holiday is not particularly difficult as long as you meet all the conditions under the status of residence you intend to apply for. But in reality, there are some barriers, for example, visa change from Working Holiday itself is not allowed for nationals of certain agreement countries, or you must meet the high standard of expertise and experience to apply for working visas. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to investigate in prior if your background matches the status of residence you wish to apply.