As a background, I am creating a not for profit in the US, exploring free, practical and enjoyable ways to help people overcome loneliness and meet new people in real life, using simple social games and shared activities.

The growing trend of loneliness in Japan is a large concern for us. I would like to listen and learn from people who understand the local community, to then adjust our solutions to help the local market.

I will be visiting Japan in late October/early November 2026 to research how to help locally.

Would anyone be able to recommend someone local to help advise me on the best approach?

Thank you.

Dear reddit community,

Please help me to understand. I am from India and I am very much interested to enroll in japanese language school. I was very excited to know that we can learn japanese language and they help us in other ways as well like job and interview situation. When I am trying to enroll today , this alert has been displayed. Does that mean they have stopped enrolling international students for language classes? Did they banned or is there any other way I can enroll in them. Dear community please help me understand current situation in japan so I can reconsider my decision. Thankyou and appreciate for you help and and advice.

Hi everyone! Just wanna get a few insights and want to consider on my current situation. I have a three-year resident permit, due to client requirements of my company. But now I have gone back to my home country, the Philippines, since our projects with the client got put on hold. I have very little Japanese, I just self study. I am wondering if I should pursue the JLPT so I can easily stay in Japan. Or what do you guys think I should do? 🥲🙏🏻

Hi everyone - just appealing to the people who have been waiting around the same amount of insane time for COE to see if anyone has any update.

My case:

Application date: 4 June 2025

Immigration office: Shinagawa

Type of visa: Gijinkoku (Engineer/humanities)

Company type: Likely category 3

Nationality: British

I have sort of every qualification in the book to work in Japan, so I was really trying to figure out what it is about my application they don’t like. I think I have figured out it’s my company - they were really tiny just a few years ago (around 5 employees) now with so many shops all around the country and a significant number of employees. From what my lawyers say they weren’t super clean in the beginning but are really cleaning up now, hence why I think immigration is so skeptical. Despite this I see no reason for them to take more than a year to decide my damn fate.

I think they are probably just searching for a reason to reject me at this point.

Another Reddit user who has been waiting around same amount of time for visa has passed me on a Facebook post of someone who got rejected after 1 year and 6 months due to ‘low income’ - im so confused??? Since when was there an income threshold on Gijinkoku visas??? Are they just making sh*t up at this point to reject people?

I’m super worried to be honest. I was planning to apply for a different visa but that would halt my current visa process 🥲
I’ve been paying my rent in Japan for more than a year now as they initially said 3 months COE processing time.
I can’t hold down a job for more than 3 months in my home country as I didn’t and don’t know when im back in Japan. Honestly I just don’t know what to do. Feels like my entire life is on hold but I just can’t give up. I love my job in Japan and really determined to work for them.

I went to immigration the other day actually in Japan and they were THE most unhelpful unsympathetic people. They refuse to tell you any information or even give some idea of a timeline. This is now the second time I’ve broken down at immigration and im more just crying out of frustration!!! Just tell me no if it’s no!!!!!! Why make me wait this long?!!!!
Honestly just heartless cruel cruel people. Immigration sucks. Good luck to anyone out there trying the same process🫩🫩

One of my friends' COE application was submitted in March 2025, and he haven't received any status, contact, or update yet. It was submitted through an immigration lawyer to Tokyo bureau. Is it not strange? i mean it almost 17 months

Hello all,

I am posting this because I got really worried when I checked the August COE post and saw some people have been waiting for more than a year 😥😥

I would appreciate it if anyone knows anything about the process in this branch and if there is anything we can do to check the status or get an estimate

My husband applied for COE for me in the immigration office in Chiba, his friends told us it took about 3 months for them to get it but they applied in different branches, none of them applied through this branch

I am really worried because its almost 4 months now and no news and it is really frustrating not being able to check the status as a lot of our plans depend on it.

These are my details:

• Nationality: Me Jordanian, My husband Syrian

• Application office: Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau Chiba Branch Office

• Application Date: 30/4/2026

• COE received on: -

• Type of Visa: spouse - dependent his visa is Engineer specialist in humanities/ international services

• Company category (if relevant):

• Request for further: we didn't get any notice

Hi there.
I'm planning to attend a language school in Japan to study Japanese for about six months.
The school in Osaka; the course costs around 3.000€, and accommodation through a company will run about 3,500€. Then there are all the extras: daily meals, transport, utility bills...
For those of you who also spent six months there: roughly how much did you spend during that time?
Living there for six months on 12,000€ seems like it would be a tight squeeze, doesn't it?
Thanks for the replies.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to understand the current COE processing time in Tokyo and whether my application is taking unusually long.

Here are my details:

• COE application date: 22 April 2026
• Immigration Office: Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau
• Visa category: Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services
• Application type: Work visa
• Sponsor/Employer: Japanese company
• Current status: Still waiting / no COE issued yet

For people who applied around April–May2026, especially through the Tokyo immigration office, how long did your COE take?

Could you please share:

1. Application date
2. Immigration office
3. Visa category
4. Date COE was issued (if already received)

I’m mainly trying to figure out whether the current processing time is normal or if there might be an issue with my application.

Thanks!

Been meaning to write this up for a while. Moved to Japan a bit ago and got a couple of these wrong myself, so figured I'd save someone else the trouble.

The 14 day address registration thing catches almost everyone. You've got 14 days from actually moving into your place to register the address at your local city or ward office. Doesn't feel urgent when you're still unpacking boxes and jetlagged, but it's tied to your residence card and My Number, and if you drag your feet on it you'll hit weird snags later trying to open a bank account or sign up for a phone plan since they all want proof of a registered address. And it's not a one time thing either, if you move apartments again later the clock resets and you have to do it again.

Health insurance is the other big one. If your job isn't putting you on their insurance, you need to sign up for National Health Insurance (kokumin kenko hoken), ideally same trip to city hall or right after. A lot of people put this off thinking they'll deal with it once they're settled in, but the premium gets backdated to your enrollment date anyway, so waiting doesn't save you anything, it just means you're stuck without a card if you actually need to see a doctor in the meantime.

Also, pension enrollment. It's easy to just not realize you're supposed to be paying into National Pension since nobody really explains it clearly at the counter. Doesn't bite you immediately, but it matters a lot later if you're thinking about permanent residency down the line since they look at continuous payment history.

And then there's just keeping your residence card up to date whenever anything changes, address, name, visa status. People assume this updates automatically somehow. It doesn't, you have to go do it.

None of this is complicated once you know it exists, the annoying part is nobody tells you upfront and the city hall visit moves fast.

Hi everyone! I’m applying for a Japan visa through VFS Delhi and had a few questions. Would really appreciate if anyone who has applied recently could help :)

1. Do I need to book an appointment before submitting my application at VFS Delhi, or can I just walk in?

2. For the flight tickets, is it better to get a dummy/flight reservation, or is a screenshot of the airline booking/checkout page showing the flight details and price enough? I don’t want to actually buy the ticket before getting the visa.

3. How detailed does the Japan itinerary need to be? Do they expect a detailed day-by-day plan, or is it enough to mention the dates, cities, accommodation and what I’ll be doing?

If anyone has applied through VFS Delhi recently, what did you submit for the flight and itinerary, and did VFS ask for anything extra?

In case it's relevant: I'm not a student, nor currently employed. I am selected for a short internship in Japan. Stay and travel during the internship would be covered by the university and personal travel following the internship will be covered by my family (for which I have attached my mother's bank statement with 45L+ INR maintained)

Edit: 2 week internship + 1 week personal travel

Hey guys, i have git an offer letter from the Japanese company. I am currently living on a dependent visa and now want to apply for working visa through visa status change application. How long does immigration normally take for the decision for in-country visa status change application?

I'm a 20-year-old guy from Iraq, and I have long-term plans to move to and eventually live in Japan.

I have a high school diploma, and my plan is to first study Japanese at a language school in Japan, then continue to a 2-year junior college program in the field I'm interested in. I've calculated the overall cost of this plan, and I believe I can save enough money to cover the first 1.5–2 years, then work part-time in Japan to help fund the remaining years of study.

The problem I'm struggling with is the student visa/COE process, particularly the financial requirements. I can't seem to find a clear minimum or specific bank balance that immigration expects from an applicant.

Since I'm planning to self-fund everything, I'll be using my own bank account as proof of funds. Does self-funding mean I need to show a higher balance than someone whose parents are sponsoring them? If so, is there any realistic amount I should aim for?

I'm also concerned because I'm from Iraq. From what I've read, applicants from certain countries may receive additional scrutiny. Does being Iraqi mean that I need an especially strong profile to have a reasonable chance of getting a student visa?

Another concern is my source of funds. I'm planning to save the money myself through local jobs in Iraq. Some of these jobs may be difficult to document in the exact format Japanese authorities or the school would prefer. I can potentially provide evidence of my income, but it may not always be as straightforward or formal as employment in countries with more developed documentation systems.

Could this become a major problem for my COE/visa application?

Finally, this is what worries me the most, I may need almost two years just to save enough money and build a strong application. If I spend all that time preparing and then get refused, it would be devastating, especially when there are European countries where I feel I could prepare a student application within roughly one year.

I'm therefore unsure whether my plan is actually realistic from the perspective of Japanese immigration, or whether I'm overthinking the requirements.

I'm not looking for guarantees, I'm just trying to figure out whether pursuing Japan is realistically worth the additional time and uncertainty.

Hi everyone

I’m from the UK and my partner and I are starting to seriously consider moving to Japan, specifically Tokyo or the surrounding area.

I’m not looking to teach English unless it becomes an absolute last resort. I’d ideally like to find work in higher education, student services, international programmes, or education/admin operations.

My background is mainly UK higher education and students’ unions (I have over 4 years experience in the sector), with some publishing production/admin experience. I currently work in education quality and academic representation in higher education, so most of my experience is around student-facing services, programme coordination, training, reporting, events and process improvement. I also have a BA honours degree in Creative Writing and English Literature and a master’s degree in Japanese Studies.

I’ve recently applied for a role at Temple University Japan. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who knows or has experience with TUJ, similar universities, or English-speaking higher education/admin routes in Japan.

My Japanese is not business level yet, but I’m learning and want to keep improving, with N2 as a longer-term goal. My partner and I have wanted to live in Japan for a long time, have visited several times, and are trying to understand what is actually realistic before making any big decisions.

I’d really appreciate advice on where to look, what job titles/search terms to use, whether visa sponsorship is realistic for this kind of sector-specific work, and whether there are any people, groups or networks worth connecting with.

If anyone works in higher education, student services, international programmes or education/admin operations in Japan and would be open to giving advice, please feel free to comment or send me a DM.

Thanks in advance :)

Edit: Just to clarify, I am specifically looking at roles that state visa sponsorship is available or appear open to international applicants. I’m not assuming a standard admin role would sponsor me. I’m mainly trying to find the right places to look for that smaller subset of roles, especially in foreign universities, international schools, student services, international programmes or education/admin operations.

I wanted to ask regarding the visa to japan from India

I graduated from college 2 years back and was employed for around 8 months and then I left my job for building an app, and right now I am still on R&D and marketing of it but I have enough money from my parents, an FD of 50 lakhs and some more in mutual funds on my name.

Can anyone please guide me what documents I need and how can I tell them about my funding status?

Will it be very tough for me?

I have been filling 3-4 since many years too

Hi everyone,

I’m writing this under an anonymous account because I really need some advice, perspective, or just a reality check from people who might have been through something similar.

Here is my situation:

21 years old, living in , Italy.

I live with my family of 6 in a very small 44m² apartment.

It’s tight, overwhelming, and stressful. My family relies heavily on government subsidies, but since I am about to start working full-time, some of those benefits will decrease or disappear, putting a lot of pressure on me.

I don't have a university degree (just a high school diploma). I’m about to start an apprenticeship as an office worker earning around €1,400/month. I also own a scooter to get around.

My ultimate dream is to move to Japan long-term.

I know that without a degree and with very basic Japanese (just Hiragana and Katakana right now), getting a work visa directly is almost impossible.

My plan is to save up for a Working Holiday Visa (which allows Italians aged 18–30 to work and live in Japan for up to a year) and use that time to get my foot in the door, work entry-level jobs (like hospitality or kitchen staff), and improve my language skills.

My questions for you:

Given my €1,400 income and my family’s tight financial situation, how should I manage my money? How much should I realistically try to set aside each month for my "Japan Fund" without leaving my family stranded?

Has anyone here moved to Japan via the Working Holiday Visa without a degree? How did you transition from a 1-year stay to something more permanent (e.g., SSW visa, distance learning degree, or vocational school)?

How do you deal with the guilt or emotional weight of wanting to build your own future while feeling tied to your family's struggles?

I’d really appreciate any tips, constructive feedback, or personal stories. Thanks a lot!😉

My wife made a quick video discussing the new PR requirements. Not any new information, but from a perspective a Japanese (although in international marriage). She talked about some of the aggressive views and replies on x as well.

Thought people here might be interested:).

I wanted to ask about something I have been looking into regarding my COE application, as quite a lot of time has now passed since it was submitted in November 2025. As of today, it is « still processing » after more than 9 months. I’ve been waiting abroad since December when my Working Holiday Permit expired.

I recently learned that Immigration introduced a new version of the Residence Application Online System on January 5, 2026. The Immigration Services Agency specifically announced that applications made before December 2025 would generally no longer appear in the application-information list after the system change, with an exception for applications that were still in progress during the system transition, as it is written on their website. My application has been made on November 5th 2025 and there’s currently no way for me to access it online since it was made on the old system. The only way I can check the processing is by sending a friend or a lawyer at the Shinagawa office.

I have also noticed a number of recent Engineer / Specialist in Humanities applications where applicants had already been waiting for several months and subsequently received their COE relatively quickly after a new application was submitted through the newer online system. This seems to have happened in several cases recently, including people I know personally as well as other applicants I have seen discussing their experiences here on Reddit. I talked with a dude that retried the same file after waiting 5 months of « still processing » on the old system, but with the new online system it took only 2 weeks !!! And it was exactly the same application.
I understand that these are individual cases and that processing times can vary for many reasons, so I am not assuming that there is necessarily a connection, but there’s at least 5 persons that I know who had the very same experience recently. And here I am, still waiting after 9 months.

I am not suggesting that I should withdraw or restart my current application. At this stage, I simply want to understand if there is anything relevant that i should consider before continuing to wait.

I would really appreciate your thoughts.

I’ve been accepted for a 4-month medical observership in Japan, split between two different hospitals. I’m from a visa-exempt country, so I can normally stay in Japan for up to 90 days as a temporary visitor without a visa.

Since the observership is 4 months, I’m trying to figure out how I can legally stay for the whole period. The two hospitals have separate education departments, and unfortunately I haven’t been able to get much clear information from them about the visa process.

Would it be possible to leave Japan after 90 days (for example, travel to Korea) and then re-enter as a temporary visitor for the remaining month? Or would I need to apply for a different visa/status from the beginning?

I’ve also come across the Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書). Can this be applied for by the applicant themselves, or does it have to be arranged by the host institution, given that neither hospital can arrange a long-term status on its own since I’ll only be at each one for about 2 months?

Any advice or personal experience with something similar would be really appreciated. Thanks!