The easiest way to move to Japan: Working Holiday Visa
If you're between 18 and 30 years old and your dream is to live and work in Japan this visa is for you.
The Working Holiday Visa for Japan in 2020 application process has just started, so now is the perfect time to apply.
[Disclaimer: if you are Spanish check the Spanish version of this post]
The Working Holiday Visa is a "Visa for Vacation and Sporadic Work Activities" as described by the Embassy of Japan in Spain. This agreement has been in place for a long time with other countries but with Japan it has only been in place since 2017, so it is not as popular. This, together with the fact that it is not an English-speaking country, means that the 500 places offered are not usually covered, so once you submit your application you are almost guaranteed to get it approved.
What are the advantages of Working Holiday?
What are the advantages of Working Holiday? With this visa, you can come to Japan for one year without the need of a company or a Japanese language school as a sponsor or intermediary. This makes the paperwork much faster and saves you money because for other visas such as the work visa, you have to fulfill many requirements, and or for the student visa you have to join a language school which is usually quite expensive. There are hardly any limitations: you can work, study or simply travel and enjoy your stay in Japan. Another advantage is speed. From the time you apply until you set foot in Japan, it can take only 2 or 3 weeks if you want. And, by the way, it is completely free.
The requirements to apply for the Working Holiday Visa to Japan are quite affordable, let's see the theory:
Being Spanish and resident in Spain
Being between 18 and 30 years old (inclusive)
Not having applied for it before (for Japan)
Not being accompanied by dependents
That the main reason for the visit is not work
Intend to leave Japan upon completion of the visa
Possess a passport valid for the entire period of the stay.
Medical certificate
No criminal record
Economic solvency: you must prove that you have more than 4000 euros on your account or have a single ticket + 1000 euros for a return ticket + 2000 euros on your account.
If you meet these requirements and you are encouraged to apply, these are the documents you will have to prepare before sending the email to the embassy:
Fill in the application form (Annex A)
Your resume (Attachment B)
Travel plan (Annex C)
Declaration of no criminal record (Annex D)
Passport
Recent passport photo (45mmx45mm)
Written explaining the reasons why you are applying for the WH.
Proof of financial means. Here you can attach a capture of your bank statement.
(where it says "Annex" it means you have to download their files and templates and fill them in following their instructions)
Once you have all the documents ready, they are sent by email to the embassy. They will reply when they have received it and contact you again when they have reviewed the documents. In my case, it took less than a week, so you can get an idea.
You will be given an appointment to go to the embassy with everything printed. That same day they will stamp your visa in your passport (you have to wait a few hours and come back to pick it up) and you will have a 3 month window to fly to Japan. If you wish to leave later, simply reply to their email asking them to delay your appointment by a few weeks.
My experience
Once you've seen the theory I'll give you some key tips based on my personal experience:
About the proof of solvency: when you attach your proof of solvency make sure it is an account in your name and where there is a Spanish address associated with it. At that time I had my savings in an English account and was refused the document, so I had to wait a few days until I could transfer the money to a Spanish account.
About that work cannot be your main reason for applying: in theory working during the visa is allowed with the idea that you can finance your stay there. Now, there is no limitation on the number of hours per week you can work so, technically, you can work full-time if you want to.
About the motivation letter: My recommendation here is that you talk about your interest in culture, sport, art, etc., without mentioning the work topic. For the travel plan it will work in your favor if you make a note that you will be moving around the country and not staying all year in Tokyo for example.
About having the intention to leave Japan when the visa expires: in theory, it is not allowed to switch from a Working Holiday Visa to a Working Visa without leaving the country, but in practice it is possible. If you are interested I can tell you what options there are to stay once the visa is over and how I did it in my case.
About leaving and entering the country while you have the visa: once in Japan, you can leave and re-enter the country without losing the visa. Just before going through passport control, you have to fill in a card (embarkation/disembarkation card) where you check the box that says you will enter again in less than a year and also show your resident card. They staple it to your passport and when you re-enter (there is a special queue for "re-entry") you show your resident card again and they take away the paper filled in with the "arrival" data)
You are all set! You can now start your new stage in Japan 🎉. Wasn't it easy?
Here is the official website of the embassy which it explains everything in detail:
https://www.es.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_es/00_000378.html
If you are not Spanish and are interested in this visa simply visit the page of the Japanese embassy in your country. Each country has different conditions.
Note: Please DO NOT message me asking for a personal consultation on how to move to Japan. I cannot help you. If you still want to drop me a quick question I would only reply after receiving a donation on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/breathingtokyo
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Love from Tokyo,
Marina
