Do you teach English in Japan? Are you tired of working for other people? If your answer is yes then I have a solution for you. That solution is self sponsorship.
EDITED MAR2011It seems that self sponsorship is no longer possible. I haven't verified this myself, but I have heard that as of last year(2010) the Japanese government changed the rules such that you will need a company to support your application.
If anyone can verify or deny this, please let us know.
What is self-sponsorship?
In short, self-sponsorship means that YOU provide the documentation needed by immigration to extend your visa (essentially renewing your visa-they are one and the same). For most people that documentation is provided by their company.
Strangely enough, if you ask immigration about self-sponsorship they will probably not provide you with a very good answer. In fact, I was told that there was no such thing. I have self-sponsored my visa for the past 3 years, so I can tell you that it is true. If you still doubt me, check the relevant Immigration Control Law. It specifies that
authorized activity for "Specialist in Humanities / International Services" is as follows: Activities to engage in services, which require knowledge pertinent to jurisprudence, economics, sociology or other human science fields, based on a contract with a public or private organization in Japan.
What you need to self-sponsor
In order to self sponsor, you will need to meet the following criteria. 1) You must already be in Japan with a specialist in humanities visa. 2) You need to be earning over the minimum threshold for your area. 3) You will need to prove your income by providing contracts for your students.
How do I start the self-sponsorship process?
First, fill out the visa extension application form (you can get them from immigration) and hand it in to immigration along with your passport, contracts and (if requested) tax related forms from city hall. If you have outstanding circumstances for that year, you may like to fill out the extenuating circumstances form. I have included the visa extension form as well as the extenuating circumstances form. Note, I recommend that you get the most current form from your local immigration office.
What about Japanese health insurance?
You do not need to have Japanese health insurance to get a visa. More information about that (in Japanese) here >>>>>
http://www.moj.go.jp/NYUKAN/nyukan70.pdf
When can I apply?
You can apply for a visa extension up to 2 months prior to the expiry on your current visa, but no earlier than that.
The criteria in more detail.
Contracts.
This may sound difficult, but contracts need only be letters signed and stamped by your students. These letters need to include information about their monthly tuition fees. You need not lock your students into a binding contract.
Income threshold
You will also need to be earning above the minimum threshold required by immigration. This value differs according to where you live in Japan. Each office will have a slightly different minimum threshold. For a city the size of Hiroshima you can expect the threshold to be about 170,000 yen per month. If you work part time for an English company this money may also be included, but you will need to get a letter from the school that you work at to prove your income. Proof of income via receipts is not counted. Proof of income needs to be in the form of contracts.
Other
The immigration office may require that you provide various documents from city hall detailing your residential tax payments/ income payments etc. This tends to differ between the immigration offices.
Advantages of self-sponsoring your visa
You don’t have to rely on a company for your income or your visa. You are working for yourself, so the harder you work the more you will benefit. You can claim lesson costs as tax deductions. By keeping ryoushuushou’s (business receipts), you can claim your costs as tax deductions at the end of the financial year (in March).
You can potentially earn more money teaching privately than you can for an Eikaiwa (English school).
Disadvantages of self-sponsoring your visa
You need to manage your time efficiently, be well organized and be not afraid of hard work. Self-sponsorship is not easy, but it can be very rewarding. When starting out you might be surprised how hard it is to get new students.
Students aren’t forever; they will take lessons for a fixed period of time and then stop. This is only natural. That means you need to be constantly finding new students.
Please note that this information is based on my own experience- I cannot guarantee that it will get you a visa extension. If you have any questions I will try to answer them as best I can.
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