In accordance with the immigration bureau, students who have been issued a residence card at the port of immigration must report their address at the city hall within 14 days of entering Japan. Please go to the city hall to do this promptly.
* Please check the Immigration Bureau’s website for more details.

●Necessary Documents for registering your address

1. Residence Card

2. Passport

3. Student ID

●In the Event of Moving

For mid to long-term international students who have moved, be sure to register your new address within 14 days of the move.

As a general rule, international students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate courses must obtain “College Student” residence status.
The “College Student” residence status is valid for a minimum of 3 months, to a maximum of 4 years and 3 months. The duration of your status will be decided by the Immigration Bureau.

Caution

Students who do not have “College Student” residence status will not be able to apply for tuition discounts or exemptions, or any type of scholarship.

Students will lose their “College Student” residence status upon graduating, completing the courses, or leaving the university. If a student wishes to remain in Japan, they will have to change their residence status to one that reflects their purpose of stay.

●Necessary Items for Changing Residence Status

1. Application form for changing residence status (forms are available at the Immigration Bureau) They can also be downloaded from the Immigration Bureau’s website.

2. Passport

3. Residence card or alien registration card

4. Copy of admission letter (enrollment certificate issued by each campus's Academic Affairs Office after the admission date)

5. Fee of 4,000 yen

 

Caution

The necessary documents may differ depending on individual circumstances. Students may be required to submit a final school diploma, a final school transcript, and documentation that certifies the ability to pay tuition and living expenses. Please be sure to check for yourself the required documents needed for your situation, with plenty of time to spare.

Reference: Documents that certify the ability to pay school and living expenses

○ If the student is paying their school and living expenses directly

→Bank balance certificate, remittance notice, scholarship certificate, etc.

○ If the student is paying their school and living expenses by overseas remittance (student’s family, etc.)

→Remittance notice, bankbook in the student’s name that shows the actual remittance situation, etc.

○ If a resident of Japan other than the student is paying the school and living expenses

→ Financial supporter’s employment certificate, income certificate (tax payment certificate or tax withholding slip), pledge (form is available  at the Immigration Bureau)

Bank balance certificate, remittance notice, scholarship certificate, etc. are also acceptable

If employment has not been found by the time of graduation or course completion, students may continue looking for jobs after graduation/course completion by changing their residence status from “College Student” to “Designated Activities.” The “Designated Activities” residence status may only be gained once, and is valid for a 1-year period. Individual applications allow for non-qualified activities 28 hours per week, and re-entry permits are allowed. For those who wish to continue looking for jobs after graduation or course completion from DWCLA, and will submit a change of residence status application, a recommendation letter from our Career Support Department will be necessary. Please note that you will not be able to look of jobs if your residence status remains that of a “College Student” after graduation/course completion.

●Necessary Documents

1. Application form for change of residence status (form is available at the Immigration Bureau)

* It can be downloaded from the Immigration Bureau’s website.

2. Passport, resident card or alien registration card

3. Documents certifying that all expenses while staying in Japan can be paid (if someone other than the student is paying, documents certifying that individual’s ability to pay, and documents clarifying the circumstances that led to payment)

4. Diploma or graduation certificate of the university enrolled in prior to the change

5. Recommendation letter for from the university

* This will be issued by the Career Support Department. It will be necessary to register for "Designated Activities" residence status at the Career Support Department while still enrolled at DWCLA

6. Materials that clearly show student is looking for employment (records of interviews, notifications of interview results.)

Please follow the procedures to extend your stay before the current status expires. The update procedures can be done 3 months before the expiration date. Please give yourself plenty of time to do so, so that you are not frantically trying to do this just before your residence status expires.

●Necessary Item to Extend Your Stay

1. Application form for extending period of stay

* This can be downloaded from the Immigration Bureau’s website.

2. Passport

3. Residence card or alien registration certificate

4. Certificate of enrollment (issued by the Academic Affairs Office)

5. Transcripts (issued by the Academic Affairs Office)

6. Fee of 4,000 yen

Caution

The necessary documents may differ depending on individual circumstances. Students may be required to submit documents certifying their ability to pay tuition and living expenses (for documentation, refer to the section on extention of stay). Please be sure to check for yourself the required documents, with plenty of time to spare.

Up to now, when leaving Japan temporarily, it was necessary to obtain a re-entry permit. However, with the introduction of the new Residence Management System, as a general rule it is no longer necessary to obtain a re-entry permit if continuing activities in Japan within 1 year after of leaving the country (this system is called the special re-entry permit). However, the following conditions must be met.

• Have a valid passport and residence card (or alien registration certificate).

• Re-enter Japan within 1 year after leaving. 

• Display the residence card (or alien registration certificate) upon leaving the country (airport, port)

Indicate the intent for special re-entry on the Disembarkation/Embarkation Card for Reentrant, which can be found at the port of departure.

A resident status visa is valid for I year and can not be extended outside of Japan. If it expires while the holder is overseas, she will lose her residence status.
Please submit the “Notification of Temporary Departure” to the International Affairs Office before leaving Japan temporarily.

Notification of Temporary Departure(PDF: 93KB)

As a general rule “College Student” residence status holders are not permitted to work. However, if the “Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted” is obtained in advance, students may work part-time jobs as long as it does not interfere with the student’s studies. However, part-time jobs in the entertainment and amusement trade (clubs, snack bars, pachinko parlors, etc.) are prohibited. Regular university students are allowed to work a maximum of 28 hours per week (and up to 8 hours a day during the summer/winter/spring vacation period, as stipulated by DWCLA university rules). Please note that students who work part-time without permission for activities outside their qualifications, or in violation of the permitted conditions, will be subject to penalties and deportation.

●Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted Application Necessary Documents

1.Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted（PDF：92KB）

　Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted（Entry example）（PDF：170KB）

　* Can be downloaded from the Immigration Bureau’s website.

2.Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted (submit to university)（PDF：606KB）→Submit to International Affairs Office

3.Passport

4.Residence Card