This can vary, but usually it takes 4-8 weeks for a Certificate of Eligibility to come through. This depends on the time of year and how busy they are at immigration, so be prepared for it to take anywhere from a month to two months or more from when you get your job offer.

Of course you can start by searching for a job on JobsinJapan.com/jobs and looking for a job you want to do. Many Fluent or Native English speakers start off as English teachers in Japan, but we have jobs in management, IT, hospitality and many other industries depending on your skill levels in those fields and your Japanese level.

You don’t have to speak Japanese to get most of the jobs on our site, but it does open up a lot of options (especially higher paying jobs). Most foreigners in Japan speak enough Japanese to get by, but not really enough to work primarily in Japanese, so because of this scarcity, speaking Japanese is a great way to carve out a space in the market for yourself, as well as get higher paying jobs that have more possibility for progression and promotion.

Jobsinjapan.com is a job posting website with employment opportunities from companies all over Japan. We are not a recruiter or staffing agency, so we cannot directly offer you employment, but we connect you with employers looking for people just like you.

Please look on the site for a job and apply. Here are a few pieces of advice:

1. Create an online resume (or several depending on the job you want to apply to). Please note that you can apply to jobs using either your PDF file resume or an online resume.
2. Make sure your cover letter is customized for each employer that you make an application. (Employers know when you use a copy/paste template)
3. Ensure that your resume and profile includes a photo.  While many job seekers find adding a photo to their application is unusual, or even discriminatory, this is a customary practice in Japan. It will show employers that you understand Japanese work culture and procedures.

If you want to get a job faster and reduce garbage interviews, then sign up to take our video interview.

This is not a video resume, but a video interview system where you take a number of set common interview questions via your computer or smartphone which are then attached to your resume and job applications. Basically this allows you to showcase your abilities and personality in a way that a resume or cover letter just can’t.

You do this at your convenience and control the environment. No more hassles and rescheduling your life for each and every screening interview. Let’s just get those out of the way. 

More information here

No, you won’t lose your work visa if you quit your company in Japan. The Japanese government owns and is responsible for your visa, not your company. If your company threatens you and your visa status, you should contact hello work immediately. You will have to find another job and inform immigration that you have changed companies. You can do this with a simple form that you can mail in. Japanese immigration authorities change this form frequently so contact your local immigration office for details and an up to date form. The company you are leaving is legally required to give you a form called a 退職証明書 (taishoku shoumei sho), which is a proof that you have resigned from a company. You’ll need to keep this form and present it when you renew your visa.