In order to study at a Japanese university, it is necessary to obtain a “College Student” status of residence.
If you obtain a Certificate of Eligibility prior to applying for a visa, the visa will be issued relatively smoothly.
If the applicant is out of the country, a university official may be able to apply on behalf of the applicant.
Those who wish to enroll in a regular course of study should prepare to obtain “College Student” status of residence by the time of enrollment.

*In some cases, a “Certificate of Eligibility” may not be issued even if the university applies on your behalf.

The period of stay in Japan as a foreign student (status of residence “College Student”) is determined by the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice as one of the following: March, June, 1 year, 1 year and 3 months, 2 years, 2 years and 3 months, 3 years, 3 years and 3 months, 4 years and 4 years and 3 months.
Those who will stay in Japan beyond the period of stay must go through the procedure for extension of the period of stay.
The Immigration Bureau will accept applications for permission for renewal three months prior to the date of expiration of the period of stay. Please be sure to submit the necessary documents and complete the procedures by the day your period of stay expires.
Also, since there are documents to be prepared by the university, please be sure to contact the International Relations Division prior to application.

A “College Student” status of residence is required to apply for various scholarships and apartment joint guarantorships.
If you wish to change your current status of residence to “College Student”, please submit the following documents to the Immigration Bureau and apply.

Foreign students who entered Japan with a temporary visitor visa due to unavoidable circumstances, such as not being able to obtain a visa in time for their arrival in Japan, will first apply for a “Certificate of Eligibility” for “College Student” at the nearest immigration office.
Then, as soon as the Certificate of Eligibility is issued, they will apply for “Permission to Change Status of Residence”.

With “College Student” status, you are only allowed to engage in activities related to your studies or research as a foreign student while in Japan.
Therefore, if you wish to engage in part-time work, you must obtain permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence in advance.
Please note that you will be subject to punishment if you engage in part-time work without permission.
Permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence is not required for TA/RA work on campus, but is required for SA and tutoring work.

When a foreign national with a valid passport and resident card leaves Japan, if he/she re-enters Japan to continue his/her activities in Japan within one year of departure (or until the expiration date of his/her stay if the expiration date comes less than one year after departure), he/she is not required to obtain a re-entry permit in principle (this system is called a “deemed re-entry permit(This system is called “deemed re-entry permit”).
When leaving Japan, please be sure to present your resident card and check the “レ (check)” box in the “Declaration of Intention to Leave Japan with Deemed Re-Entry Permit” column on the ED Card for Re-Entry Departure.
For details, please refer to the Immigration Bureau website.

If you are leaving Japan for reasons such as temporary return to your home country, travel, or attendance at an academic conference, you must submit an “Overseas Travel Notification” to the International Relations Division, so please do not forget to notify us.
After returning to your home country, please submit a “Notification of Return to Japan”.

If you leave Japan during your period of stay and re-enter within one year (or the period of stay if there is less than one year remaining on your visa), you do not need a re-entry permit.In this case, you will lose your status of residence if you do not re-enter Japan before the expiration date, as it is not possible to extend the validity period of your visa abroad.Please be sure to check the duration of your visa before leaving Japan.
(If you expect to be abroad for more than one year, you will need to apply for a “re-entry permit” in advance.)

Before leaving Japan, please submit an Overseas Travel Notification through the Shugaku Support System.
After returning to Japan, please submit a notification of your return to Japan through the Shugaku Support System.

For more information on applying for a re-entry permit, please click here.

When an international student wishes to invite his/her family from his/her home country, it is necessary to obtain “Family Residency” status for them (spouse or children only).The procedure is that the foreign student himself/herself applies to the Immigration Bureau for a “Certificate of Eligibility” for the family member as an agent for the family member.For details, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Justice.