International Student Migrant Workers
Holding Down More Than One Part-time Job (#4 of 7 part series)
Some international residents living in Japan on student visas are working beyond the 28-hour limit. This is the case for a Nepalese student based in Fukuoka who works two jobs in addition to studying in order to be able to bring back more money to his home country. This student circumvented the restriction by using more than one bank account and being selective about what details they presented to the Immigration Bureau when seeking approval for a visa renewal. Ninety percent of the international students living in Japan on student visas are believed to work in excess of the 28-hour rule. In Fukuoka, it has been reported that it’s not uncommon for people to work up to three jobs in places such as izakaya restaurants, lunch box production lines, and convenience stores.
The rise in student migrant workers can be attributed in part to the presence of local agents in the student’s home countries who help organize study abroad trips, as well as staff shortages at the Japanese immigration office. Phone calls are made by Japanese immigration authorities to ensure that applicants who want come to Japan have the language ability required to obtain a study abroad visa before entering the country. However, there is a way around this check. When the Japanese immigration office calls through to speak to the person planning to study abroad, a staff member at the agency who speaks Japanese answers and pretends to be the applicant. In Japan, the system of checks is also said to be insufficient. A staff member from the Ministry of Justice is said to have been surprised by the Fukuoka Immigration Department’s schedule and heavy workload. A major problem is the lack of staff compared to the number of travelers and exchange students whose status needs to be reviewed.
The situation is complicated by the fact that overseas students who are working over the 28-hour work limit are doing undesirable jobs and filling a void in the workforce. Obtaining a visa to study in Fukuoka is said to be easier than in Tokyo, and this is having an impact on people’s decision to move to the south. At the end of October 2015, there were 4,470 Nepalese international students working in Fukuoka prefecture as well as 3,045 Vietnamese international students. Both have nearly quadrupled in the last two years.
Original article from Nishinippon Shimbun (12/18/2016).
New Era of Immigration in Kyushu
The number of workers from abroad, including international students and technical interns in Japan, exceeded one million for the first time last year. This group of people form an indispensable component of the workforce, irrespective of the government’s position on immigration. Read more installments from this series here.
