Please apply for extension of period of stay, change of residence status, and certificate of eligibility from the link below.

International students are allowed to stay in Japan for the purpose of receiving an education at a university. In accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, it is necessary to carry out procedures such as obtaining and renewing the status of residence. Applications can be made at the nearest regional immigration office. Many of the procedures take time, so please start enough in advance.

Change of Residence Status (to “Student”)

Generally, you must acquire a residence status of ‘Student’ in to pursue education at a university in Japan. With a residence status of ‘Temporary Visitor’, you cannot enrol at a university.

You may enrol in Hosei University while holding a residence status of ‘Dependent’ or ‘Long-Term Resident’, but in such cases you cannot make use of the various support systems for international students, such as scholarships and tuition reduction. The Immigration Bureau accepts applications from 3 months before the expiration of the period of stay, so please complete the procedure as soon as possible.

Extension of period of stay

The period of stay for international students (students having a residence status of ‘Student’) is determined by the immigration bureau. If you wish to stay in Japan longer so as to go on to graduate school or to move up to a higher grade, you must apply to extend your period of stay. You can apply from 3 months before the expiration date, so please complete the procedure as soon as possible. 

• Note 1: If you have stayed in Japan after the expiration date of your period of stay, you will be considered an "illegal stay" and may be forcibly evicted. Please be careful not to "forget" or "misunderstand" about the period of stay. 
• Note 2: At the screening of the extension of period of stay, attendance and grades will also be used as criteria. Please note that if you take a leave of absence or repeat a year, you may be asked for a statement of reasons at the upcoming application for extension of your period of stay, or in worst you may not be allowed to renew.

Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)

If you are temporarily back in your home country and do not have a valid residence card, you must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility.

*You cannot extend your period of stay from overseas. It is necessary to acquire a new status of residence and a new Visa.
In order for acquisition a new status of residence and a new Visa, you have to apply for the Certificate of Eligibility.

Those who need

• The students whose period of stay is expired while staying in home country.
• The students who have been leaving Japan for more than a year
• The students who have taken a leave of absence and plan to return to school .

Re-entry permit

If you are temporarily leaving Japan like during the summer vacation, please be sure to submit a Notification of temporary departure to Global Education Center. Then depending on the period of departure, please take one of the following procedures. 

1.    Special Re-entry Permit:

If you re-enter Japan with the same status of residence within one year after leaving Japan, you do not need to obtain a "re-entry permit" (see 2.). However, please note that if your current period of stay ends within one year after your departure, the re-entry deadline will be until that date.

• Embarkation card for reentrant (will be given to you at the airport at the time of departure) 
  Please check the box stating that “I am leaving Japan temporarily and will return”. 
• Residence card.
  No handling charges.

2.    Re-entry Permit:

If you plan to leave Japan for more than one year for any reason, be sure to obtain a "Re-entry Permit" at the local immigration bureau in your jurisdiction before leaving Japan. If you leave Japan within the period of stay without obtaining this permission, your status of residence and period of stay will expire. In that case, please note that you will need to apply for a new visa before re-entering Japan.

Permission to engage in activities other than permitted under the status of residence previously granted / Part time job

International students are given residence status of ‘Student’ for the purpose of studying at a university. If you intend to engage in activities other than that purpose (for example, a part-time job), you must obtain an advance-permission from the immigration bureau by applying for permission to engage in activities other than permitted under the status of residence previously granted.
You might want to apply this together with applying for a change of status of residence or extension of the period of stay.
With this permission, you can work part-time for up to 28 hours per week, or up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours per week during the long-term vacation period stipulated by Hosei University. You are prohibited from working part-time in any place of business engaged in amusement-related business (See "Unpermitted Activities."). 
. If you violate this prohibition, your permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the previously granted residence status may be revoked, your residence status period extension application may be rejected, or in some cases you may be subject to forced eviction. 

* If you are an international student at Hosei University (status of residence"Student") and wish to engage in RA or TA activities at our university,
It is not necessary to obtain this permission. 
* You cannot work part-time during your leave of absence.
* After graduation, even if you have a remaining period of stay for "Student" and have this permission, you will not be able to work part-time.
Those who continue to look for a job can change their status of residence to "Designated Activities" and work part-time after obtaining this permission associated with “Designated Activities”.

Those who want to go on to higher education can work part-time after enrolling the school if they have this permission associated with "Student".

Documents required:

1. Application form for permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence (Click here for an example)
2. Residence card
3. passport
4. Student ID card

Acquisition of “Designated Activities” status of residence for job hunting

When graduated international students have not decided on a job, they will no longer be eligible as “student” because they have already graduated, on the other hand they will not be able to change their status of residence to one of employment because they have not got a job yet.
 To avoid such situation, if you have been doing job hunting in Japan before graduation and want to continue it after graduation, you can change your status of residence from "Student" to "Designated Activities" and stay for up to maximum total one year after graduation (Max. 6 months for 1 time. can be extended only once.).
If your current period of stay for "Student" is until the end of February, please renew your period of stay for "Student" once and then change it to "Designated Activities" after January. If your " Student " period of stay is March or later, you can change your current " Student " directly to "Designated Activities" before graduation. Click here for the application procedure. 

Status of residence for international students enrolling graduate school after graduation from university

If you are an international student who has decided to go on to graduate school after graduating from university, and your status of residence "Student" expires by the time of enrollment, or if you have a gap of more than three months, you can change your status of residence to "Designated Activities" and stay in Japan until enrollment (within one year after graduating from university) on the condition that you keep a pledge to contact the graduate school. It is possible to work part-time by obtaining permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence.

Examples of applicable cases: 

1. As of March, the student will go on to graduate school in September of that year and will graduate from university in April. 
   The current period of stay is May and will expire before enrolling graduate school in September. 
2. As of August, the students will go on to graduate school in April of the following year and will graduate from university in September. 
   The current period of stay is October and will expire before enrolling graduate school in April. 
3. Graduate from university in April and enroll graduate school in September.  The current period of stay is October, but there is a gap of five months between graduation in April and enrolling graduate school in September. 

Going on to HOSEI Graduate School

We will issue a pledge to submit to the Immigration Bureau for those who meet the following conditions.

• Those who can keep contact with Hosei University Global Education Center by e-mail once every two months until enrollment. 
• Those who agree to the contents of the university-designated pledge form and can sign and submit it.

Please e-mail to Global Education Center for the Hosei Pledge to submit to the Immigration Bureau attaching your Pledge for Hosei and the Letter of Acceptance (to be issued by the enrolling graduate school). It takes about a week to issue. 

• Email to : GSO★hosei.ac.jp (★ to be replaced by "@")

Going on to graduate school other than Hosei

Please contact your enrolling graduate school directly.

Documents to be submitted to the Immigration Bureau

1. Application for Change of Status of Residence
2. Photo
3. Passport and residence card
4. Documents proving the ability to pay all expenses during the period of stay
5. Certificate of graduation from the university you were enrolled in until just before
6. Letter of acceptance issued by the graduate school where you are enrolling
7. A pledge stating that the graduate school you plan to enroll in will comply with regular communications to you
8. Application for permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence

If you change your school of study from Hosei graduate school to another graduate school after applying, contact to Global Education Center as soon as possible.
For international students who have not decided which school to go on at the time of graduation and wish to stay in Japan after graduation to take the exam, the status of residence of "short-term visitor" may be granted.

• Status of residence "Temporary visitor"

reference

• Regarding residence status for international students who will proceed to graduate school after graduating from university
• If an international student who has graduated from a university wishes to stay in Japan until entering graduate school

Notification of place of residence

When you newly come to Japan and get a residence card at the airport, please notify the municipal office within 14 days of determining your place of residence. After completing this, you can ask for a "copy of the certificate of residence" as necessary. A copy of the certificate of residence can be used as an official certificate of information such as name and address. 

Documents required for notification of place of residence

• Notification form regarding the place of residence Format
• Residence card

When you move, please follow this procedure. 

Other notifications

In the following cases, you must submit a ‘Notification of the Accepting Organization’ to the immigration bureau within 14 days. This notification can be sent by mail.

• If you attend another school in Japan and enter Hosei University immediately after graduation from that school.(No notification is required if you have already submitted a notification at the time of the graduation from your previous school.)
• If you withdraw or are expelled from university
• If you graduate from university or complete your enrolled course（For students who will graduate: please refer here）

Documents required for a ‘Notification of the Accepting Organization’

1. Notification of the Accepting Organization

• If you enter Hosei University from another school
• If you leave Hosei University (graduation, completion, withdrawal or expulsion)

2. Residence card (a copy should be enclosed if the notification is submitted by mail)

In the event of any change in items described on your residence card other than your place of residence (e.g., your name, date of birth, gender, nationality/region, etc.), please notify the immigration bureau within 14 days.

• 出入国在留管理局HP 「所属機関に関する届出」

Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau Business Hours

All procedures other than notification of place of residence are carried out at the Immigration Bureau.

Business hours：

• 9:00~12:00・13:00~16:00 (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays)

• Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau

Click the below link for information for the consultation on status of residence and procedures.

• Immigration Services Bureau Information Center