How to Obtain a Student Visa?

[leblanc1]

Can someone give clear guidance on how to receive a student visa for Japan?

Would like to see if it's possible for my fiance to receive a student visa if she finds an acceptable university in Okinawa.

Your inputs are greatly appreciated.

[Glenski]

Look at the MOFA homepage.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html

Also the immigration homepage.
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/t_main.html#zairyuu

Basically, she must enroll in a school that sponsors the visa, then she applies for the visa. She will have to prove she can pay for all the tuition, too.

[leblanc1]

I'm familiar with the MOFA, but the requirements for a student visa are still unclear. Where can I find a university or school that fulfills the requirements of the following?

"In cases where the applicant is to study at an educational institution designated for preparing persons who have completed 12 years of education at schools in foreign countries to enter college, the educational institution concerned should be designated as such by the Minister of Justice in the Official Gazette."

[Glenski]

Look. You are going to be living in Okinawa. It's not all that big. Ask your CO or whomever is in charge of such info there. You're not the first in this situation.

Use iTOWNPAGE to find schools, and contact them.

[leblanc1]

You're quite the miser aren't you Glenski? I've seen your posts and rants across multiple boards. Amusing but frustrating all at the same time.

A simple answer to my follow-up questions is all that I requested, which I still have not received.

Where can I find a listing of schools approved by teh Minister of Justing in the Official Gazette? The MOJ website is not easy to navigate and I've been unable to find anything about the "Official Gazette."

[undrentide]

You're quite the miser aren't you Glenski? I've seen your posts and rants across multiple boards. Amusing but frustrating all at the same time.

A simple answer to my follow-up questions is all that I requested, which I still have not received.

Where can I find a listing of schools approved by teh Minister of Justing in the Official Gazette? The MOJ website is not easy to navigate and I've been unable to find anything about the "Official Gazette."

Information of Official Gazette (官報 kanpou) is somehow hard to find.
I tried to find something about the schools or educational instutution approved or listed in the Official Gazette both in English and Japanese but I could not find it.

Glenski did give you a good advice, finding the universities/colleges in Okinawa and contact them is the quickest and easiest way.
If it is about Tokyo, it might be a big headache because there are thousands and thousands schools but in Okinawa, there are only 11 universities/colleges.

Here is the list.
http://www.schoolnavi-jp.com/univ/u47okinawa.html
They are all written in Japanese but if you click each line (which is the name of the college/university), you'll find itswebsite.
Here are the list of the names in English.
*Public
University of the Rukyus
Okinawa Prefectural Collecge of Nursing
Okiniawa Prefectural University of Arts
Okinawa Nouryoku Kaihatsu Daigakkou (in Japanese - no English name is found, roughly transates Okinawa University of Ability Development)
Okinawa Kenritsu Nougyou Daigakkou (Okinawa Prefectural University of Agriculture?)
*Private
Okinawa Christian University/Okinawa Christian Junior College
Okinawa University
Okinawa International University
Meio University
Okinawa Women's Junior College

(Only the university of agriculture does not have a website.)

Some of them have an English version of the site, some don't.
And even those who have English version webpages, I'm not sure if all of them would accept foreign students (which means the students who do not speak Japanese well enough to attend the lectures in Japanese language.)

Check these schools with your fiance and see if there's any which she'd like to study at (and accept foreign students).

If she's interested in language schools to learn Japanese, here's a database covering all the Japanese language schools for non-native speakers. Following is the URL covering Kyushu/Okinawa area.
http://www.aikgroup.co.jp/j-school/english/area/section/kyusyu_okinawa.htm
Whether they'll support student visa or not, you can find out by contacting the schools or check their websites.


Personally I think you owe an apology to Glenski, who offered you help not only once but twice.

[epigene]

Adding to Glenski's advice (which I agree is a good one) and undrentide's, your fiancee must be accepted at a university or college first before starting the student visa application process. You need the letter of acceptance first. Also, proof of financial resources (a bank statement showing current outstanding balance for the student or her guardian/sponsor).
Also, student visa is issued only for a student who is accepted to a four-year university or college.

If enrolled in a language school, junior college, vocational school, etc., the only visa issued is the "precollegiate" visa, which I think is issued for only 1 or 2 years.

[Glenski]

Miser indeed! If I knew, I'd have told you. Geez.

I did the next best thing. Thanks for nothing.

EDIT:
Here are some more "worthless" links you'll probably never look up.

http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj_stope.html
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0201e.html
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0301e.html
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj05e.html
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/faq/faq08e.html

[pipokun]

...
"In cases where the applicant is to study at an educational institution designated for preparing persons who have completed 12 years of education at schools in foreign countries to enter college, the educational institution concerned should be designated as such by the Minister of Justice in the Official Gazette."

A US high school diploma will do for her to apply colleges in Japan, though the application is different from the enrollment. Anyone can apply to Tokyo University as long as you take the SAT-like test and pay the entrance exam fee.

Following an Okinawa-based Japanese school gives you a flowchart before she could obtain the certificate of eligibility.
http://www.jice8686.com/eg/applyeg.htm

If you are thinking of skipping paying the tuition and want to get only visa, no country would have that generous immigration policy.