Even “F-Graduate University Graduates” Can Easily Immigrate to Japan…! The “Gijinkoku Visa” route is much easier than the “Management Visa”.

The real engine of the increase in foreign immigration is the “Gijinkoku Visa.

If you graduate from a Japanese university, you will automatically get a visa.

–Such sweet whispers have been flying around among Chinese social networking sites and study abroad agents in recent years.

Recently, the media and politicians have been making a lot of noise about the “management visa. The “management visa” is a status of residence for foreigners who want to start a business in Japan. It has become a topic of conversation that this status is being “abused and misused” to send children to Japanese schools and to receive medical treatment. Certainly, the images reported on wide TV shows of a 40-room building with more than 100 Chinese-affiliated paper companies registered in it, “without a soul in sight,” were powerful.

However, the requirements for obtaining a “business administration visa” became even stricter with the revision of the ministerial ordinance that went into effect on October 16, 2013. The capital requirement was raised from 5 million yen to 30 million yen, and the employment of at least one full-time employee became mandatory. Three years of management experience or a degree equivalent to a master’s degree and expert verification of the business plan were also made mandatory.

On the other hand, however, what if, on the other hand, visas, which are obtained by about 10 times as many foreigners as management and administrative visas and are the true engine of increased foreign immigration, are left unattended?

That is the “Technical Visa,” or “Gijinkoku Visa” for short, which is “a status of residence for foreigners who have graduated from a Japanese university or have received equivalent or higher education to engage in activities related to technology, the humanities, or international business in Japan.

The Technical Visa was established at the same time as the “Management and Administration Visa” in accordance with the amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act on April 1, 2002.

The number of people who have obtained a Technical Nationality Visa has increased by 170,000 over the past five years. This is approximately 20 times the number of those on the Management and Administration visa (approximately 8,000). This is a true indication of the “diploma factory” nature of Japanese universities. As mentioned above, the business administration visa has become quite a hurdle, requiring “capital of 30 million yen, employment of one full-time worker, and three years of experience. Or perhaps “troublesome” would be a better way to describe it. In the future, it is likely that the Chinese proverb “Where there is a policy up, there is a countermeasure down” will be applied, as “if Japan is going to be like that, a technician visa is safer and more reliable.

Employment Opportunities for Foreign Graduates of F-Rank Universities

As the Chinese saying goes, “If there is a policy at the top, there will be measures at the bottom. I think it might increase again.”

Mr. A, a professor at a certain university, which is known as an “F-rank university,” opens his mouth with a heavy smile.

International students from Nepal, Myanmar, and Vietnam are working hard and studying hard. Chinese students are easy to understand because they do not work part-time. And almost all of them are on the verge of flunking out. The degree to which they do not work hard in their studies is no different from that of Japanese students who are special sports students.

These students do not improve their Japanese language skills at all. This leads to a vicious cycle of not understanding the classes and not studying more and more. When it becomes too difficult for them to advance to the next level, their parents will fly in from China and say, “It’s our fault that this child doesn’t have any education. We want to help him graduate from a Japanese university,” they would plead with the school, tears streaming down their cheeks. We are flattered, but ours is not a university where they will stay for six years and pay nearly 10 million yen in tuition to graduate. ……” (Professor A)

Their post-graduation paths are similar to those of other “F-rank” universities. As a special treat, Professor A showed us the aggregate data, which has been removed from the public website since the current school year.

Of the approximately 100 international students per school year, about 50 were Chinese students.

About 20 (40%) of the graduates were “employed in Japan,” about 20 (40%) “returned to their home countries,” and about 10 (20%) “found employment outside Japan.

Mr. A’s self-deprecating explanation reveals an inconvenient reality.

In the past two years, only one of my students has been able to find a full-time job at a medium-sized Japanese company. It is difficult to find a job in mainland China, and data shows that nearly 70% of Chinese students are NEETs, so it is doubtful that they have successfully found a job in Japan. It is estimated that about 40% of the students are “employed in Japan,” but it is only Chinese companies in Japan that “pick up” these students, whose Japanese is not even good enough. It’s not that we don’t disclose the companies where they work, it’s just that we can’t. Even I can’t disclose the names of the companies. Even I am not allowed to know the name of the company.

A visa for a foreign student will not be renewed unless the work is related to the student’s major and the student is hired as a regular or contract employee (full time). However, “related to the major” only requires a document review to be signed by the International Student Office. The form of employment is a single certificate from the company. The immigration office doesn’t look at the quality of the university or the nature of the work.

Almost all of the Chinese students are NEETs (and their parents) who studied abroad without knowing that they are from F-rank universities. They have a university degree and can obtain residence status, but they leave the company of the president of a Chinese company in Japan within a year or two and move from job to job.

A “Huge” Loophole for Increased Immigration

In addition, the real dark side lies in the route to obtaining a permanent residence visa: the Gijinkoku visa, which can be obtained by graduating from an F-rank university, is a work visa, and although there is a limit to the length of stay, changing visa status from foreign student to Gijinkoku is the most popular way to establish a long-term residence in Japan.

If one follows this route, it is usually possible to apply for a permanent residence permit after fulfilling the 10-year residency requirement. During that period, spouses and children can be brought in (family residence visa), and unlike the “economic contribution” premise of the Management and Administration visa, the requirements for this visa are relatively modest. With this, family members can be brought in from the first year after graduation, and the spouse and children are allowed to work part-time up to 28 hours per week. If the need arises, the entire family can work for a company owned by the same family member, and if the salary is paid in cash, the tax burden can be substantially reduced, and there is no need to obtain a work permit. There are even households that have brought their spouses and children to Japan, and the entire family makes a living by working part-time while the spouse retires and receives unemployment insurance.

While these “loopholes” are left unexplored, there is a special route that allows permanent residence visa applicants to apply for a permanent residence visa in as little as one year. This is the “change from a technical national visa to a high level professional visa. The requirements include various items such as the existence of a degree and annual income, and the total score must be 70 or higher (80 or higher can apply for permanent residence in as little as one year).

Full-time university graduate with no work experience (one certificate of employment): +10 points
Annual income of 10 million yen: +40 points
Age 29 or younger: +15 points
Passing the JLPT N1: +15 points

This gives a total of 80 points – however, an annual income of 10 million yen for a new graduate with no work experience is extremely rare (only some of the major listed companies and foreign-affiliated companies) and almost impossible, and the average company usually starts with 3 to 5 million yen. The points will stop at about 50-60 points. …… However, there is a “secret technique” to get a job.

There are also those who work for a company established by a relative, friend, or acquaintance, pay income tax and social insurance premiums on their salary, and then return the remainder in cash to the company.

In short, as long as they have the funds to maintain the appearance of “annual income of 10 million yen,” they can apply for a permanent residence visa in as little as one year. Of course, this is a fraudulent act, and the Immigration Bureau is becoming stricter every year, but the only immediate hurdle for these undesirables is their Japanese language ability. This is precisely the motive and need for the recent trend of “money” to solve problems, such as cheating and dodging entrance examinations.

Are F-rank universities technical visa-issuing institutions?

In any case, the technical national visa is a major factor in the increase of the foreign population, as it in effect promotes long-term residence and settlement. In fact, the increase in the number of family members coming with their children has already been reported in Saitama and Chiba, where competition for public housing has intensified and publicly-funded daycare centers and kindergartens are over capacity.

If a child of a technician national visa family grows up in a public route from age 0 to 18, he or she will gain at least several million yen if he or she receives the same education and medical care as a Japanese (education: almost free, medical expenses: infant subsidy, child allowance: 2.1 million yen provided).

This means that a huge amount of public money is poured into the education, medical care, and allowances for the children of technical national visa families every year.

Does this not make 8,000 people in business management seem like a “small amount”? If we are aiming for reform without sanctuary, it is the F-rank universities that have turned into technical national visa-issuing institutions that are the main source of the immigration problem.

However, it is the Japanese side that has welcomed the increase in the number of immigrants by overcharging them with subsidies as soon as they were accepted as university students. Without self-reflection, they are digging their own graves by changing their own hands and products.

If the total volume control is to be enforced as soon as possible, the quickest way to do so is to plug the biggest “hole,” i.e., universities that cannot survive without foreign students and subsidies. Otherwise, Japanese people’s wallets will run out.