Introduction

The shugaku visa is aimed at students intending to study at an APJLE (Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education) accredited language school and then go on to study at university in Japan; hence the title "Pre-college student visa." While university study is not an obligation, this is the expectation of the Immigration Office and what most language schools are geared towards.

The Shugaku Visa is issued four times each year - for study starting in early January, April, July or October. This means that there are deadlines throughout the year and you have to make plans in advance - you cannot just get a shugaku visa at any time unless changing from a work, working holiday or similar visa.

In brief, schools offer the shugaku visa either two or four times a year for up to 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 or 24 months' study. This is does not mean that all schools offer all start dates, or all options, or can do so. The length of study that a school is able to offer you will depend on the relationship of that school with the immigration office, and the record that they have of attendance, academic performance and visa overstays. Schools with a better relationship and record tend to be able to offer longer visas, are more likely to have visas approved, and more likely to be able to offer later application deadlines.

Less than 12 months is insufficient time for a beginner/pre-intermediate student to learn Japanese - most people attending schools offering such short courses do not/cannot go on to university in Japan after their studies. If you are a beginner, then you need to make sure you are applying to a school that can offer you a visa that permits you to stay at least 12 months in Japan and preferably longer.

Applications:

You cannot apply directly to the Japanese Consulate for this visa - the application has to come from a Japanese Language School. You submit your documents to them, and they will forward them to the nearest regional Immigration Office.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website officially states the requirements for the visa as:

In practice this usually means something like the following (requirements vary between schools):

1. Application form: There is a required form that all schools have to use for the Certificate of Eligibility. This is usually bilingual in English and Japanese, and most schools send you this to complete. Occasionally a school will create their own form and fill in the Immigration Office form for you, but this is unfortunately rare. [PDF APPLICATION FORM FOR CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY]
2. Proof of present employment/status: A copy of a student ID if you are a student, or a letter from the university/school to be safe. If you are working, a letter from your present employer or an explanation of why you cannot provide such a letter (eg. you haven't told the employer yet that you are leaving for Japan and it would affect your work if you did). [STUDENT: PDF EXAMPLE - WORD EXAMPLE :: EMPLOYEE: PDF EXAMPLE - WORD EXAMPLE]
3. Proof of Education: The graduation certificate/diploma from your highest level of education and the Academic Transcript from that same institution.
4. Proof of savings: The immigration office likes to see at least 1,000,000 Yen or equivalent for 6 months of study and about 1,500,000 Yen for one year. The more you can show the better.
   
5. If you are paying your own way:
1. you should show savings sufficient to support your studies in Japan. Proof can be either a letter from your bank on official bank paper stating that you hold an account with the bank and stating the balance of your account(s), or a normal bank statement showing the balance. [PDF EXAMPLE - WORD EXAMPLE]
6. If someone else (a financial sponsor) is paying your way:
1. they should show either a letter from their bank on official bank paper stating that they hold an account with the bank and stating the balance of their account(s), or a normal bank statement showing the balance. [PDF EXAMPLE - WORD EXAMPLE]
2. proof of their relationship to you (your birth certificate is ideal if your parents are paying or any LEGAL documents that connect you both)
3. a Letter of Paying Expenses which states that they will pay your living and study expenses in Japan [PDF EXAMPLE]
4. proof of employment (a letter from their employer detailing position, start and end dates of contract, and salary if possible). [PDF EXAMPLE - WORD EXAMPLE]
7. Personal Guarantor: If the Japanese government or the school require a guarantor from you, you will have to provide a Letter of Guarantee signed by your guarantor in Japan stating that they will be legally, financially and morally responsible for you during your stay. If you cannot provide this, then you may be unable to get a visa for Japan. [PDF FORM]
8. Doctor's letter: A letter from a medical doctor in your country stating that you are healthy. It does not need to be an in-depth checkup - just a simple letter stating that you are healthy is sufficient. If you are in Japan when applying, and will be here when the visa is issued, then you do not need to provide this. [PDF EXAMPLE - WORD EXAMPLE]
9. Photocopy of passport: Some schools only ask for the page bearing your photo and passport number; others ask for every page including the cover. Check with the school or copy it all just in case.
10. Passport photographs: Depending on the school, usually 6 or 8 standard colour passport photographs, 4cm by 3 cm, head and shoulders, showing both ears. Plain background, try and look as normal as you can - it helps. A PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPH IS NOT A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOUR PASSPORT, IT IS A SMALL PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU (yes, unfortunately we do need this explanation).
11. Application fee: Almost all schools will charge you an application fee for the visa, and will not process your application without it.

You have to assemble these completed documents and send them to the school to which you are applying with any extra documents that the school requests. Make sure that you apply by the deadline (ideal is usually about 4 to 5 months before the start date of the visa), but maybe even earlier if you require a guarantor - sometimes the process can take a long time. In all cases, contact the school to confirm (or if applying through Education Japan, contact us).

After the Application:

On completion of the application, the school should inform you when:

1. They accept the application and submit it to the Immmigration Office
2. They receive confirmation from the Immigration Office that the visa has been approved/denied

If the visa is denied by the Immigration Office, then you cannot come to Japan and will not be able to apply for another visa of any type for 6 months, and for another student visa for 12 months.

If the visa is approved, then you have the option of accepting or declining it.

• If you accept the visa: At this point you have only paid the application fee: you now have to pay the tuition that the school asks (most ask for 6 months' tuition and 3 months' rent or more) and they will send you the Certificate of Eligibility you need in order to get your visa. The Certificate of Eligibility is a document that the Immigration Office issues to the school when your visa is approved. You need to take this document and your passport to the nearest Japanese Consulate to get your visa. It usually takes overnight to a couple of days to get the visa issued, but it sometimes also takes a lot longer. It will depend on where you are and also on your nationality.
• If you decline the visa: You just don't send the money and the school will not send you the Certificate of Eligibility. If you are unable to take up your visa for any reason, please inform the school as soon as you can (or us if you are applying through Education Japan) - they need to know as well how many students will be coming for the course to plan teacher allocations and so on. If you have a specific reason why you cannot come, you can apply again for the next shugaku visa. If you do not, then you may be unable to get another visa of any kind for 6 months and a student visa for 12 months. Schools also become wary of reapplicants and may refuse your application.

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