After two days of trips to Kobe, I finally have all the proper paperwork turned in to the city office. If all goes well, I’ll have a new visa in a month or two. What does that do for me? Like all other JETs on the program, when my contract expires at the end of July, so does my right to live in Japan. Most people go home, so it’s no problem.
For the people that stay, they need to seek employment within a thirty day window, otherwise they risk deportation. For the very few that married a Japanese citizen, you can stick around without having to worry about being deported. That’s what today and yesterday was all about.
Governmental paperwork is no fun in any country, and red-tape-happy Japan is no exception. We had reams of paperwork to fill out last night, and Kuniko was nice enough to do it so it took less time.
All of this needs to be taken care of soon because not only is my contract going to expire, but we’re planning a trip to Europe and we both need our passports in order to pull that off.
Tomorrow it is back to work for me, just as Kuniko hits her exam period at school. That means full days of work for me, and half (or more realistically, three-quarter) days of work for Kuniko. Very nice.
I’m off to bed. Getting all that paperwork done gives me a very nice feeling.
