Resuming acceptance of international students Can I enter Japan immediately? Who have been waiting for?

From November 8th, the government has eased new entry of foreigners, including international students, under certain conditions.

The number of foreigners who wish to study abroad in Japan and are waiting abroad is about 147,000, and they will come to Japan one after another.

What are the challenges for acceptance?

What do people who want to study abroad think?

We talked to the Japanese language schools we accept and foreigners who wish to study abroad.

(International Department Reporter Yukari Kondo)

Can international students come to Japan immediately?

You cannot enter the country immediately.

First of all, the host, such as a university or Japanese language school, must undergo a "preliminary examination" by the ministry in charge.

Since the "preliminary examination" is to be applied from those who have been waiting for a long time to study abroad in Japan, not all foreigners who wish to study abroad can apply immediately.

What is the procedure after passing the "preliminary examination"?

After passing the "preliminary examination", the competent ministry will issue a document certifying that the examination has been completed.

Those who wish to study abroad will be able to enter Japan by going to a local consulate with these documents and getting a visa issued.

On the other hand, the government is currently limiting the number of people who can enter Japan per day to 3,500, including Japanese returnees, short-term residents for business purposes, technical intern trainees, and international students, as an infection control measure. ..

The government has announced that it will raise the daily immigration limit to 5,000 from November 26, but the number of people who want to study abroad has exceeded 140,000, and many will continue to wait. It seems that there is no choice but to do so.

What kind of preparations are the recipients preparing for?

According to an interview with a Japanese language school in Fukuoka City, where about 400 international students were studying before the spread of the infection, about 250 people are now waiting abroad hoping to study abroad, one by one. I contacted and explained the procedures for entering Japan.

It is also said that the school is busy preparing for the "preliminary examination" necessary to accept international students.

Specifically, the ministries and agencies in charge are required to submit an "activity plan" that describes the address of the facility where international students are waiting and the action schedule that is waiting for up to 14 days, so we hurry to prepare the documents. It was said that he was out.

When will international students be able to enter Japan?

The school thinks that it will be possible to enter the country in the latter half of December or after the beginning of the year.

As I have already explained, since the application period for "preliminary examination" is to be applied from those who have been waiting for a long time, the application period for about 250 people who wish to enroll is also different and passed the "preliminary examination". However, it may take some time to issue a visa in some countries.

At the school, he said that he was not able to proceed with the necessary preparations such as class formation due to the lack of a concrete schedule.

How do international students take it?

When I talked to foreigners waiting overseas, they said, "I'm excited because I've been waiting for a long time," but "I don't know when I can enter Japan, so I may give up studying abroad." There was also a voice of anxiety, such as "I don't know."

Of these, Swedish female university student Coneria Torig was scheduled to study abroad in Japan as an exchange student for about a year starting in August.

Following the resumption of acceptance, I was contacted by the Japanese university where I was studying abroad, but "I will be applying for documents to undergo" pre-screening "after February next year, so I may be able to come to Japan from March. I don't know. "

He said that the period of study abroad is set to "June next year" and that the period of study abroad will be shortened as it is, so there is a possibility of giving up studying abroad itself.

The main reason is that I still take online classes at Japanese universities every day from 1 am to 5 am on weekdays, and I think it is physically difficult to postpone entry and continue the same life. It is said that.

Mr. Torig said, "I love Japan, but if I can't enter Japan for such a long time, I feel that international students aren't being taken care of."

In addition, Leila (pseudonym), who lives in Hong Kong, wants to become a fashion designer in Japan and is aiming to study abroad in Japan.

I was planning to graduate from high school in June and study abroad at a Japanese university from August, but I can apply for "preliminary examination" after "February next year", so I have a good idea when I will come to Japan. Is not standing.

When she sees Leila's younger brother, who is one year old, studying abroad in the UK from September and her classmates living in college, she feels frustrated that she can't do anything about it. I was talking.

"I can only stay in Hong Kong and it's very hard mentally. I'm worried that the infection with the new corona will spread again and restrict entry," said Leila.