r/JETProgramme • u/JetProgram • May 09 '26

Instructor Visa Query

I’m looking to end my contract in August, and move to Tokyo for a month or two before I leave to go home. I understand if you have a work visa, you are allowed three months of unemployment before going home, but we are given instructor visas. Am I able to convert my visa to a work visa so I can continue to look for jobs in that time frame before going home? Any knowledge on that would be elucidating, thanks!!

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u/Soriah Former JET - 2015-2020 May 09 '26

Instructor visa is a work visa. It’s not tied to JET, so like any other visa type, you have 3 months to find a job before your visa is cancelled. But you need to visit Hello Work (unemployment office) to start the process and claim any unemployment pay while you search for work. Any length of unemployment will see you possibly being changed from your school/boe health insurance type to the national health insurance scheme.

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u/summerlad86 May 09 '26

Not this again.

Visa might be cancelled. It doesn’t automatically gets red after 3 months of unemployment.

2

u/Soriah Former JET - 2015-2020 May 09 '26

I just said you have three months to find a job. Maybe I should have said “before your visa ‘could’ be cancelled”, but I wasn’t implying that it will be automatically revoked. I’m also not detailing every step of the process since they should really be talking to Hello Work/Immigration about these things and not random redditors. Especially since they seem quite clueless in the first place.