| Special immigration measures |
 |
 |
 |
| Monday, 11 April 2011 14:19 |
|
For some RIKEN personnel, this could be important news. The Japanese government has implemented a number of special immigration measures in response to the Tohoku Earthquake, and three of them in particular may apply to people at RIKEN.
The first is an automatic extension of visas for some people. If you were in the earthquake-stricken area (which includes the Tsukuba institute and Sendai facility) at the time of the quake, and your visa will expire before August 30, 2011, you are eligible to receive an automatic extension of the visa until August 30. After that, you will need to extend the visa, but do not have to worry about your status until that time. For further details, see this page at the website of the Japanese Ministry of Justice. Second, if you received a Certificate of Eligibility to get a visa, but have not yet applied for it due to the earthquake, the normal three-month validity of the certificate will be extended, so there is no need to go through the process of applying for a new one. See this page, also at the Ministry of Justice website. And finally, if you are outside Japan and would like to return but have an expired re-entry permit, you will be able to get an extension, with certain conditions, from a Japanese embassy or consulate. For details, see this page at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |