2023-06-25

If you are a foreigner in Japan with a work visa and you have quit your job, you may be concerned about whether your work visa will become invalid or whether you will need to initiate any procedures. Since the work visa is a requirement, the company may also be held responsible. Therefore, this article summarizes the procedures for leaving a company, notifying the contracting institutions, unemployment insurance for employment insurance, and post-termination activities.

Procedure for leaving a company

When a foreigner with a work visa leaves the company, the work visa is not immediately canceled.

However, a “Notice of Contracting Institution" must be filed with the Immigration Department within 14 days.

You can obtain a work visa if you have a job offer from a Japanese company.
If you have not yet decided on a new job in Japan, you cannot obtain a work visa.

Work visa requirements vary depending on the type of work.
The most common work visa applications are for “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services".

Examples of “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" visa are academic background and work experience required for approval, salary equal to or higher than Japanese, stable and continuous employment, etc.

Please note that if you do not work or look for a job for 3 months after leaving, your work visa will be canceled.

Notification of termination of the contract with the contracting company

There are three ways to file a notice of termination of contract with the contracting company: Bring it to the counter, submit it via the Internet (Immigration Electronic Reporting System), and submit it by mail.

Failure to report can result in a fine of up to 200,000 yen, and filing a false report can result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 200,000 yen.

Unemployment insurance

If a foreigner leaves the company and has been registered with the labor insurance program for 12 months or more, he or she is entitled to unemployment insurance just like a Japanese citizen.

However, if the duration of stay of the work visa expires, the work visa will not be renewed.

Therefore, in order to obtain unemployment insurance, it is necessary to change to a “short-term stay" or a " designated activities".

Activities after you leave your job

After you resign, you can work part-time while you look for a new job.

However, part-time work outside of your residency status is not allowed. The reason is that this could fall under an activity outside your qualification status.

First of all, it is important to check whether the activity falls within the scope of the work visa.

When a foreigner changes jobs, a “Certificate of Termination of Employment" is required, so do not forget to get it when you leave your job.

If you change jobs, you must also file a “Notice of Termination of Contract with Contracting Company" with Immigration.

Summary

You must file a “Notice of Contracting Establishment" with Immigration within 14 days.

In addition, if a foreigner leaves the country and has been enrolled in labor insurance for 12 months or more, they can receive unemployment benefits like a Japanese citizen.

On the other hand, part-time employment beyond the residency status is not allowed after termination. So it is important to check if the jobs are within the scope of the work visa.