Work in Japan without documents or Visa

Surprisingly, this is a question that we have been asked many times on our RoYuMi YouTube channel, and finally we wanted to give you our honest opinion. The first thing is to give them the most objective information possible; yes it is possible to work in Japan without documents or visa. This would result in an illegal act, would jeopardize their stay and future expectations of settling in Japan or even visiting, would cause legal and administrative problems for their employer, and in many cases could put them at high risk with organized crime. In a nutshell, WE DO NOT RECOMMEND IT!

Japanese society, in general, is usually very honest and it will be very difficult to get a job without residence documents. The vast majority of companies and small businesses are usually very suspicious of this type of situation, so convincing them to hire us without documents is already a “half-lost” battle. In addition to this, the law makes it very hard to employ undocumented people, with fines of up to 3 million yen (about 30,000 dollars) and up to 3 years in jail. For this reason, the vast majority of companies or people that employ undocumented immigrants tend to belong to two large groups; the distracted and the mobsters (yakuza)

The first group, the distracted ones, may make the mistake of hiring without reviewing the administrative details, or even thinking that it is not a “big deal”. Perhaps they do it in good “faith” to help us, but in reality we are putting them in a big mess. The latter, the yakuza, are to be avoided at all costs. Their businesses may include prostitution, human trafficking, illegal sale of products, etc. The “working” conditions that they will be offered will always be low, without social security or legal protection, or even under threat.

It is extremely difficult to reside in Japan undocumented, not only because of work. It is possible to receive medical assistance, but without documents it is not possible to enroll in the national health insurance, and without it, the prices of medical care in Japan are very high. Going to school is practically impossible without documents, the same as renting an apartment, opening a bank account, contracting basic services (electricity, water, etc.) And even if one “surrenders” voluntarily, immigration officials will impose the same sanctions of deportation and prohibition to return to the country. Without forgetting that no matter how long you spend in Japan, it is not possible to “regularize” your residence later, as it is in other countries.

This is not to scare anyone, nor to tell them not to come to Japan, on the contrary! Come to Japan, you will love it, but always in the legal and correct way. Although it can be more laborious and tangled, it is worth it.

And when you come to Japan, be it as a tourist, study or work, don’t forget to buy your unlimited pass to all Japan Railways trains. Get your JR Pass! The best way to travel in Japan! https://click.jrpass.com/SH3Q