【Important】
A very regrettable case has come to light in which a person attempted to forge a letter of recommendation issued by the University and used it to apply to the Immigration Bureau for a change of status of residence to “Designated Activities” after completing his/her enrollment at the University. Needless to say, such actions are serious criminal acts and will be reported to the Immigration Bureau, the police, or other relevant authorities. If a deportation action is taken for a criminal offense, inadmissibility for five years or indefinite period of time will be imposed. Please make sure to comply with all relevant laws and regulations, as a matter of course. In addition, we conduct strict internal screening for the issuance of letters of recommendation from Rikkyo University, which are required for applications for change of status of residence to “Designated Activities” or renewal of “Designated Activities”, and it is not guaranteed that all applicants will be issued one. A letter of recommendation will not be issued if the application is incomplete, if the applicant's job search record is insufficient, or if the applicant's job search continuity cannot be verified and so on. Please make sure you fully understand the above and confirm the following procedures.
This page provides information on how to apply for a change of status to "Designated Activities" in order to (1) continue job hunting after graduation or (2) continue to stay in Japan until entering Rikkyo University's graduate school.
(1)If you wish to continue job-hunting in Japan after graduation and a letter of recommendation from Rikkyo University is issued, you may apply for the change of status of residence from a student visa to “designated activities”. Under this status of residence, you may stay in Japan up to one year as long as you are permitted to extend the period of your stay.
NOTE: You may not continue your job-hunting more than 1 year after graduation. (For March graduates, until March of the following year / For September graduates, until September of the following year.)
(2)If you have been admitted to the graduate school of Rikkyo University and wish to stay in Japan until you enter the graduate school, you may apply for a change of status of residence with the recommendation of your school of higher education, which will allow you to stay in Japan until you enter the school (but only for a period not exceeding one year after graduation).
Those wishing to apply for change of status of residence from "Student" to “Designated Activities”, please follow the guidelines below and apply for a letter of recommendation. If permission for change (renewal of period) is granted and you continue to stay in Japan after graduation, you are obliged to submit to the International Office (1) an "Interim Report on Job Hunting Activities" or "(for awaiting enrollees) Interim Report" which summarizes the details of your activities in Japan.
【Submission Method and Application Deadline】
＜Change of Status: "Student" to "Designated Activities"＞
Submission Method：Online Form
http://s.rikkyo.ac.jp/designatedactivities
※ The online form is scheduled to open on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
In the meantime, please review the information below and begin preparing your application.
Deadline：For 2026 September graduates 17:00 on Friday, September 18, 2026 (JST)
※Applications for recommendation letters will not be accepted after the application deadline.
＜Extension of Period of Stay: "Designated Activities"＞
For those who changed their status from "Student" to "Designated Activities (Job Hunting)":
If you wish to apply for an "Extension of Period of Stay," you must complete the online form for a letter of recommendation no later than 2 months before the expiration date of your current "Designated Activities" status.
(Example: If your visa expires on November 1, your deadline to complete the form is September 1.)
Please note that requests for recommendation letters will not be accepted after the deadline.
We will send you the extension application form once we receive your inquiry.
Therefore, if you plan to extend your visa, please notify the International Center by email no later than 3 months before your current visa expiration date.
【Required documents】
Please submit the following documents (1–10) via the online form to request a letter of recommendation.
1. Official Application Form for Change of Status of Residence ⇒ [Download Form]
Please complete the application form while referring to the provided example, and submit it via the online form in Excel format. ⇒ [Download Example (Japanese)]
Note: If you experience formatting issues with the Excel file, you may print the PDF version and submit a clear photograph or PDF scan of the completed form.
Note: If you are applying for a 6-month visa extension, please submit the "Application for Extension of Period of Stay" instead of the Change of Status application. ⇒ [Download Form]
・・・・・・・・・・
The following documents (2) and (3) below differ depending on the purpose of application.
A. Those who continue job-hunting
【Important】
For (2) and (3), you must submit them to the Career Center in advance by email attachment (career@rikkyo.ac.jp) and be sure to receive corrections.
You are required to submit your documents after they have been corrected and revised by the Career Center.
If you submit documents that have not been checked and corrected by the Career Center,
a letter of recommendation will not be issued.
In such cases, resubmission will not be accepted in principle.
Note that the International Office can confirm whether the documents submitted have been checked by the Career Center
and will certainly check it during the internal screening process.
2. A statement including your past job-hunting activities and a future plan
* Using A4-sized paper, please write in detail regarding
(1) your background since arriving in Japan and the achievements of your study or research to date
(2) past job-hunting activities
(3) future job-hunting plans and hopes, etc.
Please refer to the sample "Statement of Past Job-Hunting Activities and Future Plans" when preparing your document.
Writing sample
3. Documents of proof for job-hunting activities
Documents that can confirm that you have been selected by a company or other organization (e.g., e-mail or notification document of interview selection results, e-mail or notification document of document selection results, etc.)
・Submit a minimum of three companies or organization
・In the case of an initial change of visa application, the Documents of proof must be during the school years.
・Email is acceptable. Must include the name of the company, the name of the student, and the date.
※It is not acceptable to only apply for an entry or an invitation to a job fair without any actual job-hunting activities.
※For graduate students who were unable to fully engage in job hunting activities while in school due to reasons such as devoting themselves to research activities, etc., they must consult with the International Office in advance.
B. Awaiting enrollees
2. A "Statement of Reason" (approximately one A4 page, in free format) explaining in detail your past history and future plans, and why you wish to apply for a change of status to Designated Activities in order to stay in Japan until admission to the graduate school.
3. An image file of notification of graduate school acceptance
・・・・・・・・・・
4. Documents proving coverage of necessary expenses during your stay in Japan
Documents explaining how you plan to support yourself and to pay necessary expenses for the next six months: copies of the pages of your bank book, including records of deposit and withdrawal regarding scholarship payment or salary of your part-time work, receipts of overseas remittance from your home country, etc.)
5. Certificate of graduation or certificate of enrollment/expected graduation
You need to submit the original to the Immigration Bureau.
6. Official transcripts
You need to submit the original to the Immigration Bureau.
7. A copy of certificate of registered matters of foreign resident or your residence card (both sides)
8. Passport
9. Application for Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted
(Submit at the Immigration Bureau only if you wish to apply)
10. Letter of Pledge (designated form from the Rikkyo University)
Please fill out the required information and submit it as an scanned image.
The format varies depending on the purpose of the application.
⇒ Click here to download the Letter of Pledge(Job Hunting Activities)
⇒Click here to download the Letter of Pledge(Enrollees to Graduate School)
For application documents, it is mandatory to submit Japanese translations for foreign-language materials, including those in English.
Since the Immigration Bureau will review applications based on the Japanese translation,
please be aware that any mistranslations may affect the outcome of the review.
The International Center will conduct a screening of the application strictly to determine whether or not to issue a letter of recommendation.
Usually takes about one week from application.
We will share the letter of recommendation via email to those who will be issued.
Bring your passport, residence card and student ID card (for students before graduation) with the above documents (1. ~10. ), when applying.
Application place: Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau (JR Shinagawa station, Konan Exit, and the Tokyo Metropolitan bus or a taxi from the station) or Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, Saitama Branch Office (10 minute walk from Yonohommachi station on the Saikyo Line)
*Students enrolled in Niiza Campus and living in Tokyo area are required to apply for an extension of stay at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in Shinagawa.
Part time work permit: If you are already working part time (or intend to start working part time), you are required to apply for permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted (i. e. part time work permit) along with the application for extension of period of stay . The current part time work permit is only valid until the expiration date of your stay. Therefore, please keep in mind that the existing permit becomes void after you have extended your period of stay.
Time required to screen: It usually takes approximately from two weeks up to one month from the time your application is received to complete the screening process. Please note that it may take more than one month when the Immigration Bureau is in the middle of a busy season or depending on individual circumstances. If you have not been informed of the result of your application, you may continue staying in Japan up to a period of two months.
You may be individually required to submit additional documents other than the above documents in the process of screening your documents. In that case, please promptly follow the instructions given by the Immigration Bureau and contact the International Office.
*If you have not received a notice from the Immigration Bureau after one month of the expiration date of your stay,
please contact the International Office. If you stay longer than two months, your stay will be considered an overstay.
Receiving permission: A notice from the Immigration Bureau will be sent to you by mail after your application screening has been completed and the extension is approved . Please be sure to visit the Immigration Bureau where you applied within two weeks after you receive this notice in order to receive the permission . If you fail to do so within two weeks , your application may become void.
Documents other than those listed above may be individually requested by the Immigration Bureau for screening purposes. In such cases, please share this information with the International Office and respond to the request as soon as possible.
Universities are required to manage the residence of those who have obtained the status of residence "Designated Activities" for the purpose of continuing employment activities.
Those who have obtained this status of residence must follow the instructions here.
You are required to submit the interim report 〔⇒ Click here to download the Interim Report (Job Hunting Activities) ・⇒ Click here to download the Interim Report (Enrollees to Graduate School) 〕on your activities after your graduation, along with a photo image of your new residence card. Be sure to download the form once and use it. Please note that if the report lacks specificity, you may be asked to resubmit it. Not only those graduating in March 2026, but also those graduating in September 2025 who have applied for extension of period of stay are required to submit the application.
Deadline：5PM Friday, July 3, 2026 for 2026 September graduates (and September 2025 graduates applying for an extension)
Online Application Form：https://forms.gle/p3WjGwC4sjA3fX3YA *This form will be open in early June.
Since it takes time for the university to process the application (after internal consideration, a decision is made whether or not to issue a letter of recommendation) and for the Immigration and Residence Office to judge the application, students are encouraged to consult and prepare for the application as early as possible.
Letters of recommendation will not be issued if the application is incomplete or if the applicant's record of job hunting activities is insufficient.
You must keep in touch with the university at any time. Please be sure to inform the International Office of any changes in your contact information. Also, if you would like to use your V-Campus ID (ID number@rikkyo.ac.jp) after graduation, you will need to follow the procedure. Please click here for details.
If you change your status of residence to another, such as a work visa, or if you decide to return to your own country after obtaining the designated activities, please be sure to contact the International Office.
Inquiries: Rikkyo University International Office (Ikebukuro Campus) rikkyo-seiki@rikkyo.ac.jp.