For Job Hunting

International students (whose status of residence is "college student") who wish to seek employment after completing their course ( Master's or Doctoral) of studies at graduate school must apply for a change of status from "college student" to " designated activities". Normally this status of residence allows six month period of stay and can be renewed once. Therefore you can seek employment for a maximum of one year with the status of "designated activities" after graduation.

A request of status change must be accompanied with a letter of Recommendation by the Dean of GSFS . To get a recommendation letter, you must submit a request form through the Student Affairs Team. The request form is available at the Student Affairs Team.

This system does not apply to research students or students who withdrew from school. You must complete the change of status before graduation. A change of visa status takes time. To stay in Japan without being enrolled at the university, you should complete the application for the change of status as soon as you have decided to seek employment in Japan.

In April 2023, the Japanese government started the Future Creation Individual Visa System (J-Find), and international students who have completed the regular graduate programs (master's and doctoral programs) at the University of Tokyo are now eligible to apply for change of status to "Designated Activities (J-Find)", which allows holders to stay in Japan for up to two years after graduation. When applying for "Designated Activities (J-Find)", a recommendation letter issued by GSFS is not necessary.

It is important to note that research students and students who have withdrawn from regular programs cannot apply for either "Designated Activities" or "Designated Activities (J-Find)".

For details, please check the website of the Immigration Services Agency. You will need to go to the Immigration Service Agency to file an application. Or you may want to use the visa consulting service at UTokyo, if you are still a registered student.

(Immigration Service Agency)
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/designatedactivities51.html