The company where I’m doing technical intern training told me to quit. They asked me to sign a false document stating that it is my choice to resign.

That’s a difficult situation. Did you sign the document?

No, I didn’t sign it because it’s not true. I never chose to resign. Now I’m worried I won’t be able to find another job.

Not signing the document was the right thing to do. Please contact the Immigration Bureau to determine the best course of action.

There are many cases in technical intern training where the trainee is forced to quit against their will, but is asked to sign a document stating that they are resigning (returning home) at their own request. If you sign it, you will be at a disadvantage when changing your status of residence to change jobs. Let’s look at some examples of senior trainees.

Notified to Return to home country

This technical intern trainee was working at a supermarket to make side dishes, but because she and her colleague went out of the prefecture despite the risk of contracting COVID-19, she was told, “We cannot trust you anymore. Please stop the internship and return to your home country.” She was asked to sign a Letter of Intent.

Refused to Sign a Fake Letter of Intent

Below is the brief summary of the Letter of Intent.

• I will return to my home country to avoid causing any inconvenience or trouble to the company or the community. However, the company has explained to me that I do not have to return home against my will, and I am not returning home against my will.

However, we refused to sign this because we did not wish to return home. We were repeatedly asked to quit the internship after that, and we had no choice but to comply, but we did not sign the Letter of Intent until the very end.

Inquiry from the Immigration Bureau

We visited a non-profit organization in Tokyo and were allowed to live there. Then, we passed an interview at a restaurant and applied for a change of status of residence to Designated Activities (Employment Permitted)which is intended to help maintain the employment. This is a special status of residence related to COVID-19, which allows the applicant to apply for a change of status to Specified Skilled Workers if they pass an exam while working part-time for a maximum of one year.

However, when a technical intern trainee applies for a change of status of residence to change jobs, the Immigration Bureau (Immigration Services Agency) will check with the previous union or company about the circumstances of their resignation. My former company gave a false explanation to the Immigration Bureau, saying that I voluntarily quit the technical internship in order to become a specified skilled worker. I was asked by the Immigration Bureau if that was true, so I wrote down the true circumstances and submitted it along with a copy of the Letter of Intent. This successfully allowed me to change my status of residence and to start working at the restaurant.

Problem #8: “Paying for the Returning Flights”

A man who had extended his stay in Japan to work after completing his technical internship due to COVID-19 was able to book a flight home and requested the union (supervisory organization) to pay for his airfare. The union initially refused, but under the guidance of the OTIT (Organization for Technical Intern Training), it agreed to pay the full amount.

If You Have Any Problems During Technical Intern Training (After Coming to Japan)

In case you have problems during your technical intern training, such as not getting paid for overtime hours, not getting paid leave, wanting to run away and finding another job, being fired, or wanting to change jobs, here are some tips and places to consult to solve such problems.

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Regarding residence applications for foreigners regarding COVID-19｜Immigration Services Agency