Visa refused, Vietnamese students forced to return home from Japanese school

By Sen   September 25, 2018 | 11:15 pm PT
Visas have been refused for 165 international students, a majority of them Vietnamese, admitted to a vocational school in Japan.

The Japan-China Cultural Art School in Osaka had already been informed by the city Immigration Bureau that the visas could not be renewed due to over capacity last year, the Nikkei Asian Review reported Tuesday.

Yet it continued to admit students and had 580 by last May.

Students at the entrance examination last year at Japan-China Cultural School in Osaka. Photo courtesy of Facebook

Students take the entrance examination last year at Japan-China Cultural School in Osaka, as shown in a photo shared on Facebook.

A spokesperson claimed the school had informed the Osaka city government about its plan to build a new school building to accommodate all the students.

In the meantime, “the person in charge is absent and so cannot respond,” the spokesperson told the newspaper in response to an interview request.

The students whose visas have not been renewed had their residence status expire in July.

While some students have sent applications to other vocational schools and received a visa extension, some had to return home.

The school mainly recruits Vietnamese and Chinese students.

Japan-China Cultural School (white building) in Osaka. Photo courtesy of Facebook

The Japan-China Cultural School (white building) in Osaka, as shown in a photo on Facebook.

Some of the students are reportedly planning to take the school to court for compensation.

The Japan-China Cultural School, founded in 2015, lists a number of programs on its website, including tourism interpreter and guide training.

 
 
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