Hey everyone, I was recently upgraded about almost a month ago and still haven’t heard anything about my placement or, more importantly, when I’d be leaving. I just wanted to check in if anyone knows how long I’d be awaiting to hear back. I did send an email asking for any kind of estimate date but I still haven’t heard anything. It would be nice to know how much time I have to prep but also to inform my current job when they need to prepare for my leave, (context: I run children’s programs and they want to know when to find my replacement). Any advice as well is welcomed, thanks!

Hi all. I first submitted my Pension Refund Application in August 2024, and got it back with a note in April 2025. The note was about the bank code, which I corrected and sent back. There was also the issue of my address, which had changed since I last sent it in, so I wrote the new address as well as a note of the old one in the margin.

Anyway, I haven't heard anything from them since. I would have looked into it earlier, but I expected a long wait after the first response took so long and I just stopped thinking about it after a while. That, and the sense that there's not really anything I can do about it.

Is there anything I can do about it?

hey all, i’m from the Philippines (which makes for a competitive pool of applicants) so i’m a bit nervous in applying for the program. here are my qualifications:

• bachelor’s degree in Communication
• well-traveled + been to Japan 4 times, including visiting the countryside
• participated in an online learning exchange program
• i used to be active in leadership/volunteer roles but from 2019 to 2022 only. i was also a student-athelete from 2019 to 2023
• i plan to start tutoring english online within the month and i’m in the process of getting a TEFL certificate
• i also love reading japanese literature :)

what do you guys think? anything else i can do to strengthen my application? TYIA.

Hello! Can you please guide me? Is there any specific format for letter of recommendation?