How many Canada-Japan Co-op Program students can a company hire at one time?

Companies decide how many students they wish to hire each year. While some companies receive one student per year, others prefer to receive two or three. Some companies place students in the same facility each time, while other companies place students in a number of facilities located throughout Japan.

Recommendation: Companies often find it helpful to receive one or two students per year with some cross-over interim. This way, the students themselves can help orient new students to the company and dormitory environments, thereby reducing the administrative support required of the company.

Where do the Canada-Japan Co-op students usually work?

The majority of work terms are in corporate research and development facilities; however, we are very interested in receiving any type of technical, business or arts full-time positions as we have students from a variety of disciplines who are interested in participating in the program.

Students are very flexible about their work location and work environment, be it research, development or production related, or in an urban or rural setting. Students are looking for a substantive work assignment and are not  very happy when placed in facilities where they can only observe activities or when given work that is not a priority for the company.

Process For Receiving Canada-Japan Co-op Students

Typical Work Term Conditions:

Living allowance (per month): *70,000-235,000 yen (net amount after deduction of any applicable taxes). In addition to the living allowance, the company and/or student are responsible for the following items:

*10% of companies offer all or half of the airfare costs – This is optional

Note: Most employers provide the student with 5 days of paid leave during an eight month work term, and up to 10 days of paid leave for an 11-month work term. In most cases, the company will decide when a student is able to take vacation i.e. during Oshogatsu, Golden Week, or Obon. It is generally the case that sick days are deducted from vacation days.

Guidelines for Visa Application:

The company applies for a “Designated Visa” or Tokutei Katsudo visa for Canada-Japan Co-op students. The company applies for the visa in Japan and the process usually takes at least three months.

Once a match has been confirmed the Canada-Japan Co-op Program Assistant will advise of the visa application process in detail and will assist in the coordination, collection and couriering of all the necessary documents from the student and the program to the company for visa application. Appropriate visa documents are presented together at the nearest District Immigration Office to the company in Japan. A Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) is then issued to the company. The company mails the CoE to The Canada-Japan Co-op program office where a copy is taken and then forwarded on to the student for visa application in Canada.

Please note: the CoE must match exactly the information which is contained in the student’s passport, such as spelling of name, birth date, birth location, order of first name and family name, etc. Even the slightest difference may cause the application to be rejected.

Once the student receives the CoE, he/she must apply for a visa by submitting the following documentation to the Japanese Consulate: a passport size photo, passport, CoE, copy of CoE, photocopy of completed Visa Application form. This process usually takes a few days.

Once the visa authorization is issued, it is valid for 3 months i.e. the student must enter Japan within 3 months of receiving the authorization. The immigration official at the Port of Entry into Japan will stamp the passport for the period specified in the application commencing at date of entry into Japan. It is advisable that someone from the company go with the student, in case interpretation is required.

Intellectual Property Considerations:

Participating companies often have questions related to confidentiality and intellectual property rights. The Canada-Japan Co-op Program encourages employers to develop a confidentiality agreement that can be signed by each student at the start of their work term. In this way, companies can protect their research investment and ensure the results of all research efforts remain the property of the company.

CJCP students are very familiar with the issue of intellectual property rights. During co-op work terms in Canada, students sign similar agreements, and are very careful to respect confidentiality. If an agreement example is required, a company can contact The Canada-Japan Co-op Program Assistant at coop.japan@ubc.ca and one will be forwarded for review.