Do I have enough points?

Do I have enough points?  These thoughts were penned the night before deciding to leave.

The original plan to go to Korea, China and Mongolia is scrapped.  And my 90 days in Japan runs out in the middle of May.  Not sure at this point if I will stay on that long, but I want to have the option.  I might be able to get a visa as a “Highly Skilled Foreign Professional” if I have enough points.  I would need to be sponsored by a university – Prof. Yuko Yato is working on having me appointed as a Visiting Senior Researcher at Ritsumeikan University. I will keep you posted as to whether this comes together.

Points are assigned for:

Advanced degree – most points for Ph.D.

Years in the profession – most points for more than 7 years

Salary – most points for over 10 million yen.

Age – more points if you are younger – I don’t get any of these points

Research achievements – publications, grants….

Japanese proficiency – I am barely functional, and nowhere near the N1 level required for these points

Was my degree granting institution in the top 300 on two of the three world university rankings?  University of Wisconsin--Madison is #56, #51, and #27.  I was not familiar with these ranking systems.

Yes, I have more than the required 70 points.