There used to be two types of visas for foreign students: A pre-college student visa and a college student visa. However, these two types of visas have been unified since last July. So even a student who studies at a Japanese language school can get a college student visa.

Accoding to this unification, working conditions of language school students changed.

Students with pre-collge visa were allowed to work for up to 4 hours a day both during the semesters and during the vacations.

However, now, students are allowed to work for up to 28 hours a week during the semesters. Moreover, duirng vacations such as summer and winter vacations, they are allowed to work for up to 8 hours a day (students can work for up to 56 hours a week during vacations)!

With this change, students have more money to save up for living expenses and for tuition and frees to study at a colleges/universities in the future.