I have a problem, any advice (Incoming JET)

[hello12345]

Hello,

I am in a particular situation. I have two passports, one which was reported as lost/stolen but then I found it again, and just a new one. Unfortunately, when we had to hand our passports in to get a visa I gave the lost/stolen one accidentally and I have only just realised. It looks exactly the same as my working one. I am meant to be leaving on Saturday. I am very worried about this. Do you think JET will understand and let me go? If I take my other passport to the embassy on Monday for instance, would they be able to put the visa in it? JET is something I have wanted to do for five years, so now that I am finally about to go after such an extensive process, I can't believe I messed up. I am surprised they didn't contact me to ask why my passport was not operational. If they have issued the visa, could I just take that passport and my new passport. Show them the visa from the old passport but use the new passport to travel. Any advice would be great! I really want to go to Japan Does anyone know how long it takes for them to issue a visa/for a visa to be transferred between passports?

[nostos]

You're obviously in a serious situation, so it would be wise to contact your consulate ASAP. A forum can't help you validate a passport/visa.

[greyjoy]

By striking coincidence, I know someone in a similar situation who got held up in immigration because his reissued passport didn't match the one he initially sent information on in his application. It caused a bit of a delay for him, but was resolved.

Talk to your coordinator now, or at least by predeparture orientation and let him or her know what's going on. It may not be as easy for you, but something should be able to be worked out, possibly before you even get on the plane, but in any case almost certainly to the point of you keeping your job one way or another

[therealwindycity]

If it were any program other than JET it'd probably be a huge hassle, but since the consulate is in charge of issuing visas they'll be able to sort it out for you. Call them ASAP Monday morning.

[hello12345]

Thanks for the advice. I hope so, I am really worried that they will just say no you're fired basically and then I will let my school and coordinator down. I know that you can travel with an expired passport with a visa in and your current one and that is allowed. However, I don't know what the situation is when a visa is issued in a passport that is already expired.

[miamicoordinator]

Hello,

I am in a particular situation. I have two passports, one which was reported as lost/stolen but then I found it again, and just a new one. Unfortunately, when we had to hand our passports in to get a visa I gave the lost/stolen one accidentally and I have only just realised. It looks exactly the same as my working one. I am meant to be leaving on Saturday. I am very worried about this. Do you think JET will understand and let me go? If I take my other passport to the embassy on Monday for instance, would they be able to put the visa in it? JET is something I have wanted to do for five years, so now that I am finally about to go after such an extensive process, I can't believe I messed up. I am surprised they didn't contact me to ask why my passport was not operational. If they have issued the visa, could I just take that passport and my new passport. Show them the visa from the old passport but use the new passport to travel. Any advice would be great! I really want to go to Japan Does anyone know how long it takes for them to issue a visa/for a visa to be transferred between passports?

This is a very very big issue. If your passport is reported lost/stolen, then you are no longer able to use it, even if you find it. When they pass it through the scanner at the airport, it will come up as invalid.

This is not an issue of the JET Program understanding and letting you go, this is an issue of not being able to leave the country because you do not have a visa in a valid passport. You need to get your JET visa that is in your lost passport voided, and have a new one placed in your new passport. The travel agency has also registered everyone with certain passport numbers with the airlines, so if you show up with another passport, that is going to cause more confusion. You will to contact your coordinator immediately on Monday, and have this taken care of.

I cannot speak for other Consulates and Embassies, but in cases like this, a visa can be voided and reprinted in on the same day. Please contact your coordinator though ASAP. Good luck.

[miamicoordinator]

Thanks for the advice. I hope so, I am really worried that they will just say no you're fired basically and then I will let my school and coordinator down. I know that you can travel with an expired passport with a visa in and your current one and that is allowed. However, I don't know what the situation is when a visa is issued in a passport that is already expired.

Just to clarify here, your passport is not expired. Your passport was reported lost/stolen. These are two very different scenarios. It is much different when your passport expires and you still have valid travel visas in it. The passport itself never lost its validity. When you report a passport lost/stolen, it is put in the U.S. database, and it cannot be used from that moment on.

[hello12345]

Just to clarify here, your passport is not expired. Your passport was reported lost/stolen. These are two very different scenarios. It is much different when your passport expires and you still have valid travel visas in it. The passport itself never lost its validity. When you report a passport lost/stolen, it is put in the U.S. database, and it cannot be used from that moment on.

OK, are you saying it would not be valid to travel with that visa then?

[hello12345]

This is a very very big issue. If your passport is reported lost/stolen, then you are no longer able to use it, even if you find it. When they pass it through the scanner at the airport, it will come up as invalid.

This is not an issue of the JET Program understanding and letting you go, this is an issue of not being able to leave the country because you do not have a visa in a valid passport. You need to get your JET visa that is in your lost passport voided, and have a new one placed in your new passport. The travel agency has also registered everyone with certain passport numbers with the airlines, so if you show up with another passport, that is going to cause more confusion. You will to contact your coordinator immediately on Monday, and have this taken care of.

I cannot speak for other Consulates and Embassies, but in cases like this, a visa can be voided and reprinted in on the same day. Please contact your coordinator though ASAP. Good luck.

Thank you for your help. I really hope the visa gets sorted! There are stories of people being fired for turning up late to the airport, so I hope they are understanding. I am very worried about the whole thing.

[Page]

^Those kinds of stores are almost always exaggerations combined with other circumstances that are conveniently left out of the story (because that makes them less interesting).

Listen to MC, they're the only one who can comment with any experience in regards to your situation. Hope it all gets worked out for you (and I'm sure it will), don't panic yet!

[Ini]

when you found the old passport why didn't you return it immediately to the passport office? JET/Japan might not care but your own immigration department might want to have a chat with you.....

[patjs]

when you found the old passport why didn't you return it immediately to the passport office? JET/Japan might not care but your own immigration department might want to have a chat with you.....

It doesn't matter. As far as they are concerned the old one is gone/destroyed/whatever and the new one is the only valid passport. It'd only raise a red flag if the person tried to use the old voided passport.