Foreign-born children who grew up in Japan but lack residency status are being denied access to higher education, despite speaking fluent Japanese and completing compulsory schooling in the country.

These children, who arrived in Japan with their parents, are now on “provisional release” from immigration detention after losing their legal status.

Although they can stay in Japan under provisional release, they face an uncertain future here due to their unstable position.

“It is unreasonable that they suffer disadvantages for something that is not their own choice,” an official from a group supporting such children said.

APPLICATION REJECTED

Last August, a third-year high school student in the Kanto region tried to apply for enrollment at a foreign language vocational school in Tokyo but was rejected.

Originally from Africa, she was 9 years old when she came to Japan with her family.

The family members have been living in Japan on provisional release since their residence status expired following several unsuccessful applications for refugee status.

When officials of the vocational school learned that the student lacked a residence permit, they requested a copy of her national health insurance card and proof of her ability to pay tuition, a supporter of the girl said.

However, individuals on provisional release are not eligible for national health insurance.

Unable to provide the documents, the student was told her application could not be processed.

“I was in shock for several days and couldn’t do anything,” the student recalled.

The school did not respond to a request for comment from The Asahi Shimbun.

A LIFE IN LIMBO

The student attended Japanese elementary, middle and high schools and considers Japanese her native language.

She seriously applied herself in her classes and school activities, dreaming of becoming a flight attendant after being inspired by their posts on social media.

She said the vocational school’s refusal to consider her application felt like “a door suddenly slammed shut in front of me and everything went dark.”

With almost no memory of her birth country, she said she wants to remain in Japan.

“How can I get a residence status? If there’s a way, I want you to tell me,” she said.

The student is continuing to study with the goal of entering a four-year university, but her path forward is unclear.

A SYSTEMIC BARRIER

Japan’s compulsory elementary, middle and high schools widely accept children without residency status.

The education ministry has also asked local boards of education to ensure these children have opportunities for schooling and advancement.

However, admission to higher education institutions, such as universities and vocational schools, is left to the discretion of each school.

According to the “provisional release high school student scholarship project,” which supports students in this situation, many of them face difficulties when trying to pursue higher education.

The project cited past cases in which students passed university entrance exams but were denied enrollment, or had job offers revoked, because they lacked a residence permit.

The reasons for rejection include a “lack of precedent” and concerns about tuition payments since individuals on provisional release are not permitted to hold even part-time jobs.

CALLS FOR STABILITY

People in the student’s position are seeking “special permission to stay,” which the justice minister can grant on humanitarian grounds.

The Justice Ministry’s guidelines list long-term residence in Japan and attendance at elementary, middle and high schools as “positive factors” in decisions to grant the special permission.

However, each case is judged on its individual circumstances, and there are no uniform standards.

There have been cases in which children were granted special permission to stay but their parents remained on provisional release or were deported.

Mieko Ishikawa is executive director of International Social Service Japan in Tokyo, a social welfare corporation that provides scholarships to high school students with foreign roots, including those on provisional release.

“It is important for young people to receive an education and obtain qualifications to plan for their future, even if they are on provisional release,” she said.

Makiko Iio, an assistant professor of international sociology at Hitotsubashi University who specializes in immigration policy, said: “Children who attended Japanese schools and were raised like Japanese children have become deeply rooted in Japanese society through their daily lives and experiences. They may not be able to adapt if they return to their country of origin.”

She added: “The line between granting or not granting residency status greatly impacts a person’s life. Children who grew up in Japanese society and are seeking to realize their full potential need the guarantee of a stable residency status that allows them to see a future.”