Customer Comments(Ms.Bonamy Alice Sarah Camus)

・Name: Bonamy Alice Sarah Camus

・Nationality: France

Please introduce yourself.

From July 2017 to August 2024, I served as an exclusive interpreter for the Japanese national team of the sprint in bicycle racing. During that time, I was also involved in the Tokyo Olympics (2021) and Paris Olympics (2024) as an exclusive interpreter.

I first came to Japan in September 2008 and attended Kyushu University as an exchange student for one year.

After I returned to my home country in August 2009 to complete a master's degree at a university in France, I came back to Japan in July 2011 as a coordinator for International Relations under the JET program and worked as an employee of the Kyoto prefecture government until July 2016.

In Kyoto, I was in charge of interpretation, translation, cultural exchange, seminars, and other tasks to promote regional internationalization in Japan.

I was also involved in building partnership with Occitanie region, France. Later, while working for a private company in Japan, I received an offer to become the exclusive interpreter for the national team of the sprint in bicycle racing.

I thought it was an interesting opportunity to be involved in the Olympics, so took the offer in May 2017.

Since the Tokyo Olympics was held on a smaller scale due to the impact of COVID-19, I decided to continue the job until the Paris Olympics held in my home country.

• ● Please tell us more about your experience as an interpreter.

I signed a contract with JKA, a public interest incorporated foundation, to serve as the exclusive interpreter for the Japanese National Cycling Team, connecting the head coach and staff with the athletes.

I guess I had the chance because the head coach of the sprint national team for the Tokyo Olympics was from France.

However, the staffs were diverse; others came from New Zealand, Australia, Spain, etc. I started working as an interpreter during the launch of the High Performance Center of Japan Cycling (HPCJC), which was established by the Japan Cycling Federation to support the Japanese national track cycling team and to focus on nurturing the next generation of athletes.

It was a valuable experience for me to be involved in the stage of building a top-class team of coaches and staff from all over the world to compete on the world stage right up to the Olympics.

• ● Could you tell me about the process of obtaining the residency status of "permanent residency"?

The Tokyo Olympics were originally scheduled to be held in 2020, but due to the impact of COVID-19, it was postponed to 2021. As I had time to spare, I decided to go ahead with proceeding to obtaining the “Permanent Resident” status, which I had been thinking about for a while.

However, at that time, I did not meet the legal requirement of “continuous residency of 10 years or more in Japan in principle” and had only been residing in Japan for about 9 years.

After doing my research, I found out that I could apply as a “deemed highly skilled professional” by using the point calculation stipulated in the Ministerial Order on highly skilled professionals.

Then, I searched online for a certified administrative procedures legal specialist, and in the summer of 2020, I requested Mr. Yamamoto from Samurai Immigration Law Firm to help me obtain the “Permanent Resident” status and applied in February 2021.

[After obtaining the permanent residence, she worked with the national team until the Paris Olympics. “Work visas have restrictions on the type of work you engage in, so having a permanent residence visa allowed me to go to the Olympics without any worries.”]

In July 2021, you successfully obtained “Permanent Resident” status. Please tell us how you felt at that time.

It was during the training camp in Okinawa just before the Tokyo Olympics as a member of the Japanese National Cycling Team when I received the call.

I was in the middle of team training when I picked up my phone, and I was so happy that I screamed in that instance.

Everyone gathered around to see what was going on, and when I explained, they congratulated me.

At that time, there were two journalists who had come to cover the team, and as they often have contact with many foreigners, they seemed to know how difficult it was to obtain “permanent residence.

”They even gave me a pair of zori sandals written “Congratulations Permanent Residence” on them as a gift!

What was your reason for coming to Japan?

I always loved Japan and wanted to live here. After I found out that there was an exchange program with a sister university, I applied and studied at Kyushu University for one year.

My love for Japan grew when I saw the movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli.

My first ever film with him was “Spirited Away”, and I found the Japanese culture interesting. Among Ghibli's movies, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” is my favorite.

What was your status of residence when you first came to Japan, and when you came back the second time?

When I was a university student, I was issued a student visa. After graduating, I was issued a work visa from the JET program.

I first came here as a student, but after that, my career was fully developed here in Japan as well.

I’m sure many of the foreigners living in Japan feel the same way, but your work visa determines whether you can stay in Japan.

If your job does not work out, or if you are a woman and cannot continue work due to pregnancy, you may be deported in the worst-case scenario if you cannot find another job within 3 months.

At the time of my application, I had been living in Japan for 9 years.

I had already built a stable social life, friendship, and relationships with Japanese families that I think of as my real family. It’s quite cruel to think that I might lose all of that simply due to my work situation.

In fact, even if I was planning for the future, such as buying a house or thinking about living stably in this area, I wanted to change the situation where my livelihood was dependent on my job.

[A pair of zori sandals was presented to her by a journalist to commemorate her permanent residency. “It was during the training camp in Okinawa just before the Tokyo Olympics as a member of the Japanese National Cycling Team when I received the call. I was so happy that I screamed. “]

Here is a question for Mr. Yamamoto. In the case of Ms. Bonamy, as she did not meet the requirement of staying in Japan for more than 10 years, how did you manage to apply for the “permanent residence”?

(Mr. Yamamoto): We used the “Highly Skilled Professionals Point Calculation Table” to calculate the points for education background, annual income, etc.

We considered applying as a “deemed highly skilled professional” who had met the criteria for applying as a highly skilled professional for a certain period of time. In Ms. Bonamy's case, it was quite difficult to prove her expected annual income for one year in the future, since she does not work for a company. We asked JKA, a public interest incorporated foundation that has a contract with the national team as their exclusive interpreter, to certify this. Also, to be certified as a highly skilled professionals, interpreting alone is not enough.

By taking into account the fact that she was involved in a variety of specialized fields, such as advising the team on mental aspects, and highlighting the national interest and her involvement with the national team, I was able to obtain permanent resident status without any additional documents.

Ms. Bonamy, you mentioned earlier that you searched for legal specialists online. How did you compare the firms?

With the first firm I consulted, when I told them that my residency was less than 10 years, they told me that it was 100% impossible to obtain the visa.

The next person I met was Mr. Yamamoto from Samurai Immigration Law Firm.

He told me that although I had lived here less than 10 years, I was advised to appeal to national interests, and to emphasize what I could contribute to Japan. As I was also serving as an interpreter for the national sprint cycling team, and I was told to use the "Highly Skilled Professional Points Calculation Table" to apply.

Are you interested in applying for Japanese citizenship or naturalization?

Dual nationality is not possible in Japan, so even though I am interested, I cannot pursue it at this time. However, if it becomes possible in the future, I would consider it.

[Ms. Bonamy interpreting during a cycling match.]

Please give a message to foreigners who seek residence status just like yourself.

It was very helpful that Samurai Immigration Law Firm clearly told me what was possible and what was not when I consulted with them. Also, Samurai Immigration Law Firm treats us as equals and responds to our inquiries with kindness, so we can leave the work to them with a peace of mind.

Thank you very much. Finally, what are your goals for the future?

I would like to pursue a job where I can utilize my 14 years of experience in various fields and my language skills, as well as work that helps others.

Having been born and raised in the countryside, I would be happy to engage in activities that promote revitalization of rural areas in Japan. Additionally, I believe I would find fulfillment in work that bridges Japan’s local regions with the world, or in supporting foreign residents living in Japan.

Supervisor of This Article

Representative Immigration Lawyer, Samurai Immigration Law Firm

Official Website : https://samurai-law.com

Kentaro Kojima

Profile

In April 2009, he established a private immigration law office.
In August 2012, he incorporated the office to found Samurai Immigration Law Firm.

Specialties

Specializes in immigration services, including foreign visas, residency status, employment of foreign nationals, business management visas, permanent residency, and naturalization applications.Handles over 1,000 consultations annually.