So this is kind of difficult to explain, please bare with me.
I came here on a working holiday last year, and deeply fell in love. I managed to find work at what I thought was an amazing company, employed by what I thought was an amazing employer.
They would buy me things, take me for dinner, provide me with laptops, and even eventually giving me a flat to rent. The pay was very poor, below minimum wage for a long time, and then rose to ¥1200 around 6 months in (I know, taking below minimum wage is not a good sign, but I was a desparate immigrant who had no other reason not to trust a person who had given me so much)
Around the 6 month mark, I was promised a visa. At that time, I was also given a (fairly expensive) apartment. My boss promised me that once a work visa was acquired, he could raise my wage by a considerable amount. Again, no reason not to trust someone that had only done right by me for a considerable amount of time.
I landed an engineering/humanities/international services visa for 3 years and was over the moon. But as soon as this happened, little things started changing. No more food out, no gifts, no socializing (I didn't mind this so much, I don't expect a thing from my employer, and only want to work hard for them). But then it became more petty – no paid breaks, no breaks at all even, not being paid for business meetings outside of work hours, not being allowed to drink coffee or tea at work. They found out that I had drank some milk from the work fridge and genuinely threatened me with legal action.
And then came the matter of my wage… They never raised it. I am now renting my bosses apartment, for a considerable sum, on ¥1200p/h. After tax, I am left with around 6万 to survive an entire month. I can't afford to eat breakfast, and have to eat the same meal everyday.
Now, I'm sure you're thinking 'why don't you just leave'. I made it clear to my boss that I felt trapped, and that I simply couldn't afford to live. I am hungry, I am stressed and I can't understand why things have gone this way. They responded by suggesting that they were going to call immigration, the police, future employers, etc. to ensure I was either deported/arrested or cannot secure future work. I feel like I have been slowly groomed into a life I cannot escape, and I'm scared for the future.
Does anyone know what protections I have in regard to my visa? I genuinely feel like my only option is trying to find a job in another prefecture and just living in a hostel until I can afford a real place.
Can they really have that much of an impact on my future here? I am scared I am going to lose my new home.
Tl;Dr:
Boss is threatening me with deportation if I leave my job that doesn't pay me enough to survive.
by [deleted]