> Leaving Australia recently, I was forced to buy an onward ticket (that I never used) from the destination country, despite the destination country's consulate

> Leaving Australia recently, I was forced to buy an onward ticket (that I never used) from the destination country, despite the destination country's consulate (that I'd visited the day before) telling me this was not required. This sort of thing is a western air travel industry scam, and costs far more than some government inefficiencies. It's happened to me too, but the employee at the airport was quite understanding and sold me a fully refundable ticket (they exist, although the price is obscene) - I just canceled it after landing. The problem for at least Japan is that legally the airlines are responsible for getting you out of the country if you overstay a visa and can't pay for a flight back home, so all airlines require that you already have the ticket back if you're coming for a short trip. Immigration itself doesn't really enforce it.