Job Discussion Forums

may be going · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 129 Location: australia

i'll be marrying my korean girl soon but then taking up a position in japan soon after. we'll be registering the wedding at the respective places in korea and oz but i'm not sure what the process might be to get her a visa so she can come to japan and live with me.

obviously we'll have to go to immigration in tokyo with our papers and visas etc but does anyone know the procedure and costs and success of getting a non-japanese spouse into japan?

cheers

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Once you have a work visa, your wife will come on a dependent's visa. My wife and daughter both have one. Your wife will be entitled to work p/t (up to 1.2 million yen/yr) tax-free. I can't help you much about the process as my employer made all the arrangements ahead of time.

may be going · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 129 Location: australia

cheers gordon. perhaps it's just quick typing, but you said she'll come on a dependent's visa. does that mean she/we must apply for it outside japan or can we do it together at immigration inside japan?

and when you say she's entitled to work for 1.2 million a year tax free, does that mean that's all she can earn in total or just what she can earn tax free?

cheers

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

we got the dependent visa before we got to japan. Ask your employer, I think you said somewhere that you are coming to teach at a uni, as am I.

I don't know about the tax after 1.2 million, others here will know. We have a family, so my wife doesn't make more than 1.2 million.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Thanks for clarifying that Paul.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Please also note, if your wife has a dependent's visa, being able to work is NOT an intrinsic entitlement of the visa. Many people do not realise this.

Yes, you may work P/T under a dependent's visa (max. 25hrs/wk I think but pls check the exact figure with gov't sources) but before you do, you must request special permission (from immigration) to perform activities normally not permitted with your visa. There is a special additional stamp placed in your passport to indicate this. I found this out because my wife (also Canadian) is on a dependent's and we had to do this....

I don't know about the taxation/max. earnings issues involved. But I DO know that if you work more than x hours, you are breaking the law. It's like a WHV. Very similar.

Otherwise, IF you get caught working even 1 hr/wk by Japanese authorities, you are breaking the law & working illegally. You risk fines and/or deportation just like someone who has, for instance, overstayed their visa. The fines are ridiculous now. In November the law was changed to raise the maximum fine to 3,000,000 yen, or time served.

Don't wanna scare anyone but don't mess with these guys. Getting the work permit on a dependent visa is very easy to do and doesn't take long either. Don't forget about it...

Plus, if your wife is from anywhere like China, Korea, Philipines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, Russia, or other Asian countries, expect to run into troubles or be scrutinized extra-carefully (not even so much because of racism) but because there are many problems with illegal workers and visa overstayers from these specific countries.

My co-worker had a tough time even getting his (female) Thai friend to visit for 5 days because of the visa issues and problems related to the sex trade.

Regarding the application procedure: the Japanese immigration authorities will require the following information from YOU the sponsor of your dependent:
- statement of employment/earning from your employer
- a copy of your gaikokujin touroku / passport (they will do this themselves)
- a statement of last year's income taxes paid in Japan (if available)
- your marriage certificate

There may be some other things but I've forgotten if there are. In any event, if the marriage certificate is not in English, you may run into issues. Also, if it doesn't come from a "Western" country you may also have problems.... I know of a Philipino lady here (married to a Japanese man) who returned to the Philipines for 3 months so she could get a driver's license over there so she wouldn't have to may 30-man to go to driving school in Japan. When she came back, the Japanese authorities took one look at her license and said "No. Sorry. We don't think it's real. We think it's a fake license."

Again... don't mean to scare anyone, but stuff like this can and DOES happen in Japan...

welby · Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 9

I have a related question. My fiancee, american, is currently in the JET program. We are to be married March 19th in the US, and then I will be joining her in June. We wanted to get a dependent visa so that I could look for a job with less pressure, and not have to leave the country temporarily just so that my visitor's visa could be converted to a working visa. (I had heard that this is required, right? Even if it's only for a day?)

Well, if I arrive on a dependent visa, can I obtain a job and then a working visa, or will I forever be classified as a dependent who cannot work?

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

welby: 1. you no longer have to leave the country to re-class a visitor visa to a working visa. BUT, mind you, the Japanese gov't cannot catch whiff of you even HINTING at looking for a job.... you're toast. Plus, you have only 90 days to do all this in, otherwise you may well find yourself on a Seoul visa run.
2. you can re-class from dependent to working as long as you have all necessary requirements to get the visa you are applying for (i.e. a 4 yr degree, a sponsoring employer that fits the requirements, etc...)

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

3 months, Paul. Unless it is different in each prefecture. But of course, the longer you have your license the better it reflects on you. Renewed licenses are often a problem because most Canadian provinces/U.S. States don't show the original date of issue -- just the latest incarnation of the card you carry... So to the Japanese authorities it looks like you've only been driving for a month if you just got your license renewed prior to coming to Japan. Then you need to get a sworn statement from your home DMV stating how long you've had a license for..

<sigh> I wish I could say I only know all this info anecdotally, but unfortunately, I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt, don't want another one. Smile

welby · Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 9

JimDunlop2:

So, let me get this straight...I am not allowed to look for a job while on a visitor's visa? Isn't this how many people find their jobs? So many companies do not hire outside of Japan, but say they are willing to sponsor visa's. Won't it be pretty obvious to the govt. that I was looking for a job if I apply to change a visitor's visa to a working visa?

Either way, I should definitely go for the dependent visa, it sounds like. Then I can take my time, look for a job legally, and then you said it's a cinch to apply from their for a working visa.

Do I got it, or not?

Thanks,[/quote]

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

may be going · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 129 Location: australia

thanks for your help all. jim, i'm assuming that if we get married in korea and take our papers to the australian embassy to register everythnig they'll give us a marriage certificate in english. i might have to pop over to the korean board and ask that one.

she'll be coming to japan after i get there. so should she come in on a tourist visa and then apply with me for the dependent's visa or should we apply for the dependent's visa at a japanese embassy in korea? i'll be in korea for 11 days before i go to japan, during which time we'll get married on paper. is 11 days enough time to get these things done or even underway?

alternatively, can anyone suggest a better, simpler way to do things?

cheers

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

I'm not sure exactly.... I don't know what you mean by "registering" in Australia.... Do you mean getting "technically married" again for the Australian authorities (not just the Korean ones)?

Because that is likely what I would do if I were in your shoes.

You may wish to just make a quick phone call to the Japanese embassy near you and ask whether Japan has any issues recognizing a S. Korean marriage certifcate for purposes of issuing a dependent's visa. Their answer may save you a lot of hassle in the long run.

Just as an aside, in Canada, due to an influx of Haitian immigrants in the 90s (I think)... people in Canada were selling marriages to people in Haiti for immigration purposes. As a result, in Canada, the government no longer has to PROVE that someone got married out of convenience in order to deny them a visa... Canadian authorities may only SUSPECT a "marriage of convenience" and disallow entry to anyone only on that hunch... And there isn't much you can do about it... Interesting, huh?