Job Discussion Forums

[sanadamushi]

I posted this on the wrong forum originally, so it will probably be deleted. Well, I'm make it shorter this time. I met a great girl who happens to be from Japan, I am trying to think of ways for her to stay here to come back here to study English that aren't just at the local school (IEI) which is just a 7 week intensive English study, she already did that.

However, she couldn't pass TOEFL yet to get a 500. Short of getting married (we're not there yet) I don't know how to get her here to spend some meaningful time for our relationship and for her future. I am in kind of a dead zone school wise (Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA) The closest places are in Nashville, but really pricey and far away. I would even consider the University of Alabama at Auburn, they have an ESL program. I am sure there are people from even more remote areas who have had to deal with this type of scenario, any good ideas?

I would go to Japan, but I can't go until June. I guess I could wait that long, but I don't know if it is the career move for me. My company has a branch office there and there could be a space for me. I am just not ready for 12-14 hour days and a quality of life several steps on down. I think that the two of us would be better off here in the U.S. Just don't know the best plan of action yet. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks,

[japancube]

Don't make her move to Murfreesboro. MTSU is not a great campus and that is certainly not a nice area to live in. In myopinion it would be selfish to have her live at MTSU with you. Second, help her pass the TOSEL with ascore that will allow her to gget into a US school. Does she or you have the money to pay for a school in the US.
I dated a girl that wanted to go to a US university but when she and her parents figured out the costs of attending sa chool overseas they were shocked. If you are going to bring her to the US with you, move to a place where she can aacquire a decent job with good working conditions. The last thing that you want is her job/self-respect being an issue concerning your relationship. You of all people should know how hard it is to move to another country and the effect that can have on a person.

On a legal basis she will only get a 90 day visa in the US. And keep in mind that if she ovrstays her visa she will not be allowed back. Post 9/11 immigration laws have been shored-up quite a bit, especially for the law abiding people. Just check the laws carefully before cming, you may be able to get her a 6 month visa, but there's no US visa's for longer then that without a job. And as you know work visas require a good TESOL score. good luck..

[abufletcher]

It sounds like the only real option available is a student visa. But as you say she doesn't yet have a qualifying TOEFL score. For that matter even getting a normal student visa has become much more difficult with many university IEP directors complaining that visa restrictions are keeping them from recruiting enough students.

Anyway you slice it, these arrangements are going to take a long time. You may well have to see how your relationship holds up with an ocean (and many time zones) between you for up to a year.

Even if you were to decide to get married it might still take the better part of a year to arrange all the requirements for legal resident status ("green card"). And of course the residence visa can only be issued at an overseas embassy, i.e. you can arrange once she's already in the US. You can do all the paperwork but eventually she'll have to go to the US embassy in Tokyo. When my Mexican wife's green card lapsed after many years abroad, it took up at least 8 months (and a lot of money) to apply again here in Japan. This involved in additon to all the unsual documents, many faxes, a trip to Kobe (for a medical by an embassy approved doctor), fingerprinting at the prefectural police station, and an expensive trip to Tokyo for the interview at the US embassy.

[Tiger Beer]

Tourist visa. She is Japanese.. she doesn't need to be on a student visa to spend time in the USA.

[spidey]

Why doesn't she just head back to the US on a tourist visa? That would give you at least 90 days to see if things are really meant to be. After all, living with a person(especially one with whom you have just met) for 3 months is a fairly long time.

In my experience...a couple of steps back before taking any more forward may also be in order.

Good luck

S

(Previously posted on the General Discussions Forum)

[Speed]

Sorry I'm not trying to hijack this post.

I just want to point out that you don't need a visa to travel to the US and Japan if you're a citizen of either country.

The two countries have a visa waiver agreement, which is valid for 90 days. You can just hop on a plane and go as long as you have a valid passport!

(Visa implies having to go to the respective country's embassy and filling out paperwork to get a visa (permission) of some sort to be in the country.)

please continue with this romantic thread....

[abufletcher]

I'm curious, if a Japanese comes to the US or an American goes to Japan on a 90 day tourist visa (and you don't have to actually get a visa in your passport ahead of time), then can that person at the end of their 90 days make a little day trip to, say, Mexico or Korea, and then come back for (and endless series of) 90 day stays?

[pnksweater]

Abu,

This is what is called a "visa run". People working illegally in Japan frequently use this method to stay in Japan for long periods of time. Most common visa run destination: Korea. However, frequent visa runs can lead to questioning and a sometimes a denied visa.

As for your girl. My friend and his fiance pulled this balancing act for several years prior to getting hitched. She did get questioned a lot, but she never was denied a visa.

[sanadamushi]

Wow, even the Australians know how much Murfreesboro sucks. Yeah, it would be selfish to have her study somewhere around here. I am planning a trip in the Feb-Mar time frame to see her and visit our branch office and check out some eikaiwa's and perhaps hatch a plan for relo to Japan.

She is a cute girl, but I do wish she were more communicative. I realize English is difficult for her, we speak in Japanese when I call her, but the email is in English. Her written English is quite good.

A year is a long time, it has been 2 months now that she's been gone. I will keep anyone who is interested posted, these international relationships have a unique set of technical issues and as I am discovering are quite complex. BTW, I found a site for really cheap flights, http://www.amnet-usa.com/jpn/kakuyasu-tickets.aspplan

If anyone has any familiarity with Nerima-ku of Tokyo, please email me about what would be a cheap place to flop for a week. Thanks in advance

[osakajojo]

sanadamushi,

there is another option to the visa run. I did it and it worked out quite well. She will be allowed to stay for 90 days. after the second month, if things are still going well for you two, then have her apply for an extension. It costs I think 160 bucks to extend your stay. Send the application along with the moneyorder to the immigration office. They will soon send you a letter back saying that the request is pending and to expect 90 to 180 days to receive the answer. She is perfectly allowed to over stay her 90 days while awaiting a response, infact she can not leave the country and come back in until she gets the response. We would call the automatic machine once a month and always get the same response. She will of course eventually be denied it but because the government is so backed up it will take around six months for the government to decide this and send the denial letter. Even then, the letter will say she has 3 months to leave or risk not being allowed back in for 5 or 10 years.

That buys you around 9 months! By then you can follow her back to Japan like I did

The down side to this is that she cannot work anywhere legally the whole time she is there. Have her take some English classes at the local Jr College or something or she may get quite board!

hope this helps!