Job Discussion Forums

[nabichan]

Alright, I've been asking around and going through search engines and whatnot, and I haven't been able to find an answer yet, so I've finally made it here to ask a series of questions that really need to be answered.

I want to move to Japan to live with my boyfriend for a year (he is currently in the Interac program...I know you all hate it, but we didn't find out anything negative about it until -after- he left). I currently do not have a degree, so me trying to get a job at the same place is kind of out of the question.

So tell me, is there any way that I could possibly stay? I've been looking up all sorts of different visas at this site, but they seem to be a little vague with the requirements (or I'm just not reading right). So far, the only option that seems to be available is Spousal Visa...but getting married is our last option (mostly because we don't want to disappoint our families).

Now, people have been telling me all sorts of rumors, and maybe you could confirm if they're true, or if they're just full of crap. The first "rumor" is that it would be easier for me to try and get a job if I'm already in Japan (and I don't need a degree for some of these jobs). I was told that they'd sponsor a Work Visa for me after hiring me, and I'd be set. This is honestly not that big a deal since I plan to visit Japan anyway. What kinda bothered me about this whole thing is that I also read somewhere that you do need a degree to obtain a Work Visa, no exceptions.

Another rumor that I've been hearing is that after my Visitor's Visa expires after 90 days (actually, the consulate here told me that I don't even need that...I can just go, stay for 90 days, and come back), I can go to Korea or China for a day or two, and come right back (which would work out great for me since I have family in Korea and friends in China...and it would be much cheaper than coming back to the states). So pretty much, the plan would be to lather, rinse, and repeat every 90 days. As much as this plan would work out for me (I don't mind paying a couple hundred bucks for the trips), I don't know if it's really possible. A friend of mine told me that she could do it in China...but another friend told me that after visiting Lebanon and Pakistan...he wasn't allowed to come back for a year (I know Japan is a different place, but immigration laws are different everywhere).

Ideally, I would like to get a job, even if it is part-time (mostly because I don't want to depend on my boyfriend for everything, if I don't have to anyway). If anyone has any helpful advice to offer (outside of "stop, you're being a dumb kid"), I would appreciate it. Thank you for your time.[/url]

[nonsmoker]

Does he know you're coming, or are you going to surprise him?

[nabichan]

[Quibby84]

get married and then get a spouse visa, you can work part time on that..but other than getting really lucky and someone sponsoring you without a degree you can not get a visa without getting married...

[Bugsy]

But, to get a spouse visa, wouldn't your spouse have to be Japanese?

[nabichan]

[Quibby84]

No, he doesnt have to be Japanese he just has to have a visa. When I was looking into JET they said that they would give the spouse a spouse visa. You dont have to have a degree, you just need to be married to someone that has a degree and a work visa. You can get special permission to work like 20 hours a week or something with that...

[Glenski]

If you read that site, you'd know that a spouse visa is for foreigners married to Japanese. If your spouse is another foreigner, what you are looking for is a dependent visa. It doesn't permit work by itself, but you can easily get permission from the government to work (only part-time, and if you make more than 1 million yen/year, your spouse cannot exempt your income from his taxes).
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/index.html

You're American, I take it. With no degree, your options are limited (as I've written many times before) to the following:

1) dependent visa
2) student visa (if you enroll in a school that sponsors a visa); same conditions apply to work as #1, but I think you have to wait a month or 2
3) cultural visa (if you get a craftsman to sponsor you to study under him, something like ikebana, pottery, martial arts, etc.; same work situation as #1)

That's it. Oh, there is one more option. If you have enough experience, you can bypass the requirement for a degree in order to get the work visa. How much experience? Depends on the type of work visa, whether for engineer, teacher, entertainer, etc. So, what you read about "no exceptions" is incorrect. And, most non-teaching opportunities require 5-10 years of experience and a high fluency in Japanese.

That's it.

Whether it is easier to find work in Japan or from the USA may depend on the job itself. You speak no Japanese and have no degree. If you qualify for a work visa by virtue of experience, then you MIGHT find someone from abroad, but your competition will mostly have degrees, so that experience will have to be pretty darned good. Teaching is your best, easiest option, as far as I can see, but how about telling us about your work experience so we can make a better assessment?

Oh, and be sure that Interac permits you to live with your boyfriend/spouse.

[Quibby84]

oh sorry, I remember now that it is called a dependent visa...

[Glenski]

[nabichan]

Glenski, thank you so much for the information. I really do appreciate every single bit of it. From the looks of it, this situation may end up being a bit more complicated than I originally intended it to be (which was expected).

While I do have family in Korea, and while I am Korean, I am an American citizen...meaning that I do not have a Korean passport.

I don't know if I'd be able to obtain a School Visa...seeing how there probably aren't any schools in Japan that I can enroll myself into. I was actually very interested in the Cultural Visa. I asked the Japanese consulate here what the exact requirements were, but they just kinda yelled at me to check the website and hung up. Are there any specific programs that I could look into for this? I wouldn't even know how to go about doing such a thing.

Sadly, I do not have too much experience in the work field. I just finished teaching part-time at a middle school, but that only lasted me about 6 months (they hired me insanely late). I was teaching kids how to draw comics and whatnot. I have also been in the art industry for quite some time (drawing comics for my university's newspaper, t-shirt designs, etc), but I don't think Japan would have much use for another starving artist. The only other things that I have experience in are retail and waitressing...and those didn't last more than a year.

My boyfriend has already spoken to Interac and the people that are in charge of his apartment, and they said that they have nothing against me living with him (as long as he continues to pay his bills and whatnot).

I always assumed that the whole 90 day thing would lead immigration to become suspicious, which is completely understandable. Honestly, I probably would be too. Too bad I don't have a very good reason other than "I wanna be with my boyfriend!"

And yeah, I don't mind working full-time...I think I would actually prefer than over working part-time...But I'm willing to take whatever I can get.

[Glenski]