Job Discussion Forums

jonathanj · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 93

I am married to a Chinese Citizen. She lived in Japan for 6 years and I met her in Tokyo during the last 2 years of her stay. We moved to China, and got married here. We miss Japan and are returning shortly. I am in the process of getting my visa and will be sponsoring her after I receive it. The problem she might run into is that when she lived in Japan, she occurred some credit card debt and keitai disputes, which she ran away from. Is this gonna come back and bite her in the ass when we apply for her visa? Or this all speculation and it has nothing to do whether she gets her visa or not?

Thanks!

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

Did she ever pay off the credit card bills? Or are they still outstanding?

jonathanj · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 93

No, she never payed them. She just ran away.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Doubtful those things will hamper her visa application. No real connection between the agencies.

There may be OTHER reasons she could be denied, though.

jonathanj · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 93

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

Can she just pay them off now? I can see there being trouble if she tried to do anything related to banking and such...
But even if it is just to clear her conscience..she should pay off the bills..

jonathanj · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 93

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

As Glenski said, I doubt very much if it will have any effect whatsoever, even in banking terms. They are no way as vindictive as they are back home. Having said that, that kind of behaviour has led to credit card and phone companies putting up extra hurdles to foreigners getting those services, and paying off her debts is hardly going to reverse that.

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

hmm..tough situation....

but about the hurdle thing..I have DEFINITELY tripped over many hurdles when it comes to banking...

I would be interested to know if her name is recorded somewhere...like, my husband is now trying to get his drivers license and I have been told that if he ever does anything wrong then it is possible for that info to get back to the license office and it is possible for them to not pass him because of it (you know they find any reason and sometimes no reason at all to fail someone...)

What about the fingerprinting at the airport? I would be worried about that..it seems like the names of all the people who have done such "taking money and running" things would have their names in that system....

ironopolis · Joined: 01 Apr 2004 Posts: 379

I'd agree that she's very unlikely to have any visa problems for that particular reason, nor any banking difficulties, as long as she doesn't return to any of the organisations involved before, of course. Even if she did have any problems getting a keitai, which I doubt, you could easily just get another one in your name.

Did she have any city tax debts when she left before? If so, I don't think it would affect any visa application, but city tax does seem to be chased up a lot more vigorously than debts to private organisations. I've heard of several cases of people who left Japan, later returned on a separate visa and received demands for unpaid city tax from their previous stint in Japan. On the one hand, that suggests it isn't connected to the visa at all, but on the other it shows how some local government offices don't give up easily.