Jul 30, 2016
Visa Journey
When helping my future wife move to America in 2005 on a K1 fiancée visa, I found a website called Visa Jouney that was very helpful. It gave step by step instructions on the process, forms, pitfalls, etc.. Is there anything similar for moving to Japan? My wife and I would like to spend a year there when we retire in early 2018. Thanks in advance for any advice. Fred
Best Answer
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on Aug 1
Some immigration offices in Japan have 'information centers' which offer multi-lingual support for visa inquiries. You can give them a call. They're a good place to start, but in my experience they tend to be staffed by people who just know the basics, and don't really have the authority to give definitive answers, certainly not to the more complex questions anyway. A good place to start though. Here's a link to some of their phone numbers http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/info/ Also, some of the immigration lawyers have pretty good info on their homepages. You can read those to give you an idea (without need to hire a lawyer). I think a lot of people will testify to this, though; immigration experiences/procedures can vary a bit depending on the official you talk to at the time. People sometimes report differing procedures/treatment even though the goal was the same. Seems like you're on the right track though, leaving no stone unturned, so to speak.
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on Jul 31
I'd advise you to contract your Japanese Embassy with regards to this. They can give you the exact answer you need and what visa to apply for. People can stay in Japan for 90 days on a tourist visa. Anything longer than that, then you have to apply for a visa. Your embassy can make that very clear for you. They would be your best information place, as visa laws change on a regular basis.
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on Jul 31
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on Jul 31
Hi Fred, welcome to City-Cost! I haven't seen a helpful site like Visa Journey for moving to Japan. I'm from the US and wrote an article about my process of applying for a spouse visa here: https://www.city-cost.com/blogs/helloalissa/Gleqw-living If you aren't already married in Japan, I've heard it's necessary to file at a city hall in Japan so your marriage is recognized (as you aren't automatically considered married in Japan as well). Getting your documents prepared for the marriage and visa application ahead of time will be helpful. You're already planning far in advance which is smart. As smallbigjapan wrote, I'd check with the Japanese Embassy/consulate in the US for how to proceed. I'm not sure if you would come to Japan with the 90 day visa waiver (as a tourist) then apply to change your status within that 90 day period, or apply for a one year spouse visa starting when you arrive in Japan. Maybe there is something like the K1 visa in Japan as well - to get you over here with the intention of registering a marriage and applying for a spouse visa. Good luck!
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on Aug 1
Thank you smallbigjapan and helloalissa for your advice. We did visit the Japanese Embassy in Miami and got some answers. We are coming to Kapan on September and may try to visit the immigration center to try to make sure we are crossing our i's and dotting or t's. Any other advice will be welcomed! Fred
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on Aug 2
6 Answers