Criminal Mischeif

[Akisa]

I was wondering if my Criminal Mischief charge I got when I was 19 will have an impact on my ability to get a spousal Visa? It is a misdemeanor. What would have a negative impact?

[Steve Bildermann]

Sorry my ESP rating is slipping.

Help us out with a few more details like where this mischief occurred, what nationality are you, where are you living etc etc.

[Akisa]

I am American, I was living in NY at the time. I did not get any punishment for the crime and now I am living in CT. The Japanese immigration office said that they could not say if it would be a problem, they would have to wait to se e the application. I have a bachelor's degree and the charge is from 10 years ago.

[Steve Bildermann]

No, such a minor conviction will have no effect on your application for a spousal visa.

Just be sure you have completely fulfilled all the requirements for such a visa before applying.

[Akisa]

What kind of a conviction would prevent you from getting a spousal Visa? On the application are they interested to know about our education?

[Bongo]

Well eh...Don't tell them about it.
It won't ever come up and even if it does, you can simply say, you thought it was so minimal to be of no concern.

Somebody I know, being a very naughty boy in his youth had a GBH stuck on them before they came here and it made no difference as, they never told them about it and they never found out. Ha.

[Akisa]

Does anyone know anybody who was rejected when they applied for a certificate of eligibility?

[Akisa]

I am worrying about whether or not I will be able to move to Japan on a spousal visa because I have a criminal record. My conviction is from 1996 and it was for criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Will I have trouble getting a visa? Does anyone know anybody who has had trouble because of something similar to this? Sorry for the repost, but I am in the process of planning my move and need to get this worry off my mind. I will be married next month to a Japanese national. We plan on moving next summer.

[Caustic Saint]

Sorry for the repost

No you're not.

You posted this exact same issue yesterday. What do you possibly think posting it a second time will achieve? Not only that, but you bumped the other topic just 3.5 hours ago.

There's no need for two topics on the exact same subject. If you're not finding the answer you need/want/crave here, try some other Japan forums, or even do some googling. Duplicating your own topic here isn't going to get you an answer any faster.

(Could some mod please combine these two topics?)

[Taro Toporific]

Does anyone know anybody who was rejected when they applied for a certificate of eligibility?

The official rules of Japanese MOFA do NOT list a "certificate of eligibility" as required.

For a spouse visa, the Japanese don't do background checks on criminal histories, yet, as far as I know----So call the Japanese Embassy again. Or try another branch in a different city. As long as you don't have to get a "Certificate of Eligibility" aka background check issued from the US Government, you ought to be in the clear.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/05.html

Spouse or
Child of
Japanese
National 1. In cases where the person concerned is a spouse of a Japanese national, the following materials are required.

1. Documents certifying that the person concerned is a spouse of the Japanese national and his or her resident card.
2. Documents certifying the profession and the income of the person concerned or his or her spouse.
3. A letter of guarantee by a person living in Japan.

2. In cases where the person concerned is a child or an adopted child of Japanese national, the following materials are required.

1. A copy of the family registration of the Japanese national concerned, the birth certificate of the foreign national concerned, and other documents certifying the personal relationship between the parent and the child.
2. Documents certifying the profession and the income of the foreign national concerned or his or her father or mother.
3. A letter of guarantee by the Japanese national concerned or another person living in Japan.

Alternatively you could just ask the Tokyo US Embassy
Tel. +81-3-3224-5000 Switchboard
Open from Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 12:30 and from 2:00 to 4:00 JST (GMT+9)

HOWEVER, it you need this....

http://www.japan.com/immigration/visa/assorted.php#1
the Certificate of Eligibility
Exceptions to the rule
In Japan, past convictions are one of several grounds for rejecting visa applications. Lying on your forms is illegal and if it is discovered, gives the authorities a blank cheque to blacklist you...

[Akisa]

Thanks alot Taro. As always, you are a big help.