Work visa sponsorship for... a mechanic?

[Kanchou]

Ok, does anyone know if there are any ways to get visa sponsorship for a US citizen to work as a (race?) mechanic?

I know there's Skilled Labor, but the embassy page doesn't specify the number of years of related work experience this sponsorship requires...

Perhaps a "consultant" visa would work?

[Mr Doricar]

You wanna come and be my spanner man? Know anything about Formula Atlantic 4AG's?

Isn't their an engineer visa?

[GomiGirl]

For skilled labour you need documented 10 years of experience.

[Kanchou]

Damn, you'd think it would be nice for them to list that stuff somewhere.

Are you sure there's not an exception, ie, 10 years experience or a related degree, etc? (that seems to be the case for many of the visa types)


As for Formula Atlantic 4AGs, I know that you probably don't have one.

(and that it's a HIGHLY modified version of the 4AGE 4-valve engine designed for an open-wheel racer that revs to around 10,000 and makes about 230 HP... and IIRC it costs somewhere between $20 and 25K, at least if you were to build one out of the TRD parts list... I can't remember, it's been a while since I've researched Hachiroku tuning and I'm not going to look it up because that seems like cheating...not that it's really a suitable engine for a Hachiroku without some serious detuning, due to the extreme torque band)

But if you're actually willing to pay me at least $25K a year (that's the minimum to qualify for a visa IIRC) to work on your car, I'm all ears...lol

(just as a neat fact, I've been wrenching on my own FC for two years +, the first order of business being a complete engine teardown and soft-seal rebuild... which is amusing since I'd never pulled an engine by myself, and I'd never even cracked a manifold before this. I've also been working on my beater CBR600 for about 6 months, and before that, I was in the Nihon University Automotive Club for several months between 2004 and 2005 although I mainly did grunt work like 'filling up the resevoir while we bleed the brakes.')

[Greji]

Damn, you'd think it would be nice for them to list that stuff somewhere.

Are you sure there's not an exception, ie, 10 years experience or a related degree, etc? (that seems to be the case for many of the visa types)

Skilled labour like a mechanic is a job that competes with the Japanese labour market i.e. you, as a foreigner would be taking a job that could be filled by a Japanese and it would probably not be acceptable for a visa in that status alone. Most countries to include the US, have restrictions like this.

What you would need is a sponsor and he would have to submit paperwork to the efffect that you possess particular skills to utilize in his business that are not available in the Japanese labour market.

It can be done, but you need to have a sponsor who has the status and who will take the time to do the paperwork for you. It might be better to find an easier visa and then shift to your field of work after you're in country. There are not many short cuts in the work visa field.

[Kanchou]

I agree, but I've basically given up on getting hired for Eikaiwa, and waiting for JET 2009 isn't a very good idea either. There's a fairly big difference between a "race mechanic" and "a mechanic," so I think the rule about hiring a national first can be bypassed simply by being the best candidate (not that I am).

OTOH, I'm looking at getting a job in Atlanta as a bilingual administrative assistant... but haven't been offered an interview as of yet.

Of course, Japanese race car drivers in the higher ranks need English instructors in case they go global (basically every racer is expected to give interviews in English), and many can use translating, interepreting, etc... which might give me another angle.

[Taro Toporific]

Are you sure there's not an exception, ie, 10 years experience or a related degree, etc? (that seems to be the case for many of the visa types)

Yep, you need 10 years experience or a related degree.
Having a technical school degree is more or less a requirement. A 2 year degree will not get you a Japanese work visa unless that 2 year technical degree is combined with 6+ years of real work in a technical field for a real company.
Otherwise you have to 10 years provable experience (filed tax forms, income receipts) at a valuable trade to get a “special skills visa.”