Perm Res.

[Maths Dude]

I been on a spouse visa for 3 years now, 2 years in J-land and 1 year in Oz. Can I apply for perm res yet? Also, is it worth getting a P Res? I cant see much benefit really, still have to get those silly re-entry visas!

[killjoy]

I heard you can apply after 5 years and its a done deal. I think the not having to apply every 3 years is a plus, and it can't hurt. On the other hand it is a little like going native so for me there was a psychological barrier at first

[Taro Toporific]

[FG Lurker]

I applied in November last year and am waiting for my postcard to arrive from immigration now... Hopefully sometime soon!

Financing for business development or land purchases is a lot easier if you have permanent residence.

It is also important as a "just in case" thing. Understandably no one wants to bring up really negative things, but... What happens if a FG's marriage ends? No more visa... And if you have kids, that means no more seeing your kids. Or in an even worse situation if an FG's spouse dies suddenly said FG will still lose his/her visa. Having kids or other ties to Japan won't help keep an FG here, and dealing with that while also dealing with the lose of a spouse would make things even worse I am sure.

It can also be somewhat career-enhancing as it tends to show a commitment to staying in Japan. Every interview I have been through has contained some verison of the question "How long do you plan to stay in Japan?"

[Maths Dude]

Good advice, thanks. Can I apply from Australia? OR do I have to be actually living or have to have lived for 5 years or what ?

[FG Lurker]

And some information from uber-FG Arudou Debito:

http://www.debito.org/permres.html

[FG Lurker]

Good advice, thanks. Can I apply from Australia? OR do I have to be actually living or have to have lived for 5 years or what ?

You definitely can not apply from Australia. Well, maybe you could apply in theory but you definitely won't get anywhere with it.

You must already have shown through actions that you desire to reside in Japan permanently or at least very long term. That means (typically) at a minimum having lived in Japan for at least 5 years being married to a Japanese for that 5 years too.

So, if someone was in Japan for 3 years, then got married and applied for PM after another 2 years (5 years total in Japan) it would likely NOT work. Said FG would have to live in Japan for another 5 years after getting married.

That said, if the FG was making, say, US$1 million/year while employing 30 Japanese things might move faster. (No, this is not my life, sadly!! Just a random example.)

[Taro Toporific]

... if someone was in Japan for 3 years, then got married and applied for PM after another 2 years (5 years total in Japan) it would likely NOT work. Said FG would have to live in Japan for another 5 years after getting married.)

RIGHT ON TARGET you are Lurker-san.
The average Perm. Res. takes on average 8-10 years because every change of visa status sets back the "clock."
That said, Maths Dude is half-Japanese I think... so his Perm. Res. will be moved to the top of the Immigration stack.

[Maths Dude]

I dont think that site is up-to-date because I got a 3 year spouse visa straight up. Apparently he reckon you can apply just b4...I dont think so. Oh crap, come to think of it, that 3 years must be up pretty soon, I'll have to check my passport tonight. If it's gonna expire in say May of this year, can I apply to extend the visa from Aus ?

[FG Lurker]

I dont think that site is up-to-date because I got a 3 year spouse visa straight up. Apparently he reckon you can apply just b4...I dont think so. Oh crap, come to think of it, that 3 years must be up pretty soon, I'll have to check my passport tonight. If it's gonna expire in say May of this year, can I apply to extend the visa from Aus ?

Some people get a 3-year visa, but as far as I know getting a 1-year visa first is still more common. I had one 1-year visa, and then got a 3-year after that. My second 3-year is up at the end of March. I'm hoping my PR comes through before the visa expires otherwise I'll have to apply for a new spouse visa too.

Debito wrote that he was told by immigration to apply just before his spouse visa expired... In reality that's not the advice he should have received and that's why he ended up getting his PR within 3 weeks. He's also a university prof with tenure which probably helped. I *think* he was also a landowner at the time too.

With regards to renewing your spouse visa from Australia, my first answer would be "no it's not possible". But actually I've never heard of anyone trying to do something like that so it is probably a good idea to call the Consulate or Embassy and ask.

[Steve Bildermann]

For those thinking of applying for PR. As of Jan 1st 2005 Japanese immigration are now doing a much more thorough vetting on all applications.

If you have done jail time longer than 6 months for any crime in Japan you will be permanently refused and your passport stamped 'refused residency'

I just got back from arguing this point with the immigration on behalf of the wife of my old judo teacher (she's Swedish)

Usually I'm pretty persuasive but in this case I might have well have been talking to a brick wall (hold on I think i was)

Simply put NO WAY !! She still gets to keep her three year visa but that's it.

Now as to whether the checking will also include jail time done outside of Japan I don't know and Mr. Stone wall wouldn't say DIDDLY-SQUAT!

[FG Lurker]

For those thinking of applying for PR. As of Jan 1st 2005 Japanese immigration are now doing a much more thorough vetting on all applications.

If you have done jail time longer than 6 months for any crime in Japan you will be permanently refused and your passport stamped 'refused residency'

Damn... Guess it will take even more time to get an answer back then. No jail-time in my past so maybe I'll still get approved...

I just got back from arguing this point with the immigration on behalf of the wife of my old judo teacher (she's Swedish)

Having a hard time picturing a stereotypical Swedish woman spending 6 months in a Japanese prison... Or what she might have done to get there.

Usually I'm pretty persuasive but in this case I might have well have been talking to a brick wall (hold on I think i was)

Simply put NO WAY !! She still gets to keep her three year visa but that's it.

She'll still get her spouse visa renewed though, right? Or do you think they'll just boot her out after the 3 years?

Now as to whether the checking will also include jail time done outside of Japan I don't know and Mr. Stone wall wouldn't say DIDDLY-SQUAT!

Since immigration is connected to the FBI now it wouldn't be too hard to check a person's US history. With things like this kind of identity theft happening that's very worrying. (Check out that story if you want to get freaked out...)

[killjoy]

I applied after 11 years. married and have a daughter, had to pay all back taxes (of course everyone does that but in my case...) and got it in 10 months Jan - Oct.

had to apply to renew the spouse visa midway through (June) but since I had the paperwork anyway....a hassle but no doubt. I don't think they check the US as privacy laws, English, etc. individual states would all block that exchange.

its definitely a good "just to have" but the paperwork is a pain. And I still haven't gotten my wife a green card which shows how lazy and inconsiderate I am

[FG Lurker]

I don't think they check the US as privacy laws, English, etc. individual states would all block that exchange.

No, Japan and the US have an agreement now... If you have an FBI record or file, immigration can see it. Cute huh?

its definitely a good "just to have" but the paperwork is a pain. And I still haven't gotten my wife a green card which shows how lazy and inconsiderate I am

I thought with a green card she would actually have to be in the US? Or in the least show up once a year to maintain it? That info is very old now though and I'm not from the US anyway...

[killjoy]

they are now keeping records on travelers? So I might have a file...

http://tinyurl.com/5pdxu

My wife is not too thrilled about getting a green card too as she has heard stories (from other J wives) that post-911 they do a cavity check at the Embassy here and you have to "prove" you are a woman....but maybe just a rumour

[FG Lurker]

they are now keeping records on travelers?

I don't think Japanese immigration would be too worried about that kind of record. But if an FG had a run in with the FBI before they came to Japan it will be on file and J-immigration can see it. How much of the information kept at the state level is available I do not know. I would say it is just a matter of time though...

My wife is not too thrilled about getting a green card too as she has heard stories (from other J wives) that post-911 they do a cavity check at the Embassy here and you have to "prove" you are a woman....but maybe just a rumour

Seems pretty urban-ledgendish to me. But not much the US-gov't does would surprise me anymore.

Not sure what happened to freedom in the US. It certainly doesn't seem to be a priority anymore though.

[joshuaism]

My wife is not too thrilled about getting a green card too as she has heard stories (from other J wives) that post-911 they do a cavity check at the Embassy here and you have to "prove" you are a woman....but maybe just a rumour

At the embassy you get a visa and once you enter the US they will mail you your green card. My wife and I made the embassy trip yesterday and I'm happy to report that they did not perform a cavity check on her. The thought of a cavity check would be pretty scary since all bussiness and visa interviews are conducted in the lobby at a teller window in front of all the other visa applicants.

What I want to know is why all electronics (including walkmans and gameboys) are banned from entering the embassy.

[kamome]

My wife is not too thrilled about getting a green card too as she has heard stories (from other J wives) that post-911 they do a cavity check at the Embassy here and you have to "prove" you are a woman....but maybe just a rumour

Just in case you weren't joking, the US does not conduct body cavity searches on people who are applying for a green card

According to an immigration attorney I know who is based in Tokyo, the US Embassy personnel are not there to stonewall immigration visa applications based on marriage. As long as you show a good faith effort to comply with the paperwork requirements, they generally want to issue the visa (i.e., they're not into breaking up families if it can be avoided at all).

[FG Lurker]

At the embassy you get a visa and once you enter the US they will mail you your green card. My wife and I made the embassy trip yesterday and I'm happy to report that they did not perform a cavity check on her. The thought of a cavity check would be pretty scary since all bussiness and visa interviews are conducted in the lobby at a teller window in front of all the other visa applicants.

Hehe, they'd have a lot of middle-aged male Japanese visa applicants if they did that.

What I want to know is why all electronics (including walkmans and gameboys) are banned from entering the embassy.

One word: Security

Any electronic device can be turned into a surveillance device in the hands of someone with a bit of talent. Especially with wireless being everywhere now.

I would guess there is also a bit of terrorism paranoia too.

The last time I visited a US consulate was pre-9/11 here in Osaka. Even then my bag went through an x-ray machine and I went through a metal detector. I was meeting with the consulate general, but the checks were for everyone when you came in the front door.

[Speed]

According to an immigration attorney I know who is based in Tokyo, the US Embassy personnel are not there to stonewall immigration visa applications based on marriage. As long as you show a good faith effort to comply with the paperwork requirements, they generally want to issue the visa (i.e., they're not into breaking up families if it can be avoided at all).

I have to not-concur mon frere. I went through the the "get my wife her visa/US greencard" drama a few years ago here Japan.

I had paid hundreds of dollars; travelled all over Japan (I lived FAR from any US consulate); taken oaths and pledges at the consulate; had my wife take a VERY expensive physical; and had my HUGE stack of paperwork organized, signed, copied, and translated. BUT....

...when it came time to issue the visa the Tokyo Embassy personnel said "NO".

There was one US document missing. (This document had zero's written on it to show I paid no US taxes - It was identical to all the other tax documents that I submitted since I hadn't lived or worked in the US for years). (I had lost it years ago - I had moved many times in Japan) In it's place, I provided my W2, payslips, bank statements and work contract for that missing document and showed that I paid taxes in Japan that year and not in the US.

The embassy personnel told me that if I wanted to return to the US, my wife wasn't going to accompany me. He was very cold and didn't offer me any advice on what to do from there. He just said, "Find it", and closed the window on me and my wife.

[end note] I grabbed a blank tax document, scribbled a bunch of meaningless zeros on it, and gave it to the embassy the next day. It worked, I was able to take MY WIFE back to my home country.

[Maths Dude]

I think I screwed up. I had a 3 year "work" visa and got married 1 year into it. I didnt change to a spouse visa until the "work" one expired. So now I have had the spouse visa only 1 year even though I lived and was married in Japan for 3 years (not including my 2 single life years). So when I get back I'll have to wait 4 more years? or will I have to put in 5 years continuous?

[Taro Toporific]

I think I screwed up. I had a 3 year "work" visa and got married 1 year into it. I didnt change to a spouse visa until the "work" one expired. So now I have had the spouse visa only 1 year even though I lived and was married in Japan for 3 years (not including my 2 single life years). So when I get back I'll have to wait 4 more years? or will I have to put in 5 years continuous?

Maybe it's ok....Immigration is getting lax on spouse visas for the past couple years for desirable white-collar gaijin. If you're a fair Japanese speaker (or 1/2 Japanese yourself) and a desirable college grad (you said you were an engineer) increasing numbers of "good" gaijin have been getting deals such as 3 year spouse visas instead of five year wait.

[FG Lurker]

I think I screwed up. I had a 3 year "work" visa and got married 1 year into it. I didnt change to a spouse visa until the "work" one expired. So now I have had the spouse visa only 1 year even though I lived and was married in Japan for 3 years (not including my 2 single life years). So when I get back I'll have to wait 4 more years? or will I have to put in 5 years continuous?

If you've been out of Japan for a long stretch of time I think you're going to have to put in 5 years continuous after you get back. Based on what you wrote above, it sounds like you have been out for two years?

[Maths Dude]

I ve been out for a year.

[FG Lurker]

I ve been out for a year.

Basically I'd suggest you talk to an immigration lawyer when you get back to Japan. Your case is different enough from the norm that "common-man" advice doesn't really fit...

I hope it all comes together for you in the shortest time possible!

[Edit: I should clarify that a bit: I mean a lawyer who deals with a lot of visa applications, not a lawyer working for Japanese immigration. There are quite a few lawyers around who help FGs get visas, especially permanent residence.]

[American Oyaji]

My wife is not too thrilled about getting a green card too as she has heard stories (from other J wives) that post-911 they do a cavity check at the Embassy here and you have to "prove" you are a woman....but maybe just a rumour

Are yous serious? Or are you living up to your name?

[kamome]

According to an immigration attorney I know who is based in Tokyo, the US Embassy personnel are not there to stonewall immigration visa applications based on marriage. As long as you show a good faith effort to comply with the paperwork requirements, they generally want to issue the visa (i.e., they're not into breaking up families if it can be avoided at all).

I have to not-concur mon frere.

There was one US document missing. (This document had zero's written on it to show I paid no US taxes - It was identical to all the other tax documents that I submitted since I hadn't lived or worked in the US for years). (I had lost it years ago - I had moved many times in Japan) In it's place, I provided my W2, payslips, bank statements and work contract for that missing document and showed that I paid taxes in Japan that year and not in the US.

As I said, good faith compliance with the documentation requirements will get you the visa. If you were missing a document, ESPECIALLY one that deals with your financial responsibility and ability to support your wife, then it becomes more difficult.

It's obvious you had a prick of a consul handling your application, but I think his rudeness was an exception rather than the rule.

[killjoy]

that the story of the cavity checks is untrue but maybe the requirement for the physical exam lies at the bottom of that one.

As serious as I was about the inquiry, I am relieved to hear the reality is different. I think, though, that Japanese wives (and maybe the male spouses too?) can often misinterpret something or feel they are being mis-treated if there isn't a Japanese person explaining it with a little more sympathy.

I laughed when my wife brought it up but to dispel the fear, I had to ask the FGs here for the truth.

[FG Lurker]

Well, I got my postcard from immigration yesterday. The wording on the preprinted form seems to indicate that my PR has come through, but of course does not say so directly. Tomorrow I go to find out for sure...

Here's hoping!

[GargoyleTS]

Well, I got my postcard from immigration yesterday. The wording on the preprinted form seems to indicate that my PR has come through, but of course does not say so directly. Tomorrow I go to find out for sure...

Here's hoping!

Good luck to ya!