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How I obtained a business manager visa in Japan
- benknight87 3y agoAs another Asia-based software dev (Vietnam), this was an interesting read. I am currently going the spousal visa route but this carries its own advantages and disadvantages. I've always loved Japan but generally unsure of living there due to high cost of living, aging population, and strict immigration laws. As least in the case of the latter, it's good to know a path exists!
- jasonjei 3y agoActually Japan is significantly lower cost to live than to live in SF. The average salary of a college grad that’s 30 years old is roughly $30K. Their prices are roughly the same because wages are the same, and they can’t afford to increase prices without causing huge systemic problems. As long as you’re not eating kaiseki or expensive sushi, Japan is absurdly cheap from USD standpoint, especially with recent exchange rates. 1 bedroom apartment might only cost you $600/month in more remote parts of Tokyo. A very filling yakitori meal might only be 1000 yen ($7-8) per person.
- aetherson 3y agoHowever, the cost of living in Japan is certainly higher than the cost of living in Vietnam, where your parent poster is apparently residing.
- rwmj 3y agoThe exchange rate (if you're buying Yen) is pretty good at the moment too.
- askonomm 3y agoI mean, 99% of the world is lower cost than SF, with SF being in many of the top 10 lists of most expensive cities to live in.
- yellow_lead 3y agoHow about healthcare? I've heard this is still quite expensive especially for non-residents.
- peterlada 3y agoLaugh cries inconsolably in American...
- bcherny 3y agoI’ve never had to pay more than a fixed copay. (I use public insurance)
- throwaway2037 3y ago"non-residents": Did you mean non-citizens? Else, I do not understand the context of this term. Clearly, the OP was talking about living/working in Japan. That would imply residence. Yes, there is national health care. For working age people, it costs about 10-20k yen per month (many factors can change the final cost). Co-pay is 30%.
- rwmj 3y ago> Co-pay is 30% It's actually better in practice because the state puts maximum prices on all kinds of procedures, and IIRC there is also a maximum annual amount that you can be charged. IOW it's easy to ensure your care costs are bounded.
- throwaway2037 3y agoGreat point! First, I didn't know that the national gov't is actively involved in medical pricing. I guess it makes sense when you have national health care. Second, to state the obvious, 30% would be insane co-pay for someone in the United States. However, in Japan, it is quite reasonable. Elderly only pay 10%, and most children pay nothing.
- bcherny 3y agoI moved from SF to Japan, can confirm. YMMV — like any other country, cost of living depends on what city and neighborhood you’re in, lifestyle, etc.
- maeil 3y ago>strict immigration laws This is a bit of a misconception, at least by East-Asian standards: much easier than China, (surprisingly) easier than South Korea, and similar (maybe slightly stricter) to Taiwan.
- altals2023 3y ago[flagged]
- brudgers 3y agohelped me put together a three-page document that I was sure wouldn’t be sufficient for the Japanese immigration authorities. This struck me as a case of bureaucracies operating the same way everywhere (though I could be wrong). The magic key to documents submitted to governments: don't say anything that requires denial. So less is often more and it is critical to use the right words and not their apparent synonyms even when the synonyms mean pretty much the same thing. I.e. if you plan to paint your shed green, don't mention that in your building department application. It doesn't help and can only hurt.
- netsharc 3y agoYeah, this part smells like the government agency needing a document with the correct contents so someone working there can tick several boxes saying "Requirement fulfilled". The post ends with him wondering why he got the visa, I suppose he just met all the requiments...
- Ao7bei3s 3y agoCan't speak for Japan, but in the US, the immigrant does have the burden of proof that all requirements are satisfied and not submitting enough evidence can lead to a request for evidence (RFE) or notice of intent to deny (NOID). And so the law firm we used had the opposite strategy: submit as much evidence as possible and really help the adjudicator check all the boxes. Our petitions tended to be 250-500 page documents.
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- freetime2 3y agoThanks for the great writeup! It’s good to know that this option exists for remote software developers who wish to live in Japan. > My visa has been renewed four times now, with the most recent renewal being for three years (the first three were one-year renewals). Having to renew every year sounds pretty inconvenient. How bad was the renewal process for the Business Manager visa, in terms of time and cost? Also, is it possible to apply for permanent residence after a certain number of years?
- nosrepa 3y agoThe closing sentence answers your last question.
- lmm 3y agoThe actual visa renewal fee is only JPY4000 (for full-time employees, spending one of your limited days off going down to the immigration office stings a lot more than the monetary cost). If you want to pay an advisor to prepare the documents that will cost more, but you probably don't need to do that if it's a straight renewal where nothing's changed. > Also, is it possible to apply for permanent residence after a certain number of years? 10 years generally; there's also a fast-track points system. (You can also naturalize after 5 years, but you have to renounce any other citizenships for that).
- electriclove 3y ago[flagged]
- freetime2 3y agoOf course I can’t comment on his specific circumstances. But two things stand out for me: First, he is a software developer working for international companies, which probably makes him a pretty high earner relative to most people in Japan. Earning a high income improves mens’ eligibility for marriage pretty much anywhere in the world. Second, Japan places a high value on marriage - both culturally and legally. It’s less common to see people date/live together for many years before getting married than in say the US or Europe.
- yieldcrv 3y agoany word on if the marriage contract is better in japan or some part of japan? its a pretty bad contract in most of US or Europe. its dumb to sign bad contracts. Monaco's marriage contract is pretty good.
- freetime2 3y agoWhile I can’t really say whether it’s better/worse than elsewhere, I do know that divorce in Japan can be ruinous. Horror stories abound on reddit forums for expats in Japan. Combine this with the fact that international marriages are more likely to end in divorce, and things can start to look pretty grim. That being said, I still think marriage is worth it, provided both parties are willing and able to put in the effort to make it work. And I know many examples of couples in international marriages who have been happily married for decades or more (myself included). And what makes it a “bad contract” anyway? The obligation to support one’s spouse and children in the event of divorce? I can see how this might be seen as a negative by the primary earner in a marriage, but on the other hand I can see clear societal benefits to this arrangement.
- throwaway2037 3y ago> And what makes it a “bad contract” anyway? Yes, I was also bothered by the term "bad contract". The phrase feels a bit Red Pill to me. Without children, there is essentially no alimony system in Japan. So, divorce for a middle aged housewife is essentially ruinous. It is awful. As a foreign parent, you are likely to lose 100% access to your children. It is demented.
- resolutebat 3y agoImagine running a business with a series of one-year guns pointed at your head, never knowing if they'll go off. Countries can and do summarily change the rules for work visas all the time: for example, in Singapore during COVID, the government decided to shore up local employment and score political points before an election by suddenly announcing that spouses of employees could no longer apply for work rights (Letter of Consent) and that existing LOCs would not be renewed, throwing a lot of families into disarray. It's even worse for an unusual visa like this, where a lot is left to interpretation. You may get a different officer this year who is going to nix what the previous one allowed last year, and appeals are uncertain, cumbersome and may require you to leave the country.
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- throwaway2037 3y ago> a series of one-year guns pointed at your head Renewals in Japan are guaranteed if you meet the requirements. Japan foreign worker visa rules are very straightforward. The number one cause for concern would be if your business generates insufficient revenue to pay your a minimum salary required by the visa rules. And the minimum is rather middle class. Before you reply very quickly saying: "What if they business has a bad year?" ... please answer from the perspective of other highly advanced, wealthy nations: Do they want to allow people to stay who are running weak/failing businesses? Probably not. > in Singapore during COVID ... suddenly announcing that spouses of employees could no longer apply for work rights This is the reason that I never recommend to live in Singapore as a foreigner, unless you are working as a senior manager for a very large corp. > Countries can and do summarily change the rules for work visas all the time Not in Japan. In the last 50 years, they have universally become more liberal about allowing highly skilled people to live and work in Japan.
- cybrexalpha 3y agoMaybe things are different with Japanese immigration authorities, but posting this feels dangerous. In other countries there's a lot of attention on "fraudulent" visas, and it's often vague what "fraudulent" means. I'd be worried that some of the 'tricks' in here (the admission that the business doesn't really need to be in Japan, the office arrangement, etc.) could make immigration authorities revoke the visa if they feel it was done under false pretences.
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- rdl 3y agoWhile I agree if he were doing anything questionable, IDK, my reading is that he's exporting software development services from Japan and paying taxes in Japan correctly on both business income and personal income incident to doing this.
- freetime2 3y agoYup I agree. Japan sets and enforces the requirements as they see fit. It sounds like they are pretty much happy to let anyone in as long as they’ve got ¥5,000,000 and a plan to start a business in Japan. They clearly keep you on a short leash with the yearly renewal requirements to ensure you are paying taxes, following laws, and are unlikely to become a burden on society. They may change the requirements in the future, but in a country facing severe population decline, just paying taxes, supporting the health care and social security systems, and spending money with local businesses may be sufficient to justify handing out the visa.
- edandersen 3y agoThis is also the visa that many middle class Taiwanese and Chinese people use to move to Japan. It's basically a visa for sale under the auspices of a "business visa".
- nextworddev 3y agoAnd Tokyo is already showing signs of becoming Vancouver for Canada, which pursued that visa strategy
- gyomu 3y agoHow so? I’m genuinely curious as a current Tokyo resident. The main issues Vancouver seems to face are: Affordability and Housing Crisis: Tokyo is a remarkably affordable city given its status. There’s housing stock at pretty much every price level. Homelessness and Street Disorder: not a problem in Tokyo Drug Addiction and Overdose Crisis: not a problem in Tokyo Traffic Congestion and Transportation: public transportation is stellar in Tokyo. Traffic can get pretty crazy at rush hour, but I hear that’s been the case for a long time and it’s not much of a problem if you use the aforementioned fantastic train system. FWIW, I left San Francisco after close to 15 years due to the issues above. Tokyo has its problems, but they don’t seem to be in the same category.
- freetime2 3y agoAgree it’s not as bad as Vancouver, but housing costs in Tokyo are rising [1]. And speculation by Chinese investors is being blamed, similar to Vancouver. And while I agree that public transportation is excellent, commuting every day on crowded trains, which can take an hour or more for many people, would be hell for me personally. [1] https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/surging-tokyo-property-prices-squeeze-out-young-professionals-2023-10-04/ https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/surging-tokyo-property-...
- throwaway2037 3y agoOnly this year, did the most central parts of Tokyo finally return to their peak property prices from 1989. Tokyo is a steal compared to its "Global Alpha" counterparts.
- knubie 3y agoAre there income requirements to maintain your visa? E.g. how much money the business needs to make, or how much income you need to pay yourself.
- throwaway2037 3y agoOverall: This is a great article. I am not surprised that Japan granted the visa, considering his long work and live experience in Japan. It was relatively low risk for they to grant him the initial 4 month visa, followed by a 1 year visa. If his business failed, he would have closed up after 16 months and returned home. To me, the most important part about why Japan continues to approve his visa extensions: He income is high enough and he pays local + national taxes. Paying your taxes is the number one reason why Japan will extend your visa! Even if you earnings are overseas, but you declare them while living in Japan and pay Japanese taxes, they will grant you visa extensions. On a more personal note: It is interesting that he wrote "I have recently remarried, to a Japanese national". The term "~ national" is quite specific in North American English, as it implies the person's origin (and original nationality) is different than the country. For example, Canadian national, but born in Jamaica. This implies, at some point, that the person nationalised as a Canadian.
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