Hello,
I’m in a somewhat complicated situation and am seeking some advice.
I’ve been living in Japan for 10 years, married to a Japanese national for 5 years and my status of residency is currently “Engineer, Specialist in Humanities, International Services” expiring in 2027.
Now I have the opportunity to start a new job back home (EU) and was wondering what my options are. My partner would be staying in Japan for at least a year. The company would allow me to travel back and forth between my home country and Japan due to this – working remotely for up to a month at a time (probably twice this year for a total of 2 months).
I’ve visited a gyoseishoshi to discuss what my legal options are, but am somewhat unsatisfied with the level of care put in.
I was thinking of switching my residency status to that of spouse of a Japanese national and then leaving the country a month or so later for a few months to work in my home country. The lawyer said this is fine, as long as I keep my juminhyo here and continue paying health insurance and pension premiums. They also said that I could renounce my residency status and return on a short-term visa and do my work as needed. That’s where I’m unsure how much this lawyer actually takes care because to my understanding, this is a violation of what you are allowed to do on a short-term tourist visa, which makes me also have doubts about what was said about switching my residency to that of a spouse.
Particularly, I want to be careful because I have strong desire to eventually return to Japan and apply for PR. I don’t want to jeopardize my good standing wrt to a potential PR application in the future, but as you can imagine, being away for a year from my spouse is also diffcult for us.
So my questions are:
* Can I reasonably switch my residency to that of a spouse of a Japanese national and later move abroad to work there. My mother isn’t in the best health and is living alone – if necessary – could I use that as a reason for moving?
* Assuming I will get more than a 1-year period of stay when switching residency, can I request a multiple re-entry permit and cease being a tax resident of Japan while at the same time keeping my resident status alive? What if I only get a 1-year period of stay?
* Assuming I can successfully switch and have everything in order to move abroad – do I have to report my income in my home country to Japan at the end of the year? Both countries have a double tax treaty.
* If I leave using the special re-entry permit, and I keep my juminhyo here and continue to pay NHI and pension, am I allowed to work abroad? Does this affect future PR applications negatively?
So I’m undecided between switching my residency to that of a spouse or giving it up entirely. Unfortunately, there’s not enough time for me to apply and receive PR before having to start this new position.
by frna