My wife and I would love to move to Japan for several years. We would rent for a bit until we could buy a home and over time decide if we will move there permanently, or use the home as a vacation spot.
Details are as follows.
Wife:
Is Japanese American, born to Japanese nationals who maintain a green card and live in America.
After some research last year, my wife discovered that she is a dual citizen by US birth and we were able to get her a Japanese passport. She actively holds 2 passports now, US and Japan.
We married in 2014 but never reported our marriage to Japan, mainly because we had no clue she maintained dual citizenship. Her Japanese passport is under her maiden name and due to ease of use, would prefer to keep her maiden name while living in Japan.
Since she has never actually lived in Japan, she does not have a Japanese residency card, does not have a Japanese phone number, bank account, or a home in Japan in her name. She does still have family there but would prefer to limit their involvement if possible.
Her Japanese is decent at a conversational level as her parents never fully learned English and Japanese is spoken daily in our home. But admittedly she would find it hard to communicate at business level.
Myself:
I am only a US citizen and hold a US passport. My wife does not work currently and I have supported us both for most of our 10 year marriage.
I currently work remotely for a US based company doing technical support and make about 60k a year ( with OT, I’m just a couple thousand away from the remote work requirements).
I wouldn’t say I “know” Japanese, but I can read hiragana and katakana, as well as know a fairly large number of words due to living with my in laws for the past 5 years. I have a strong will to learn the language and practice a bit everyday to add to my expanding vocabulary.
Inquiry:
How can I obtain a spouse visa when my wife is not living in Japan and does not have some of the things one would expect a citizen to have like phone, address or bank account? Is it possible?
If it is possible to gain a spouse visa, my plan would be to continue working remotely as I do now and continue to support my wife as we live there.
If anyone can provide information into our unique circumstances, I would be very grateful. I think I have covered any info that may be needed, but can expand further if it helps. Thanks in advance!
by CompetitionMurky5609