I’m in the US and my spouse of many years is from Japan. We are moving to Japan soon and I would prefer to have a visa before moving vs entering as a tourist and changing my status while in Japan. We don’t have any family that can help us with the CoE. So my spouse is thinking of flying to Japan and registering her address at a friend’s house and living there for a week and submitting the application and then coming back to the US. Then the friend can mail us the CoE when it arrives. Is this risky or illegal in some way? Is she required to be there while it processes? We would have an attorney help us to make sure the paperwork is filled out properly just to be safe.
It’s a huge burden for us that she has to travel there to fill out paperwork but I’m not sure I like the risk of entering Japan and trying to switch from tourist and having to wait possibly months where I can’t work. My job is being flexible and letting me transfer to Japan but I have to handle the visa on my own and they might lose patience if it drags on too long. So: is it foolish for my spouse to fly for Japan and stay with a friend for a week to apply for my CoE?
by PoopOnMyNoggin