So, this is going to be a long story. However, trawling the internet desperately for answers isn’t really bearing any fruit, so I thought that the best thing to do would be to post on some forums to see if anyone has been through a similar experience and can tell me the steps they took and the result.
I’m living in the UK, and my boyfriend is Japanese living in Osaka. We met through language exchange online (not a dating app, but an app that’s only purpose is language exchange). We started talking in September 2020 and we became a couple in August 2021. We have practically exchanged messages every day since September 2020, and since becoming a couple have more or less engaged in a 3-4 hour long video call via skype on a weekly/bi-weekly basis.
I am currently in the process of applying for a job with an eikaiwa, and I have previous TEFL experience, etc. I have passed the first two stages of the application and the next stage is the 2nd interview, which is the final stage before an offer of employment. I am fairly confident that there is a good chance I will get a job offer, and then I don’t need to worry about any of this.
However, upon failure I am considering entering Japan on a ‘Working Holiday Visa’. This is where things get complicated. Me and my boyfriend have discussed and agreed that we would live together from my arrival in Japan, and ideally (after confirming that our relationship is as stable and wonderful as we think that it is, being long distance and all) we have discussed considering marriage after 1 year.
My question is, is changing my status of residence from ‘Working Holiday’ to ‘Spouse of a Japanese National’ actually possible? I have read that changing from a ‘Working Holiday’ to anything else can be quite difficult, as Japan’s Immigration Bureau are quite strict on the matter. I will try and list all my concerns, as that way the formatting of my questions will be easier for people to understand.
1) is changing my status of residence from ‘Working Holiday’ to ‘Spouse of a Japanese National’ possible?
2) If it is possible, is it possible to apply for the change of status of residence close to the expiry of my current working holiday status? Will applying close to the 12-month validity period likely increase the chances of the change being declined by immigration?
3) Because we met through online language exchange, and will have lived together for a period of only around 1 year at the time of application, are we likely to face problems with the residence change being accepted?
4) Myself and my boyfriend are concerned about the size and cost of a ‘proper wedding’. From information I could gather online, for the ‘Spouse of a Japanese National’ residency to be accepted, immigration need proof that the marriage is genuine and not a ‘fake’. One of the ways in which this is proven is through a legitimate wedding reception or hirouen. We won’t have the ability to save a ridiculous amount of money within a year or so to hold a big wedding, and it was never my personal wish to hold a big wedding in the first place. So, if our wedding is modest and we invite only our immediate family and a few friends, is this likely to negatively affect our application?
Maybe I am being way too pessimistic about this situation, but the information I have been able to find out online has only served to make me paranoid about our application being denied unless we can somehow have a big wedding, at a time when my working holiday visa still has plenty of time left on it, which just is not realistic or doable in the slightest.
Any information, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, that you can offer me at this point is greatly appreciated. Me and my boyfriend are just really concerned about the process, and that due to our situation with meeting online and not being able to save up money for a big wedding/etc, that our application is likely to be denied if we apply close to the working holiday status expiry date. This would be the only choice we have, as getting married earlier than 1 year just isn’t realistic for the previously given reasons.
Thank you to anyone who read this far.
Katarina
2 comments
>is changing my status of residence from ‘Working Holiday’ to ‘Spouse of a Japanese National’ possible?
Yes. Changing to a spouse visa is the one constant exception to the “cannot change visa types” rules.
>If it is possible, is it possible to apply for the change of status of residence close to the expiry of my current working holiday status? Will applying close to the 12-month validity period likely increase the chances of the change being declined by immigration?
Yes, you can do this. I’m even 95% certain you will be allowed to stay in the country even if the process takes longer than is remaining on your WHV.
Applying close to the deadline won’t increase your chances of getting rejected, but it probably *will* make them dig a bit deeper when they verify the “validity” of your relationship. More on that in the next answer.
>Because we met through online language exchange, and will have lived together for a period of only around 1 year at the time of application, are we likely to face problems with the residence change being accepted?
Immigration doesn’t care how you met, they just care that it’s a legitimate relationship/marriage. *Everyone* who applies for a spouse visa is required to provide documentation of their relationship.
Start compiling a folder with relationship stuff. Pictures of you together. Letters. Chat logs. Leases with both of your names on them. Basically anything that shows that you are in a legitimate long-term relationship.
>Myself and my boyfriend are concerned about the size and cost of a ‘proper wedding’. From information I could gather online, for the ‘Spouse of a Japanese National’ residency to be accepted, immigration need proof that the marriage is genuine and not a ‘fake’. **One of the ways in which this is proven is through a legitimate wedding reception or hirouen.**
What? This is not a thing immigration cares about *at all*. If you don’t want a big wedding, don’t have a big wedding. You can just do a paper wedding at city hall if you want. Immigration doesn’t care about your wedding, they care about your *relationship*.
> not a dating app, but an app that’s only purpose is language exchange
A lot of the thirsty posts I see on there would suggest otherwise.