So I’m getting married this year and I’m thinking about what’s next.
I want to stay in Japan for the long run but I noticed (on here at least) the majority of people who settled down here married someone Japanese and got PR through that. Since I can’t do that I’m wondering how difficult is it to get PR for me/us?
Also I’m thinking about whether leaving Japan is better for both of us in the long run. I like Japan but currently in that I can’t get a better job until I learn enough Japanese phase, so I’m basically hoping in the future I’ll have a better job and I wonder if it’s worth the gamble? 😅
Also a question any other foreign couples whose Japanese isn’t great, were there any difficulties you had staying in Japan for the long run?
7 comments
> Since I can’t do that I’m wondering how difficult is it to get PR for me/us?
10 years residency or qualifying through the points system. It’s not rocket science. I suggest Googling “Japan PR requirements” next time.
If you want to stay here for the “long run,” I suggest getting on improving your Japanese, like, yesterday. The longer you stay here without improving it, the more isolated you’ll become and the more difficult your life will be.
(I am an American married to an American. We’ve been here seven years in April. There ARE foreign married couples living here for the long term — just not many outside the temporary contract wealthy expat circle. Not everyone here is married to a Japanese person.)
Are you okay to go to a doctor, dentist, hospital by yourself? Are you okay to learn Japanese and work for a Japanese company with Japanese rules and mannerisms? It’s very different than companies back home. I started taking classes through Hello work and learned that there were a lot more rules, requirements, and correct vs incorrect behavior at the workplace than I thought. It was really off putting. Made me realize I didnt want to work for a Japanese company for the rest of my career.
These are just some other things you should think about too.
> how difficult is it to get PR
Pay your tax and pension on time and its not hard.
Really depends on your individual situation if staying here makes sense.
It can get tricky for international couples who come from different countries but if both of you feel at home here, staying is an option.
The next challenge comes when/if you have kids. Then the big question is what kind of school do you want to send them too.
I know what you mean. My wife and I aren’t Japanese, and I definitely feel like we’re in the minority. It really helps that she majored in Japanese at university, which means her language abilities are far superior to mine. We’re both coming up on ten years here, so we hope to apply for permanent residency soon, regardless of whether we’re going to stay here forever or not.
The only advice I’d have is to start the ball rolling on a visa for your spouse right away after you get married as it may be a year plus to get through all the bureaucracy depending on your home country.
I’m an American who dragged another American here like 13 years ago, because I had a dream I wanted to follow. Neither of us spoke Japanese at the time, but now I’m pretty good at it(my husband is another story, but he has had other priorities). I came here as an ALT as a way to learn the language, but am now doing my exact dream job. I got my PR right at 10 years, we had a child here shortly after, and then bought a home here.
Making a life here as a foreign couple is extremely doable, but takes some work at the beginning.