Hello folks,
As the tile says, I have some doubts regarding remote work during the Working Holiday Visa stay which I was not able to solve by checking other posts of this subreddit or through the available information in the embassy’s website for my country.
The WH program is currently halted as far as I’m aware, but I intend to request one of these Visas as soon as the program is resumed, and I’d like to know if my original plan is even possible.
To keep things short, I’ve been working as a pentester for a multinational company for a while now, 100% remote. My employer is fine with me moving to Japan, but I’m not sure I can keep working remote from there during my WH stay. This would be the ideal case, though I understand there have to be tax implications. Browsing this subreddit I’ve seen many statements ranging from “you can’t do that” to “just don’t say anything in the application form and you’ll be ok”. I haven’t found a clear answer so my doubts remain, and I find this whole thing a bit confusing.
Is this even possible? Can I move to Japan for a year with a WH visa and keep my current remote job?
Thanks in advance!
3 comments
There was a recent discussion about the WHV taxation on r/JapanFinance: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanFinance/comments/u5oy61/getting_paid_in_crypto_on_a_whv/
You can keep the remote job. Your income from your overseas employer would be “domestic sourced income”.
You would be a “non-resident for tax purposes”
>Browsing this subreddit I’ve seen many statements ranging from “you can’t do that” to “just don’t say anything in the application form and you’ll be ok”. I haven’t found a clear answer so my doubts remain, and I find this whole thing a bit confusing.
First off: Kudos for actually reading the sub first! You’d be shocked (or maybe not) how many people *don’t*. 🙄
The source of your confusion is probably due to the fact that most of our discussions about working remote are either A) People who want to find a (non-existent) visa for it, or B) “Digital Nomads” who want to work on a tourist visa.
In those most common cases, the answer is a hard no.
You will be on a Working Holiday Visa, which lets you do (almost) any job you want, including remote work. As you may have gathered from the thread /u/Karlbert86 linked, taxes will be… Let’s go with “complicated”. But you’re free to work your remote gig.
>The WH program is currently halted as far as I’m aware
It is not. I had mine issued in Toronto a few weeks ago. But you will need an ERFS certificate to have one issued, and to get that you need a sponsor. That could be a company that will hire you, a school you are enrolled in, or an organization willing to issue one for a fee (World Unite). I went with Coto Academy since it was about the same cost as World Unite, but I actually get something from it.
>but I’m not sure I can keep working remote from there during my WH stay
I own my own company (in Canada) and will be working remotely. There are tax implications, but Canada and Japan have a great tax treaty that I’ll be taking advantage of, and consulting with my accountants with.
>Browsing this subreddit I’ve seen many statements ranging from “you can’t do that” to “just don’t say anything in the application form and you’ll be ok”
It always depends… talk to a professional that’s familiar with your country’s tax system and Japan’s treaty. Realistically, you can fly under the radar for the first year under WHV.
>Can I move to Japan for a year with a WH visa and keep my current remote job?
Yes.
But be aware, a WHV with a remote job that’s not based in Japan makes it hell to find an apartment, as I’m learning right now… even though I have the financials resources, just because I don’t check a particular box, it’s a particularly frustrating…