Even if it’s almost the weekend and I haven’t seen a divorce thread, this is not really it. I just need to understand how to handle the VISA situation specially about my obligations and responsibilities as the holder of the working VISA in the family.
In short, my wife and I are both European and married. We have kids. I have an Engineering VISA, the kids and her have a dependent VISA. My wife moved out in her own rental place and is trying to get a working VISA herself so that she doesn’t have to leave the moment we divorce.
She wants to stay in Japan and I don’t really mind giving her a chance to find a way to stay, but I am increasingly worried about whether the current situation could turn into an issue for my (and the kids) permit.
I’m really looking for any kind of insight but I also have a few specific questions.
1. She is not really dependent on me. She already lives in a different place, she has a part-time job that apparently gives her enough to live and she refused the monthly transfer that I had initially setup. Am I supposed to report this condition to the immigration office myself? I can see how they may check on her once she submits the paperwork for her new VISA, and I would be a little upset if the result of it was that we all get our permit revoked…
2. Another question: let’s say, hypothetically, that she was producing some non truthful documentation about her past work to cover 10 years of work experience and that she was found to have lied about it by the immigration officers. Could that possibly turn into a problem for my permit?
3. Less specific I guess, but is there any other way she could mess up my permit? Like not paying taxes? Or if she did something crazy, would I be considered responsible in any way for her actions?
Sorry if this is starting to sound like a divorce thread…
4 comments
I swear that I needed to submit a document that stated I would be a guarrantor for my wife both financially and legally. But now I can’t find that in the list of documents to sponsor a dependents.
For #3, I would absolutely not be surprised if the Japanese authorities entirely held you responsible financially if she did something crazy or failed to pay necessary taxes, etc. I do not know this for sure, though.
If you can go to your local city hall / ward office, they should have someone who can advice you (possibly only once) about divorce stuff, though they may not know about the visa side of things
However they can advise you about stuff like money matters and what your obligations are, as well as a divorce lawyer could.
You should check with your local international society too; in my prefecture there is a once a month free consultation with a lawyer provided by the prefecture. Perhaps there is a similar resource in your area you can utilize
If she’s living at another address, due to a breakdown of marriage. Then without changing her address, she’s violating the terms of her dependent visa. Not being financially dependent is also a violation of her dependent visa. You’ve not mentioned she’s working >28 hours a week, but if she is, then that’s a violation of her dependent visa.
Residing at an address without updating your address is a violation of the basic resident register act.
Also if she’s no longer residing with you. And no longer your dependent spouse, then she also needs to enroll in her own national health insurance and national pension. So there is violations of the national pension act and national health insurance act there too.
And yea, as you mention in (2) if she fakes her work history for 10 years and submits it that’s immigration fraud (that part might not backfire on you though as that’s her own actions)
Basically, what she’s doing…. And what you’re currently allowing her to do is going to get her, and you (due to her dependent visa being tied to you) in a lot of trouble if she gets found out.
Not going to tell you what to do. But just incase you wish to protect yourself and your own right to remain in Japan, you might want to consider your options here.