Long story short, i lived in Japan for 11 years, i was married to a Japanese citizen. However we divorced last December. I had only spouse visa all the way through, didn’t aim for long-term or permanent residency, because i’m stupid and took the easier way.
After divorce i moved back to Europe, to try out if i can live here, but it was a bad idea after all.
I’d like to move back to Japan, but it seems like living, working and paying taxes there for 11 years means nothing without the proper documents.
I talked with one of my previous employer, they’d hire me back, but i need Special Skilled Worker visa for that field of job. For this visa i have to pass a skill test. But the test seems to be only in Japan and a few East-Asian countries.
So… i mean how!?
I did a lot of research, and i don’t know if i’m right or wrong, but
Am i supposed to
\- go to Japan for a few months without visa (means no rent or income) to participate in this test
\- after taking the test i have to fly back to Europe (!?) and wait for the test result
\- if i passed the test, i have to request the Certificate of Eligibility from the Japanese Immigration Bureau through the previous company i worked for
\- if they approve the COE, then request the visa from the local Japanese Embassy
\- then again fly back to Japan?
The procedure is really like this!?
I mean, it’s a five-figure investment without any guarantee. For a job that isn’t particularly paying well.
6 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**Does anybody have experience with Special Skilled Worker visa?**
Long story short, i lived in Japan for 11 years, i was married to a Japanese citizen. However we divorced last December.
I had only spouse visa all the way through, didn’t aim for long-term or permanent residency, because i’m stupid and took the easier way.
After divorce i moved back to Europe, to try out if i can live here, but it was a bad idea after all.
I’d like to move back to Japan, but it seems like living, working and paying taxes there for 11 years means nothing without the proper documents.
I talked with one of my previous employer, they’d hire me back, but i need Special Skilled Worker visa for that field of job.
For this visa i have to pass a skill test. But the test seems to be only in Japan and a few East-Asian countries.
So… i mean how!?
I did a lot of research, and i don’t know if i’m right or wrong, but
Am i supposed to
– go to Japan for a few months without visa (means no rent or income) to participate in this test
– after taking the test i have to fly back to Europe (!?) and wait for the test result
– if i passed the test, i have to request the Certificate of Eligibility from the Japanese Immigration Bureau through the previous company i worked for
– if they approve the COE, then request the visa from the local Japanese Embassy
– then again fly back to Japan?
The procedure is really like this!?
I mean, it’s a five-figure investment without any guarantee. For a job that isn’t particularly paying well.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The SSW category is not aimed at folks from Europe or North America. It’s aimed at folks from specific southeast Asian countries. So yeah, it would be difficult for you to take advantage of it.
Also keep in mind that SSW Type 1 (not sure if your job would be Type 1 or Type 2) is only good for a maximum of 5 years. So you’d just be kicking that can down the road.
The purpose of the visa is for companies to hire people from developing countries for low wages. The procedure for people the visa aim at are to apply locally, take the test and go through the process.
>- after taking the test i have to fly back to Europe (!?) and wait for the test result
– ***if*** i passed the test,
That is a big “***IF***” since you will have to take the test in Japanese. Before you go through all this trouble and “five-figure” expense, are you sure you can handle a multi-hour written test in Japanese?
all i can tell you is i took the hotel test when i was in japan and it was *very* easy (but in japanese so you need to have a grasp of the language)
>The procedure is really like this!?
I mean, it’s a five-figure investment without any guarantee. **For a job that isn’t particularly paying well.**
That’s kinda the whole point. The SSW visa is not designed for you. It’s designed for residents of those “few East-Asian countries” (Actually mostly Southeast Asian, but whichever…) who take the skills tests in their country and then deploy via an agency after passing the tests.
It’s designed to import cheap menial labor from developing countries, treat them like shit for a few years and then send them home again.
It’s very much ***not*** designed for (relatively) wealthy Europeans who can even consider making the “five-figure investment”.
Also:
> it seems like living, working and paying taxes there for 11 years means nothing without the proper documents.
I mean… Yes? That’s how immigration works. You either qualify for a visa or you don’t get in. Assuming otherwise is more than a little entitled.