Throwaway account because of slightly personal details
I’m Canadian, trying to marry my Japanese girlfriend living in Japan.
TLDR, life was overseas before needing to return to Canada, have not worked steadily since then. Girlfriend has same situation. We have savings (about 4.5 million yen). Are we screwed when applying for spousal visa?
Was overseas (cambodia) before everything went down with the v!rus 2 years ago, when it started we were told to head back home so I did. I moved in with my parents to wait it out with the plan to head back to cambodia when everything calmed down. I was very naïve, but I expected the thing to be over in a few months. Obviously we’re getting close to 2 years at this point.
A year ago I messaged a Japanese friend of mine who I worked with in Cambodia and asked her if she wanted to date online, she said yes and it’s been going really well. Pretty much the only thing keeping us from getting together is waiting for Japan to open so I can get in on a tourist visa and then marry her.
My parents live way out in the countryside so theres not much work. I have worked sporadically for these two years but nothing consistent and nothing anywhere near the poverty line. My gf works part time for a family company. She doesnt make huge money, but enough to make ends meet.
Because we had savings from the start of this I wasn’t incredibly worried about money, and I thought for the application for the spousal visa the only thing the Japanese government would care about was my savings. But talking with the embassy today it seems that our actual income could be a factor in us getting approved or not. I sent out a bunch of resumes today, but theyre all for minimum wage jobs.
Us both going back to cambodia right now isnt really an option, and her coming here isn’t an option because she doesnt speak English (I speak Japanese). If this relationship is going to work its going to have to be in Japan.
Are we super screwed because of our low income? If I can get a minimum wage job will that be enough? Or are the savings actually probably enough on their own?
8 comments
There isn’t a hard income requirement for spouse visa, so that not meeting it equals automatic rejection. You should be granted one, though I can’t say for sure it will be 1 or 3 years.
Not to be an asshole but you’re intending to marry a lady who you only dated online for a year while neither of your finanical situations really permit it? This seems a bit rushed to me.
First, you need to be married to get a spousal visa. Once you’re married in Japan, you can apply for the spouse visa.
Second, income plays a role more so to prove to the visa officers that you (as the spouse) will be able to comfortably live in Japan. Neither of you don’t need a job, but then you need some way of financial security. Savings is one of those, so if you can prove you hold those savings with bank statements, it’s down to the visa officers to approve of the amount. What amount is good? Who knows. I think you have enough. And of course show your wife’s income/tax documents, and bank statements. Additionally, you can apply with job offers, and have her family guarantee financial security.
For example, my wife doesn’t make a ton, around 3.5mil yen, a year and the visa officer said that was more than enough. He didn’t need my bank statements, and they gave them back to me.
> Pretty much the only thing keeping us from getting together is waiting for Japan to open so I can get in on a tourist visa and then marry her.
Not so much, unfortunately. They shut this route down back in 2018. Sure you can enter on a tourist visa and get married, but then you’ll be going back to Canada to get your spouse visa. They no longer allow in-country change from Temporary Visitor (tourist) to a residence status unless there are fairly extreme extenuating circumstances.
I agree with the other poster that you’re rushing into things. Dating someone on the internet is _wildly_ different from living with someone. When you’re dating on the internet, you only see what they want you to see. Once you’re living with them, you see all of the rest of the stuff, and you may not like what you see.
That said, you don’t have to be physically present in Japan to get married, you just have to have all the necessary documents in order. You could mail the necessary documents back-and-forth to get married, and then she could apply for the certificate of eligibility to kick off your visa process.
Ignoring the money aspect,
To get a spousal visa you’ll need proof of the established relationship and that you’ve had adequate time in person to solidify that relationship. They are going to ask for proof of pictures from various dates, screenshots from conversations, etc. Right now since you guys are predominantly an online relationship, I see the visa being rejected based on the relationship check alone. You might want to wait a while until you two can meet in person. Figure out how life will work. And then you can gather the documentation and get married.
Japan won’t grant a spousal visa if you meet the financial requirement but not the relationship check. To a country as strict as Japan, an online relationship won’t cut it. You need to put in the actual time physically. Trust me. They go through every little thing before granting these types of documents.
Ignoring the red flags here to add: Her family can be financial guarantors.
People visit countries where they don’t speak the language all the time. Did your girlfriend or you speak fluent Cambodian? I mean, not speaking English is a dumb excuse for not visiting you if you two can already communicate.
If I was you I wouldn’t rush into this. That being said recently got married to my wife via proxy in Japan and have recently received my visa. So this is a route you can take if you’re dead set on it. I had been dating her for five years though and she’s financially stable with her job so they didn’t question anything, but if it’s an issue, you can get her parents to be guarantors if they are fine with it.
The process via proxy is fairly simple, just need a letter of non impediment and your birth certificate, she fills the documents out and sends to you, you sign and then hand it back with your documents and then she takes it to the city office and it’s done. Visa process is more long winded. All together from marriage to having the visa it took about 3 months.
You need to worry more about how to convince immigration that your relationship is real, just online chatting screenshot is not enough. at least your guy pictures together.