My partner is not a dependent, but recently received a business visa and will be moving here soon along with his business that he currently runs in the US. We’re not sure yet how much he’ll make (maybe he’ll be in the red for a while), but I wanted to add this option in to your question.
There is a new startup visa that my prefecture has really embraced and allows you to go through a startup phase for a year before switching to a business manager visa. They offer a lot of support and subsidies including office space rent. We’re unsure why, but it seemed almost too easy applying for this visa. Granted his business was already established and he had the business plans and financials already in order, but if you are going to a prefecture who wants to bring in foreign businesses and your SO wants to start a business, it could be an option worth looking into?
I don’t know about income, but I know a couple people who have brought their spouses to rural areas. A lot of spouses didn’t work. They used it as time to go back to school or work on personal projects. The spouses that did work generally did manual labor, like farm work. The spouses of one of the incoming JETs this year is planning to work remotely for a US company from Japan. I don’t know any of the details though.
If your spouse doesn’t speak Japanese, and you’re not in an city large enough to have an Eikaiwa etc. then your options are basically limited to manual labor or online work. If they can get up to at least basic Japanese that opens the door to service sector jobs like working at a cafe or restaurant
We lived in a very rural area and my husband had no Japanese so work wasn’t an option for him. He did end up volunteering at one of my country schools (of approximately 30 students in total. He’d ride his bike out to the school and play with the kids and just chat with the staff all day. He loved it and they loved him.
Not there yet.. but will be there in August, but my husband works remotely from home so he will continue to do that while in Japan as soon as we get our Internet set up.
My wife started teaching yoga at a local gym, then that expanded to dance. On a spouse visa your partner is restricted to 28 hours or work a week, but there are much less limitations on what kind of work they can do. There is always work to be found, if you’re willing to look. Even with 0 Japanese. Part time jobs are everywhere, even in rural places, I am in a rural place.
She eventually started working for a dispatch company, teaching English, and got her own work visa, maintaining and expanding upon the yoga and dance. She now does a lot of side stuff. Her Japanese has improved by leaps and bounds because of these part time things she does for fun.
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My partner is not a dependent, but recently received a business visa and will be moving here soon along with his business that he currently runs in the US. We’re not sure yet how much he’ll make (maybe he’ll be in the red for a while), but I wanted to add this option in to your question.
There is a new startup visa that my prefecture has really embraced and allows you to go through a startup phase for a year before switching to a business manager visa. They offer a lot of support and subsidies including office space rent. We’re unsure why, but it seemed almost too easy applying for this visa. Granted his business was already established and he had the business plans and financials already in order, but if you are going to a prefecture who wants to bring in foreign businesses and your SO wants to start a business, it could be an option worth looking into?
I don’t know about income, but I know a couple people who have brought their spouses to rural areas. A lot of spouses didn’t work. They used it as time to go back to school or work on personal projects. The spouses that did work generally did manual labor, like farm work. The spouses of one of the incoming JETs this year is planning to work remotely for a US company from Japan. I don’t know any of the details though.
If your spouse doesn’t speak Japanese, and you’re not in an city large enough to have an Eikaiwa etc. then your options are basically limited to manual labor or online work. If they can get up to at least basic Japanese that opens the door to service sector jobs like working at a cafe or restaurant
We lived in a very rural area and my husband had no Japanese so work wasn’t an option for him. He did end up volunteering at one of my country schools (of approximately 30 students in total. He’d ride his bike out to the school and play with the kids and just chat with the staff all day. He loved it and they loved him.
Not there yet.. but will be there in August, but my husband works remotely from home so he will continue to do that while in Japan as soon as we get our Internet set up.
My wife started teaching yoga at a local gym, then that expanded to dance. On a spouse visa your partner is restricted to 28 hours or work a week, but there are much less limitations on what kind of work they can do. There is always work to be found, if you’re willing to look. Even with 0 Japanese. Part time jobs are everywhere, even in rural places, I am in a rural place.
She eventually started working for a dispatch company, teaching English, and got her own work visa, maintaining and expanding upon the yoga and dance. She now does a lot of side stuff. Her Japanese has improved by leaps and bounds because of these part time things she does for fun.