So my gf of 7 years has been working in Japan for a while now, and she’ thinking of applying for an extension, meaning she may be over there for another year at least.
We are now considering me joining her as a spousal dependant, hopefully even finding work out there. Do we need to be married to get the visa?
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**potentially moving to Japan as a spousal dependant**
So my gf of 7 years has been working in Japan for a while now, and she’ thinking of applying for an extension, meaning she may be over there for another year at least.
We are now considering me joining her as a spousal dependant, hopefully even finding work out there. Do we need to be married to get the visa?
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>Do we need to be married to get the visa?
yea and it’s one of the most abused visas so they look extra close. You need to be married in your nation first and then register the marriage at a consulate.
Are you legal married?
>Do we need to be married to get the visa?
Yes.
>We are now considering me joining her as a spousal dependant, hopefully even finding work out there.
Know that as a dependent you’re restricted to up to 28 hours of work per week (part time). There are also conflicting opinions about whether or not you’d need to remain a tax dependent or simply earn substantially less than your spouse. If you wanted to work full time, or enough money to live independently, you’d need to have your own work status of residence.
>a spousal dependant
In visa/status terms these are very different things. If your spouse is a Japanese national (or permanent resident), you can get a spouse visa. There are no restrictions on a spouse visa other than cohabitation. If your spouse is not a Japanese national then you’d be looking at a dependent visa with the aforementioned 28 hours per week maximum and income concerns. If your spouse is a highly skilled foreign professional (HSFP) then you could potentially work full time as their partner, but you’d need a domestic employer and would be a designated activities status (working spouse of an HSFP status holder or something). Otherwise you’d be a dependent.
Your girlfriend is not your spouse.
You look like you are from the UK, you could potentially think about the [Working Holiday Visa](https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/w_holiday/index.html) if you apply and receive it
Don’t get married just for a visa, bad news