[Sangetsu]

If you have 3 years experience as a programmer, then you can get by without a degree. Immigration will not give you any trouble with the visa provided you have 2 things. First, you'll need a company willing to hire and sponsor you, second, you'll need proof of your professional experience as a programmer. For this proof, you'll need to bring copies of your tax papers, or employment agreement from your former employer, showing that you worked there for at least 3 years consecutively.

The difficulty is finding a company who will hire someone without a degree. This is actually easier in IT than in other professions, as a large percentage of Japanese programmers don't possess degrees either.

Most companies who need IT people will be Japanese companies, so you are going to have to have some skill in the Japanese language. You should be studying now, and hopefully have passed the JLPT3 (or 2) before applying. Having this certification can make the difference between being hired or not.

To get an IT job you will have to come to Japan and look for one. Few IT companies hire IT pros from overseas (though some recruit from India). Get your hair cut, get a nice navy-colored suit, and make a 1 page resume with your photo attached. Make many copies of this resume, and hand them out to every company you can find.

You'll need enough money to pay for 2 round trip tickets to Japan, and for a cheap room for the time you are here. You need 2 sets of tickets because it's possible that you won't find a job very quickly, and your tourist visa will likely expire before you are hired and processed.

At the moment work is a little hard to come by. According to recent figures, there are only 42 jobs available for every 100 job applicants. The economy is showing small signs of improvement, but it's not likely that companies will begin doing any serious hiring until late 2010. This gives you time to prepare and to study Japanese.

Good luck.