...meh?
 

Wait, so for a permanent stay, you would need what exactly?

It's not like I'll be going anytime soon, but if I wanna go to a university there, then what kind of a visa would I need?

Just a random question, no hurry or anything.

I totally didn`t notice this question the first time through.

You ALWAYS have to get a re-entry permit. Even if you get permanent residency. You can go the single use route, or the 3 year multi-use route. They used to advertise it as "the length of your visa" - but it`s not if you have anything over 3 years.

The nice advantage of the spousal visa and permanent residency visas is that you get to re-enter Japan by using the "Japanese" line at the airport. (Which is usually much shorter and faster than the normal foreigner line.)
You also don`t have to be fingerprinted, etc. I`m not sure of all the other things they do to you these days.

When you marry a Japanese citizen, you do NOT apply for spouse of a permanent resident visa. That is for spouses of, well, non-Japanese permanent residents. You would apply for the spouse of a Japanese citizen visa.

Oh, and "Long term resident" is 6 months to 3 years. They`re most commonly given to ethnic Koreans who were born in Japan but refuse to get citizenship. (Usually so they can continue to receive the HUGE MASSIVE amounts of money the government gives them for the "inconvenience" of having some ancestor move to Japan - regardless of the reason. I`m talking like $2000/month plus free housing, schooling, etc.)

That is ridiculous; they make the same as me!

Oh yeah, no more finger printing these days. At least not for US citizens, I don't know if the procedure varies for others.

And yes, that Japanese nationals line is much shorter. You also don't have people getting to the front and then having to fill out another form because they messed the first one up. But hey, paper work in Japan is kind of complicated. Not complaining so much as just commenting...

Permanent stay, a good reason (like a child from a Japanese spouse or a business).

School, I'm thinking student visa. Which means you need to be accepted by a school first, then they give you the visa.

Perhaps you haven`t noticed - they just reinstated the fingerprinting. You`re only exempt if you`re on one of the long term visas (permanent resident, spouse, etc).
I checked, and it seems they also photograph you these days. Apparently it was put back into practice due to pressure from the US, from April if I recall correctly.

What about switching careers once you're in Japan? I would like to to teach English, but it would only be temporary until I get into the career I really want to pursue. How do you switch careers and the job field you're in (this is regarding the process with visas and what not, and how to do so once you're in Japan). I know that with the American government,it's nothing but jumping through hoop after hoop, and loads of bureaucracy. Based upon past experience, I'm assuming same story different day with Japanese government (but I could be wrong because I know little about how exactly their government works). If said degree is qualified and the length of time is long enough, will they accept a degree from an online course from a college (regarding teaching English as a 2nd language, and then TEFL for certification)?

I'm just wondering regarding all this; however I seriously doubt it applies to me. We plan to move to Japan permanently (meaning the type of visas will fall under a completely different category). Somebody told me if two are moving to Japan together, both have to be qualified with jobs of some sort. How true is this? No offense, but Japan is known for being sexist. Traditionally, they expect women to stay home and play homemaker. Even if they manage to get a job or career, they're limited with how far they can advance and this probably effects their wage/salary (as in they're probably payed lower because of what their gender is).

Also regarding applying for permanent resident and applying for long term resident, what is the difference? I know you have to live in Japan a certain amount of time before you can apply for citizenship (5 years or so). However, can you apply for permanent citizenship earlier based upon criteria given (you have a Japanese spouse who has your child or you're setting up a business)? Also I am guessing that long term residence means you plan to move to Japan and live there permanently, but you're a foreigner.

Here it is, the visa thread. It had grown a bit stale and made its way to page 2.

About a month ago I was looking up work visas and I recall seeing that you either need a bachelors degree or 2 years experience in a field. Is this true?

I don't know much about the '2 years experience' thing, but you do indeed need a 4-year bachelor's degree.

Most employers do require experience, unless you graduated in Japan. But how long the required experience is a case to case basis.