Moving to Japan -- New to this
 

Alright, as the title may suggest, I am new to both this forum, and to obtaining a visa. So, I'll start with a spiel. I will be attending Siast and receiving a diploma in Computer System Technology, in which I will learn Java, C, PHP, and other languages. I also intend on taking an English teaching course. So, that being said, if I teach English for several years, what are my odds of being able to be accepted for citizenship? Could someone please point me in a good direction? Thanks you.

Most at not all information about citizenship is on the japan website. That said you have to have at least 5 or 10 years strait living there OR be married to an Japanese national (you'll get an spouse visa which makes things a little easier). You also CANNOT hold an low class job, you must in some way advance the interest of the Japanese (they have list of things that would qualify on the website). Also you must have some good knowledge ( I believe an third grader level) of the Japanese language and writing.

Whoa, take it one step at a time. :)

The first step is to get a visa. I'm assuming you're not of Japanese heritage but are you under 30? If so, Canada has a 6 month working holiday visa which you may want to take advantage of. It'll give you a chance to experience the country and scout out the job situation.

A word of warning however, a work visa generally requires a university degree or 10 years of work experience. You may want to keep this in mind if you're still trying to decide on a post secondary education.

*raises eyebrow* SIAST? Which campus?

*edit* I believe I found it.

Saskatoon Kelsey Campus would be where, with the University of Saskatchewan for teaching English.

I am under 30 and live in Canada.

And for learning Japanese, would using the Rossetta Stone software be sufficient, or are classes necessary?

Thanks for the replies :D

I am curious why citizenship is preferable over permanent resident status.

That depends on the actual person. IMO, I felt that Rosetta Stone wasn't helpful at all and felt that classroom instruction would suffice better. Rosetta Stone, imo, seem to only focus on phrases, but one isn't truly learning why certain particles might be used for a certain sentence or little things like that.

Agreed. About three years ago, I torrented Rosetta Stone. Took about 16 hours to download. Opened it up, went through about five minutes of material. And deleted it. It's a waste of time. You would be much better on your own than using Rosetta Stone.

So, in conclusion (IMO)

Classes are the best option out of the three. If you can't get into classes, then study on your own. It's not that hard. Rosetta Stone/other software, is an absolute last resort.