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Spouse visa 2019/9/14 22:31
Ok, first of all I'm posting here with being aware that in the end it's always up to immigration, but first of all I need some advice in order to understand the overall situation. It seems a long story, so I hope I can explain without making everyone confused. :) Just to know if the "history" would be a red flag or not.

I have been already in Japan and lived for a total of two year. Right after my staying in Japan for a year, with student visa, in 2015, I met the person is actually my japanese ex-wife in 2016 (which I am still communicating with and, recently, on very good terms). So, we decided to stay together and, after communicating over LINE and meeting for the first time after almost a year of communications and also meeting each other only in Japan, we then decided to marry around December 2016. I returned briefly to my country (Italy) before coming back to Japan and in the meanwhile, our marriage has been made official and, managed to come back to stay in Japan and applying for the visa.

So, in short:
3 months as a tourist (Jan 2017 - Apr 2017), then
changed status from short visitor status (visa waiver program) to Spouse Visa. Got 1 year without managed to get renewed.

During this year, unfortunately, I had to go through some troubles as a ex-common friend of us made a lot of troubles both to me and her and obstruct my way to work and take care of her (she has also childrens, not belonging to me) in the entire year, getting divorced 5 months later due to quarrels and other minor problems. Due to that, I stayed in Japan until status expiration because of the fact that I tried my best to fix the situation and start again with the same person, althought that guy interfered on the process I'll never made it, leading both of us in a difficult situation to solve.

I have dealt with police several times in a year due to quarrels and vivid discussion, but ended with no arrests or jailing thing involved (last time I was withheld a spent a night in the police station where I was actually photographed and fingerprinted if I don't remember bad), but unfairly accused of stalking because I wasn't expected that police has been called (she didn't called them, ofc).

In order to fix things, since is taking too much after losing my status (I got 3 months for leaving the country and also 10-15 days for sudden problems with leaving the country), I did the visa run on Korea two times getting 60 days total: in august and november. Of course I told the immigration at the airport about my real purpose since there's no point to lie (they also verify if I was really related to my ex j-wife throught houmusho) and everything went fine.

Unfortunately, due to the same reasons I had to come back to my home country at February 2019 and still here since then.

Now, things are getting improved as I'm still in touch with her and i'm into very good terms, so we got pacified and on our way to getting married again and living together as the main problems are now gone (the guy who gave me problems is now gone and since then we don't quarrell at all which is great).

Actually I have got the airplane ticket and manage to staying with her for just 2 weeks as a tourist and meeting each other again. Unfortunately, even if she really wants to, she has an illness on her head (it's not a mental one) which prevents her to travel with an airplane, which is the reason why I am the only person able to go to Japan and make it happen.

I'm making the following questions in order to know if there are possible red flags or not:

1) Due to her illness she can't for now work that much and she is under seikatsu-hogo (and afraid she could not be my guarantor as well) from the city hall. Aside from that, this should be a problem even if I make a written declaration about my skills and will to support her as a married couple? this because I don't want to be a burden and demonstrate to also fullfy my committment with her working in Japan, as she can't obviously move outside the country. Things that I would like to convey to immigration as my will.

2) Despite my past encounters with the police explained before, which may be not revelant enough to ring an alarm bell with the immigration about my behavior, could play a big role into an a future application? special mention goes that I have no criminal records in both Japan and my home country (totally clean).

3) In case of applying, since they may have my history at the immigration (I got the Spouse visa at Nagoya), does it ends into getting further documentations from them if asked or a possible rejection?

Again, sorry for the long post and hope that everyone are not bored from this. I will come back to Japan at March 2020, so there's still time to think and making future moves for the entire year. Only time will tell :)

I know that it is a case-by-case situation, so the outcome will differ greatly as well as the mood of the officer (and I know it very well, unfortunately :D) and other personal factors, but that would help me a lot to know in order to understand the situation and acting properly to minimize the chances to make mistakes or discrepancy that may issue red flags.

Again, thank you in advance for your polite answers and suggestion.

P.s. I am European, from Italy. :)
by Mikeneko (guest)  

Re: Spouse visa 2019/9/17 09:23
1. The closest I ever came to your situation in terms of finance was when we (myself Japanese, with continental European husband) applied for a change to spouse resident status when his employment contract in Japan didnft get renewed, and I was only a freelance worker with very limited work volume. We wrote out a letter explaining the situation and outlined his skills and past work experience, his intention to look for/find work, and the prospect of finding new work soon. (Still the wife = me = was the guarantor on the guarantor form letter.)
In your case, since your work would help to get her off welfare, if your prospects are good, the government will rather welcome that change in situation. But since immediately upon arrival in Japan you are unlikely to find work, they gmighth ask for another gfinancial guarantor.h Immigration authorities tend to look for stability (rather than short term only solution such as savings). So can someone like her parents help?

2. If the past incidents have not led to any arrests, criminal records, that should be fine.

3. They might wonder what happened, since you got the spouse resident status in the past with the same person, and the initial time on your Temporary Visitor status was short, they gmighth suspect getting married for living in Japan; but you stay honest (that there were some initial difficulties so you had to divorce) and that should be OK. And for additional documentation, I would say possibly financial guarantor of some kind.

Just my impressions, and as far as I've experienced. Best wishes.

by ....... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Spouse visa 2019/9/17 17:30
Thank you for your kind reply, ....... (well, no nickname so I am sorry :P). I really appreciate the fact that someone here has understood my very long post (and sorry again for the length) and gave me short but thoughtful answers. ^^ And also, thank you for sharing your experience with me. It was really useful and able to think well about my situation.

But back to the replies.

1. Since I can't apply for status at march (since I have to wait to my country's city hall to transcript my past marriage and divorce into my marital status, hence I can't request for affidavit for marrying again now) and then changing the status to spouse, since I want in fact avoid to give the impression to change right upon arrival and giving false red flags to immigration. And yes, would like to help her get off welfare and fully support her (since she has childrens, I know the necessary amount would be even higher). :)

I have worked in japan as far as i could amid personal difficulties and, of course, I will state that I will find a work asap once I got the status, since it also coincides with my intentions.
The only parents she had right now is her mother, but she seems to be not so supportive about that and very difficult to become my guarantor. ^^; But the question I would like to ask is: can my (foreign) parents or my brother can be my guarantor? in his case he has a stable job (permanent contract) and thinking if the immigration could also consider that option in case I don't know anyone living in japan to be my guarantor.

2. Yes. I have been to the police station many times and most of them just consultations to resolve personal disputes between my ex j-wife and our ex-common friend of ours (the main responsible for almost the troubles he did). The worst thing happened to me is just to withhelding and make me sleep into a waiting room of the station for the night, so no jail or detention centers (I didn't know no one who can host me at that time). The day after they wanted to send me back to my home country throught my embassy since they saw that my zairyuu card was near expiration date back then, so they first tried to do that with immigration. But since it didn't happened, I am clean AFAIK. :)

3. Thank you for clarifying me that point. Since, obviously, immigration holds all of my records (including extensions of short visitor status for two times) and would be very nice to explain the overall situation, even thought they might know already if they look into some dossiers about me. But even they don't ask me about what happened and why I didn't renewed the status and other stuff, I would like to write and state the reasons. Stating the truth is for me the best option to make things clear, so better give a shot into this. :)


Again, thank you so much for your kind answers and sorry for the questions. :)
by Mikeneko (guest) rate this post as useful

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