Japan working visa

Hi,

I came to this online community to see if I can clarify some information regarding my future travel to Japan. I am from Peru and I'm planning to move to Tokyo in 2022 once COVID is done. My idea is to reunite with my couple there (she is Japanese/Peruvian, but we are not married).

I will contact the Japanese Embassy in Lima, but I know that foreigners are not allowed to enter the country for the time being. I just want to gain time for when COVID restrictions are softened.

Since I'm a professional designer but I work on my own, it is not clear to me how I can apply for a long-term visa and work with my Japanese clients there. I found the site japan online visa with a lot of useful information about visas and travel requirements, but I need more information regarding the working permits.

Could you please point me in the right direction about the requirements to access a work or residence permit in Japan, that suits my current situation?

Thanks in advance!

Isuggest you to see MOFA site, which is official and you can see what visas are available and what occupations fit each visa. I don't think your moving is impossible if you are a freelance from the first but it could be possible if you speak Japanese, meet visa application criteria, look for a job which fits one of visas, and your employer offers sponsorship. Please be aware that there is no 'work visa' which allows you Peruvian to engage any works.

Excuse me, I correct something:

I don't think your moving is impossible if you are a freelance from the first
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I don't think your moving is possible if you are a freelance from the first

I meant that moving as a freelance without Japanese cliants and enough income which meets its criteria is impossible because you can't be recognized as a freelance in Japan.

I agree, please read the MOFA website on visas for Japan; they describe the different categories of visas with their requirements and what type of work would fall under each category.

Visa for living in Japan is granted (provided you fulfill certain requirements depending on the specific visa category) on as gif neededh basis, meaning, you apply for and get a student visa if you want to study at a college/language school in Japan and need to be here, you apply for a spouse visa if you are married to a Japanese national and the two of you move to Japan so that you can stay together in Japan, or you apply for a work visa if an employer in Japan wants you for your skills and experiences and wants to bring you over so that you can work for them. It is not that you get a comprehensive "work permit" under which you can do any and every type of work.
In your case, if you were married, youfd be eligible for (depending on the nationality of your spouse) either gspouse of Japanese nationalh or possible gdependent.h And if a company in Japan wants to hire you for your skills and experiences, you might be eligible for gspecialist in humanitiesh (if you fulfill the requirements).

There have been some threads about people who went gself-sponsoringh their visa, but that is for people (as far as I know) who have been employed full-time by one company in Japan first (thus sponsored for visa), built some experiences, then decided to go more like freelance so that they have a few stable clients in Japan. This sort of arrangement does not apply for someone moving to Japan anew.

Not only visa category but you should also know procedure of moving, if you think that you first get a visa to live and work so that you can find work. You cannot apply a visa to live and work without a legitimate work and its contract. Don't trust sometone who says "No reason to be away from your lover, we arrange a work visa and a job for you". If you live in Japan as a spouse of a Japanese national, working as a freelance designer is not illegal but you never find cliants if you email in English or Spanish with a link of online resume or social media, saying "I am a freelance designer, see my profile and reply me if interested" (you need to know culture difference) .

how I can apply for a long-term visa and work with my Japanese clients there
This implies that you already have Japanese clients. Your application would need to demonstrate that these clients are stable/reliable contracts and provide sufficient income to you to live in Japan.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/long/index.html
As for "long term", expect a one-year term on first application.