Are changes of status still allowed in Japan?

Hello.

I have known my japanese girlfriend for some time now and we've decided to marry. We want to marry during my 2-3 month visit to Japan this february then change my status to Spouse of a Japanese National so that I can live with her for some time. I have seen very very mixed facts (and opinions) on the subject and would like a clear answer.

Is it possible for me as a Foreigner to live with my (now fiancee) once we marry in Japan? Do I need a CoE first? Do I have enough time?

Thank you

Come in as a temp visitor then apply for status change. You'll get an extension of stay until a result on your application is made.

I hate to tell you this but if all you want is the facts then I'll give them to you in one sentence: you are simply not going to get a clear answer online. Full stop. This is a fact.

Now for the opinions (but not really because we kind of know what's going on)

Change of status is still technically allowed. Always has been and probably always will be. That said they have always wanted a reason why you are changing status rather than going the COE > visa from embassy route. In the past they were very relaxed about it and a reason could be something as ridiculously simple as "I want to live in Japan so I don't want to go home and apply for a visa". However in last few years anecdotal evidence that I've seen from people who have actually attempted this has begun to suggest more and more that they are becoming much stricter and basically insisting that if you don't have a genuinely good reason then applying for a visa from home is the way they want you to go about it.

We know for 100% sure that you have a higher likelihood of success if you just apply for a visa with a COE. But like I said change of status is something you can possibly (but many would argue probably not) do. If you want to try it then try but also be ready to pack your bags and leave Japan and be away from your wife while you wait for a COE in your home country. Because if you don't have a compelling reason why you can't do that in the first place and why change of status is necessary then in my opinion (just based on what I've heard from others) it is a fool's hope.

Thank you LIZ,

I would say the reason is solid for the fact that I am moving in with my girlfriend (now fiancee) of course because we love eachother and wanna be together and support each other, but I am also leaving/escaping an abusive situation at home where I have been basically denied the right to choose my own partner for religious reasons even as adult and I have no other place to live where I can be happy and live my own life. So on top of wanting to be physically there for the love of my life and build together, I also want to leave behind this abusive situation I am living in and this is the only viable long term option for the both of us right now. I am already poised to be a good addition to society and me and her genuinely believe we belong together physically.


Would you think this constitutes a good reason?

Also just to add, I do have a Plan B for going back home to a friend's place instead but it is strictly temporary, time for me to get a COE/Spousal Visa from there but it is less than ideal since that situation is also not solid. I've been told this situation is entirely on the immigration branch, so me and my partner are going to hire a lawyer to make sure it goes well.

I know these types of situations are never a guarantee, this is somewhat of a gamble we are going for but I also have seen and been told by people who work for cases such as this that the probabilities are good, so we are going for it

As other have said, it is possible and yet maybe not. There is no clear answer, even when you talk to immigration officer, you can get different answer depending on who. Only way is for you to try and if fail, plan B , the COE - Visa.

First thing first is how are you planning to enter Japan? Are you from visa free country?
Also, have you prepared/understood the requirement for marriage registration in Japan.

Different sets of rule/documentation depend on which city you plan to registered your marriage. Double/triple confirm with the city hall, get information in Japanese, since English/other languages tend to leave out some items.

good luck.

Your current family issues have no bearing on your application. Personally I'd keep that all quiet, as it may highlight your being a trouble maker. And wont get bomus points for you appliation for, "I have no where else to go."

You reasoning for coming to Japan should be to live with your wife/partner, not leave behind family issues.

Do what you need to do. But concerntrate on being with your partner and getting a job. All other stuff is irrelevant.

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely keep that in mind now

Oh sorry, to reply to the previous person, yes our plan to marry is very under control and we have/will have the required documents for all of that. Since I am from canada I don't need a tourist visa to entor as a visitor. Thank you for checking

How old are you and how old is your girlfriend?

What is her occupation and what line of work do you plan to pursue when you start living in Japan?

Would you think this constitutes a good reason?

It is so difficult to say, especially when Japanese immigration tend to be very by the book in the way they do things, not taking people's personal circumstances into account unless they have any bearing on the actual, written rules. I really don't want to give you false hope. I really don't know that any immigration officer is going to see this as a valid reason for not applying - secretly if necessary - via the embassy in Canada. As someone else said, there is even the possibility that keeping quiet about your family issues might serve you better, I really don't know.

For what it's worth I hope you succeed in getting your change of status if that's what you decide to try and do, but I don't think the chances are as high as they would have been five years ago. Definitely the safest option would be to get a COE and cash it in for a visa at your nearest Japanese embassy.

Yeah the thing is we don't have the time or necessarily the budget for a COE as of now because me and her are not married yet as of now. We will do so as soon as I enter Japan because that's gonna be the only first opportunity we get. She and I will meet on a trip she's taking before I leave for Japan next year, but it won't be long enough to get married then.

For our pockets and time the best route would be this, and if it doesn't work then the Plan B is to go through CoE but living at a friend's place back home while I wait for the CoE/Visa process which is explicitly very temporary and undesirable.

I understand that it's not idea, I'm just thinking about it from the point of view that the most likely scenario seems like it might end up being that they don't view your reasons for not being able to do it in the way they prefer as being particularly valid.

I don't know about Canada, but in the UK getting legally married can be a very quick and easy process if arranged in advance. Perhaps this is something you should research.

Alternatively, marriage by proxy is a thing. I don't know too much about it but people have gotten visas this way so again, maybe you should look into it.

I know neither of these are more appealing than doing a change of status, I'm just trying to think of a middle ground that both keeps the Japanese government happy and doesn't involve you being sent home and having to wait god knows how long for a COE.

The facts as I know them are in line with what LIZ has outlined in her first response.

Immigration authorities have gotten strict with changing from �gtemporary visitor�h status to longer-term status such as employer-sponsored status or spouse of Japanese status.

For the work-related cases at least, there seem to be some allowance (or a way around it), for example, a company in Japan makes an offer to the applicant outside Japan, the applicant accepts and the company applies for CoE in Japan. Then while that is being processed, the applicant wants to come travel Japan a bit before work starts, so they come over. And the CoE is issued while the applicant is �gin Japan.�h In that case, I have heard, that the applicant can take the CoE and can apply for change of resident status from �gtemporary visitor�h to the employer-sponsored one while staying in Japan.

But in the case of changing to �gspouse of Japanese,�h you first want to come to Japan to get married, so that doesn�ft really seem to work.

Even an expert I personally know has admitted that the lack of consistency is an issue with the Japanese immigration authorities. Best wishes.

To rest the situation for now, we have called the relevant immigration office in charge of these decisions and they have replied they do still do changes of status from visitor to spouse, so we are still going to do that. We will still marry when I visit in Feb/march next year and then go through with the application with a lawyer.

Thank you

And also the time she will come to visit me here will not be enough for the marriage process, so we can only do it when I visit her

Hello @Zak,
can you update about how it goes at the immigration? Did you managed to get married and to get your visa without any issues?
I�fm currently on a similar boat and would appreciate some report from 2023.
Thank you very much.