Tourist to Spouse Visa 2023 - Timeline

Hi all,

I wanted to leave my timeline from getting a spouse of Japanese National visa from a tourist visa in 2023.
(No COE route)

Application date: 01 September 2023
Additional detail: 01 October 2023
Additional details sent: 27 October 2023
Approval: 13 November 2023

Done at Tokyo Immigration

1 year granted

I hope this helps anyone, I couldn�ft find a lot of information since the apparent change in 2019.

Any questions please feel free to ask.

Good luck to everyone waiting.

First of all congratulations.

What was the "additional information" provided? My understanding is that change of status is generally granted to people with extenuating circumstances as of a few years ago. Were you asked why you couldn't return home and apply with a COE? If so what was your answer?

The "new" rules don't really seem to apply to spouse of japanese national, I think being married to a Japanese is considered a special circumstance

I think they didn't want lots of "tourists" just coming in switching from tourist status to work status and tourist to student status etc.

Thank you!

They just asked for my spouse�fs work information and a breakdown of our living costs. I also had a part time job offer which I included (I asked the immigration agent dealing with my application if I could job search and he said getting a job offer would make my application process go more smoothly)

I did have a special circumstance where I needed to change statuses in Japan. I provided a letter in English and Japanese. It seems that they like you to �gask�h about applying this way instead of �gassuming�h you can so my spouse called immigration first explaining our situation and we were told �gyou can prepare the documents and try but we can�ft promise to accept the application or process your visa. �g

I agree that this new procedure seems to be because of tourists switching from tourist visas to work visas without the COE.

Always best to ring up and ask. 😊

What country are you from

although people only focus on the results, denied or granted, there are two points in the route of resident status change.
one is an investigation for the Japanese spouse. if a Japanese spouse is a decent person, there is no problem at all. this also includes the income matter. the marriage between decent persons means that they can afford their livings by themselves, and can live without any financial helps from others, especially from the government. (in another word, a decent Japanese couple does not get married, when their income is not sufficient.)
another is that the applicant has the reason that they need to path through the status change instead of the regular COE path.

the details of those are described in Japanese in many websites written by immigration lawyers. (in another word, when a Japanese is decent and CAN understand the articles really, this application is easy and is approved easily.)

foreigner's nationality is not the major matter for consideration.
also, although many original posters here emphasized that they loved each other, it is not their major matter.

Just to add ..

�gyou can prepare the documents and try but we can�ft promise to accept the application or process your visa. �g

There are many circumstances/reason whether immigration accept your change of status, instead of going through normal COE>visa. Country of origin, where you got married, how long etc.

From OP previous posts,
I�fve been married to my Japanese spouse for 4 years, together 7. We lived in Japan, moved to Europe, married, resided in my home country for 4 years and came back to Japan last month.
this may be one of the reasons..

How's the driving licence conversion going? Have you start the application?

I�fm a British citizen. Not sure if that matters.
We had substantial savings and this probably helped the process since my spouse hadn�ft started working yet but immigration wanted a job contract regardless.

I think the length of our relationship also went in our favour during this process. We provided snap shots over the course of our relationship. Maybe worth mentioning but our marriage certificate is Japanese.

As for the driving license, I figured I needed my residence card before starting the process but will get everything ready soon and apply. I will keep the original post updated. 😊

@mycatslovewagyu had your Japanese spouse been living in Japan or were both of you living in the UK, got married in the UK and then move to Japan?
My wife is Japanese but she has never been to Japan so she has no tax or income priors there so we are planning on me traveling on a tourist visa and then applying to a spouse visa once there (luckily she already has a work offer in Japan).
We initially thought of going the COE route and applying from our current country of residence but unfortunately all her ascendants in Japan are far too old to move and be jumping around to get the paperwork needed (her closest and youngest aunt is +90 years old) so the family cannot vouch for me.

Apologies for so many questions but Id like to gauge how close your experience may resemble mine before pulling the trigger on traveling and eventually applying for a visa change

Hi Charlie_L,

I met my spouse and married in Japan and then we moved to the U.K.

Then we moved back to Japan, he came back first for a month to get a place for us to live because we have two cats.

Then we started the process and I came on a tourist visa and changed without a COE.

Your wife not having lived in Japan shouldn�ft be a problem. Immigration just wants to know that she has enough income to support your application and since she already has a job offer you should be fine. Are you also from the U.K.?

Just be prepared to get all your documents translated to Japanese. Any letters or certificates. You can translate them yourselves, it doesn�ft need to be an official translation.

Id also like to stress that you shouldn�ft assume this at immigration that they�fll accept your application. You should be prepared to leave after your time runs out. You will be given an extra two months on your landing permit. (If you are British this means you will get 5 months total. 3 months landing permission + 2 months extension)

Have you been to Japan before?

Thanks for the info.
I am actually changing my husband's visa from a work one to a spouse one (spouse of PR, but is the same as spouse of Japanese).

Just submitted all the paperwork through a law firm but for peace of mind, may I ask what kind of additional info/documents they requested?

Thanks

@Rena

The additional documents requested were my husband�fs work contract (since he had only just started working after returning to Japan) and a breakdown of our living expenses.

If your husband still works and you work then I imagine your application will go smoothly.

I hope for a positive result for you both :)

Hi @mycatslovewagyu

Thank you so much for your insight. I was meaning to answer you earlier however, with people leaving office for the holidays the few of us that stayed behind got overworked.

We are both from South America. My wife was born here as her father came to our country a couple of times for some contract work and in 1968 got married and never returned to Japan except to visit family and friends or when there was a death in the family. Unfortunately he never traveled with my wife so this would be a first for both of us.

We are meaning to move to Japan this year and settle there however the maximum length of stay for a tourist visa based on my country of origin is only 3 months so Im not sure if by doing this we are playing it too close.
As I far as I have read around the internet I may only apply for a visa change after my wife has received at least 2 wages at her job in order to generate at least some income and tax record but dont quote me on this, Ive read sooooo many things that the line blurs more and more with every feedback I receive.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my post. Every bit helps and it seems Im not THAT off and we should be able to make the change once we get there. :)

@Charlie_L (guest)

My wife is Japanese but .....
We are both from South America. My wife was born here as her father came to our country ....

To confirm ..
your wife is Japanese as in does she have Japanese passport, is her birth notify/registered with Japanese Embassy? Is she on her father koseki? Is the a legal proof that she is Japanese citizen/national?

Also did both of you registered/notify Japanese embassy in your country about your marriage?

Hi,

Yes, mi wife is japanese, she was registered at the japanese embassy in her country of birth, she has a japanese passport and she figured in her father's koseki.
Our marriage was also notified AND registered at the japanese embassy in our country, the icing on the cake: a few days ago we received a copy of HER very own koseki where our marriage shows as registered and legal in Japan since 2007.
I believe I have checked all the boxes. :)