Moving to Japan to live with my partner

Hello. I feel shy about posting a public question like this, but I�fm really lost and I need help. I�fm a 21 year old college student who lives in the US and I have a boyfriend who is Japanese(22) We�fve been together for about a year now and he recently graduated from his university in Sapporo then moved back to his hometown to start working full-time. Because he�fll be working full-time and there�fs an 13 hour time difference, we barely have any time to phone call and it�fs really difficult for us. We�fve been talking about it for a while now, and we both agreed that I should come to Japan to live with him. The problem is I�fm not sure how to start my moving process. I don�ft have a passport yet, and I don�ft know what type of visa I would need, along with the cost of everything. I�fve seen a couple people online say a bank statement is required, but I haven�ft been working and unfortunately I don�ft have any money. Due to health issues I do college online so I don�ft have to worry about school, but if a bank statement or certain amount of funds is required in my account I may have to start working again. I just want to know what kind of visa I should apply for, the documents I need, and the steps I can take to start. My boyfriend said I don�ft have to worry about paying for anything, so he would be my financial support until I can hopefully find a job there(I�fm assuming I would need a work visa.) But if he is considered my financial support, would I still need a bank statement? Thank you for helping me out.

There are different Visa /resident status categories and requirements are different.

Assuming you�fll stay with your current university a student visa is not possible (because your university isn�ft in Japan). Assuming you don�ft have a job offer then the only viable option is to get married (assuming you are female) and get a spouse visa. Then to my understanding your husband will need to show that he has the means to support both of you. Alternatively/ additionally someone from his family can also show that they will be giving support. Eg if you are going to live in a house owned by his family.

As Likebike alludes to, the requirement for living in Japan isn't having a certain amount of money, it's having a visa. Yes, most visas will also require you to show that you'll have financial support while living in Japan (either your own savings or someone who will cover your expenses), but the process is not as simple as saying "I have enough money" and getting a visa based solely on that.

In broad terms, there are four types of visa:
1. Student visa: This means that you are a student of a school based in Japan (i.e. you can't get a student visa to live in Japan while attending online classes for an American university). In order to get a student visa, you would need to apply to and be accepted by a school in Japan.

2. Work visa: As with the student visa, to get a work visa you would need to apply for and obtain a job in Japan.

3. Spousal visa: This visa is for spouses of people who are living in Japan. Japan does not offer visas for fiances or girlfriends/boyfriends, though, so to obtain a spousal visa you would have to marry your boyfriend.

4. Child of Japanese citizen visa: There are special visas for the children of Japanese citizens, even if the child is not a Japanese citizen themself. However, since you're asking your question on this forum, as opposed to asking your parents, I'm guessing that neither of your parents is a Japanese citizen, to this wouldn't be an option for you.

So at this point, if you're set on living in Japan, you'll need to decide if you're going to enroll in a Japanese school, look for a job in Japan, or marry your boyfriend.

Bear in mind, though, that not all jobs are eligible for visas, so obtaining a work visa is not as simple as just finding any job. An entry-level job in a restaurant, convenience store, or retail shop, for example, will generally not qualify for a work visa. Because of that, if you decide to try to move to Japan on a work visa, you might be best off waiting until after you graduate from your college in the U.S., since finding a visa-eligible job in Japan is much easier if you have a college diploma.

Also, if you'll forgive me for a bit of unsolicited advice, you mention that you and your boyfriend have been together for about a year and that you "don't have a passport yet." From that I'm guessing that you have never visited Japan. Since regardless of which visa route you take the visa will take time to obtain, I would strongly recommend that before moving to Japan you obtain a passport and go to visit the country first. Japan is, in many ways, a very nice place to live (I moved to Japan from the U.S. after graduating from college and have now lived here for more than 20 years). However, Japan is not a perfect country, and not everyone who likes certain aspects of Japanese culture/society will actually enjoy living here day-in and day-out.

You mention that your boyfriend was going to school in Sapporo and has now moved back to his hometown, from which I'm guessing that his hometown might be somewhere smaller than Sapporo. If so, that's all the more reason to go visit at least once before you decide to move there. Country living in Japan brings its own unique set of quirks and challenges, which some people enjoy and some people don't.

And to be clear, I'm not saying "You'll probably hate living in Japan, so give up on being together with your boyfriend!" Visiting the country and his hometown before making a long-term commitment to live there, though, will help you and him understand whether that's the best place for you to live, or if there's somewhere else that you'll be happier living together.

Just do a 90 day visit as a tourist first. Much easier that dealing with unknown visa/coe issues.

Then decide how permanent you wanna go on from there.

Have you ever met your boyfriend in-person? Going from an online relationship straight to living together is a drastic move.

I also suggest visiting Japan first on a tourist visa. Come back to the US and finish up your degree. Then you can at least apply for a work visa. That's really your only option unless you get married.

There is no such thing as a tourist visa - there is a temporary visitor permit that will allow you to stay for 90 days. As others have said, try that before moving to a different country. Plus, living is different to visiting.
Second point, a relationship outside of an official marriage counts for nothing. Engaged, GF/BF, "partner - none carry any weight. You need to have a status of residence on your own merit.

Thank you so much everyone. My boyfriend and I do plan on getting married in the future so I know I would eventually receive the spousal visa, but I wanted to stay with him until we have enough money to do so. I�fll definitely be visiting without a visa for 90 days sometime to see how it is living there(we�fll be living in Sapporo around the time we do get married) just to get an Idea of living in Japan. I think I might try to get a job, and get a work visa if possible. I want to go as soon as I can to support him and getting a work visa seems to be the best option from here. Thanks again to everyone who answered my question :)