Tourist VISA to something else...

I am an American citizen (23yrs old) currently in Okinawa, Japan on a tourist visa. I was wondering is it possible to change my tourist visa to either a cultural visa, or any other king of visa??
I have lived in Okinawa for more than 18 years but I left Okinawa last year without getting a re-entry permit... My family is here on SOFA status and my father has been stationed here for more than 16 years. I was raised on this Island since I was a baby and this is the only place I know. I was married to a Japanese national but we got divorced almost 4 years ago and we have a 4 year old daughter together. but when we were married we never applied for a spouse visa. I need all the help I can get so I can continue my life here on okinawa and support my daughter... Thank you.

So you've been on SOFA status growing up in Okinawa, left Japan on that SOFA status unfortunately without getting a re-entry permit, then came back and got a Temporary Visitor Status?

Have you checked through your father whether this SOFA status can be regained for you? Has that really expired, considering that your father is in the service still? (Many of us civilians on this forum would be unable to offer help on SOFA status related questions.)

- Cultural visa: you need to have been doing a serious academic research into a cultural aspect of Japan PRIOR to conducting your cultural research in Japan and staying on this visa.
- Other options: get hired and get a sponsored working visa; enrol in a language school and get a student visa, etc., but none would be as long-term initially as you would want to have...

To: AK
I am no longer allowed to have a SOFA because of my age. My father is a civilian now training the new air traffic controllers in Okinawa. I also speak fluent Japanese and I 've been taking Karate for almost 12years.

Ummm. For cultural visa, now you need to find some big karate instructor in Okinawa (renowned as an authority), under whose guidance you will need to professionally and academically pursue the art of karate... if you mean simply that you've been taking lessons, like boys do, that would not do.

It sounds like a desparate case - I mean, you say you've been in Okinawa for most of your life, speak fluent Japanese, THEN it just so happened that you forgot to get a re-entry permit, and Immigration upon departure didn't ask you at the airport if that was OK for you to be leaving Japan without one, and you just left? At the latest, people normally do recall at the airport that they'd forgotten re-entry permit, apologize like crazy and apply for and get it at the airport immigration as an emergency measure... you could miss your flight but that way you get your re-entry permit. OK, no sense just sitting here and marveling about it, but I can't help it, excuse me. Or... is it that your SOFA status would have expired anyway (automatically) beyond a certain age?

At your age you cannot claim "Dependent" status (as dependent of your father) anymore - to be honest I don't know what to do, apart from enrolling in a school - college? senmon gakkou? - to study what I don't know, and at least get a Student visa, or finding employment and getting one of the work-permitting visa types...

You say you never applied for a Spouse visa, but are you living with the daughter, or the ex-wife, because you mention supporting your daughter? If your presence is needed to support the child, I see a faint chance, but even that I am not sure. It could be a case for an immigration lawyer.

Calm down, AK. "Dependent" children can't remain SOFA status after the age of 23. They can only keep that status between 18 to 23 if they're full-time college students. That's probably why he had to leave last year. They don't have the luxury of living with mommy and daddy like a lot of young people do.

I think you have two solutions to stay in Okinawa:

1.) Get your dad to pull some strings and get you a SOFA job. He's been there for 16 years so he must know someone that can do that for you.

2.) There's a little known visa called "Long-term Resident." It's given to those who have a strong tie to Japan or its citizens (your time as a SOFA dependent doesn't count). It's usually for Japanese descendants from South America but you need Japanese blood to get it. If you've actually been involved in your daughter's life and maybe if your ex-wife can back you up about it... maybe there's a chance. I've heard of it happening.

I meant to say that you *don't* need Japanese blood to get that visa.

Sorry, to James and to OkiBoy, for getting excited, I had no idea that you lose that status beyond a certain age. *Whew.*