Dependent Visa/Work Permit (no degree)

Hello everyone

I plan on moving to Japan to teach English in a few years.

When I do, I would like to move my wife with me.

She has no post-highschool degree outside of cosmetology school, which she graduated from.

She has been a stylist at a salon for a few years, and when I am ready to move to Japan she will have 5 or 6 years of stylist experience under her belt.

She would have to be on a dependent visa when she moves with me, correct?

And with that visa, she could apply for a work permit to work 20 (or 28, I've read both responses on here) hours a week.

Now, my questions are: is this work permit likely to be issued? I have read that, generally speaking, they only issue work permits to a person if the job cannot easily be taken by a Japanese resident.

How unrealistic is it to want to get a work permit for her to work at a salon in Japan?

Also, I have read that sometimes work visas are granted to those who have 5-7 years of experience in the job they are trying to get.

Does this apply to that situation? Could she, potentially, get a work visa for cosmetology?

Thank you in advance,
-Luke

- Yes, the category she will be applying for is Dependent.

- Does she know the Japanese language? Otherwise it might be difficult to find employment in salons in Japan, unless she comes from top-notch stylist school and finds a job on a salon in large cities where they might have a need for English-speaking stylists.

- If an employer in Japan is keenly interested in her skills and wants to hire her, thus wants to sponsor her for a work visa, then 5 - 7 years of experience would be a substantial help, but you need that potential employer, and I do not know if precisely 5 - 7 years is enough to convince Immigration.

Hi Luke,

I think what you mentioned
"And with that visa, she could apply for a work permit to work 20 (or 28, I've read both responses on here) hours a week."

This is not really work permit, I think ideally she will have a "dependent Visa", People with this visa can work part-time (like you said 20/28 hrs a week) but you need special permission for it, I would call it "permission to work part time" its not work permit.

Getting that permission itself is very easy, You just need to apply with basic details like what kind of work she will be doing to your immigration office and they would stamp the permission on her passport then and there.

Getting work permit would be very elaborate process and in my opion she can do very well with just a permission to work part time

FYI, My wife is having same permission to work and I am on work permit.

Kamal,

You have a "work visa" (residence status that allows full-time work) and your wife has a "permission to work" (officially,
"permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted by the status
of residence previously granted" for those on Dependent visa status).

What luke called "work permit" is that "permission to work part-time." :)