Spouse Visa for long term visit

Hello,

My wife and I visit Japan two or three times a year and are considering a longer term visit (about 4-5 months) in the future.

Since my VWP is only good for 90 days I'm going to apply for a spouse visa. I have read the procedure and requirements for applying on the Los Angeles Consulate of Japan website.

Would applying for a spouse visa and using it just to visit for 3-4 months going to be an issue? Also, I want to make sure that getting a spouse visa and not using it won't have any repercussions later on.

Thanks!

http://www.la.us.emb-japan.go.jp/e_web/e_m02_06_05.htm

Maybe ringing the embassy will be the best option. getting official facts regarding such important matters would be better than hearsay off an internet forum. Heck ring two or three to make sure the information they give you matches. this would probably be a quicker and more efficient way of attaining such information.

So I take it that your wife is Japanese, but currently the two of you live outside Japan (maybe long-term, meaning, years?). Does she have a "juminhyo" (resident register) in Japan? Some Japanese nationals who are away from Japan for a long-term often remove themselves out of that, so that they don't have to pay any resident tax or social insurance contribution. This is different from "koseki" (family registry) where her marriage to you is registered.

The reason why I ask is that for you to apply for Spouse visa, she needs to have an address in Japan, based on which you will be applying for one so that you can live together. So I don't know you can apply without an intention to "live" in Japan (if you intend to "live" in Japan, yes, you can apply from outside Japan as well).

Also, initially you "might" receive just a six month or one-year spouse visa. If you leave Japan with a re-entry permit but don't come back before it expires, you will need to apply for one again.

This is just as far as I know, please check with the embassy/consulate.

Thanks for the replies. That is correct. We have lived in Los Angeles together for over a year now. That is in fact our permanent residence.

She did not remove herself from the juminhyo. She did update the koseki to register our marriage and she also changed her last name officially. She also has a new Japanese passport with her new last name.

All the wording from the consulate indicates that a spouse visa will be fine for a "long term" stay. Now, whether 4 months constitutes a long term stay I'm not sure. That's why I was curious if I could read about some experiences of others' in a similar situation.

We're going to get the Letter of Guarantee from her parents. I wish there was a way to show assets/funds and self-guarantee.

This trip won't happen until at least next year. Both our next trips are under 2 weeks. So this is preliminary research for me until I have enough information to call the consulate and double check everything.

All the wording from the consulate indicates that a spouse visa will be fine for a "long term" stay. Now, whether 4 months constitutes a long term stay I'm not sure.

Spouse visas are really intended for people who plan to take up residence in Japan, but of course that doesn't mean you are required to stay in Japan for a long period of time if you get one. But the problem seems to be if they will accept your "long vacation" plan as an acceptable application of the spouse visa, or if you will instead have to convince them that you really do intend to stay long term. Have you actually called the consulate to see if they grant spouse visas for your particular situation?

We're going to get the Letter of Guarantee from her parents. I wish there was a way to show assets/funds and self-guarantee.

It would be easier, but self-guaranteeing would defeat the purpose of requiring a guarantor in the first place. I think its less about the money and more about having a responsible party that is already ingrained in the society and culture.

This trip won't happen until at least next year. Both our next trips are under 2 weeks. So this is preliminary research for me until I have enough information to call the consulate and double check everything.

Calling the consulate should be one of the first steps in gathering information, however I have found that they either aren't aware or cannot officially comment on all the options that may be available to people, especially in special cases such as yours. So its a good idea to cross check the forums and the consulate with each other. It also may be a good idea to contact an immigration lawyer to handle some of these more unusual requests.

The one thing that I would suggest, should you get the go ahead from the consulate, is that you prepare enough time for your application review. I would give yourself at least 3 months, preferably more if possible.