ThatGamerGuy
後輩
- 12 Mar 2017
- 9
- 0
- 19
What is the easiest way to get a long-term visa without job/student qualifiers?
TL;DR: - I want to live in Japan and want to start a small business, but not sure if it will ever bring a profit, or how long it will take to become profitable. I'm also not sure if proving you can make a profit is required to move into Japan under business management visa.
I have a modest inheritance that I want to use to move to Japan for about 2-4 years. Recently losing a close relative kind of makes it clear that I have to reach for my goals before it's too late, oddly enough it also gives me the chance to try this.
While I have a bachelor's degree, I've been mostly stuck in low-paying, part-time jobs here in the USA, and I would like to try starting my own small business (again... the first one didn't go so well, but I learned some valuable lessons).
While I think I have the financial situation figured out (i.e. using as little of my inheritance as possible, living frugally, trying to make sure I have a nest egg even if everything fails, etc.), I don't know what to do about the Certificate of Eligibility for my visa. The problem is, I don't know if my business will make any money, especially in the first year, how much it will make, or what the requirements or overhead for businesses are in Japan.
I don't know specifically what the requirements are for the COE/visa, but on the website there was a form that mentioned you should be able to prove you have 3 years of experience managing a business. My last business was in operation for 2 years and 11 months, so I'm not sure if they'll be lenient on that or not.
I spoke with immigration on the phone, with someone who knew some English. He said there wasn't a minimum income required to be a business owner, but that I could only get the visa *before* coming to Japan if my business already existed in America. However, starting a business after arriving in Japan seems counter-productive, since I don't want to rent an apartment before I have my visa (with all the rent start-up costs: deposits, key money, etc., it doesn't make sense if I have to move out when a tourist visa expires). I'm also not sure if he fully understood my question or answered properly, as his English wasn't the best, and it would probably take me an hour to explain it in Japanese.
My goal is to make this barely any more expensive than relocating elsewhere in the USA, while being able to experience a new country, learn more about Japanese culture and learn their language. Honestly I could work on my business idea without registering a business entity, until I have a chance to monetize it, but then it wouldn't help me for the visa requirements.
Is a business manager visa viable to me in my situation? What other options do I have that may work or work better? I read that learning the Japanese language doesn't work for a cultural visa, but the student visa requires too many hours studying (20 hours minimum a week, I think), and that gets expensive fast (if it wasn't already time-consuming, and I doubt many places teach Japanese to English speakers for 20 hours a week, anyway). I'm not ready to go back to school for anything anyhow, and I doubt I can find a full-time job anytime soon, since I had trouble finding one in the US. Even if I could, it probably wouldn't leave any time to work on my business, so it's not my favorite option.
Does anyone have some helpful advice? Has anyone started a business (such as a small studio and/or software company) in Japan? Can you start from nothing or do they expect you already have something? How do you deal with taxes, etc.? Is a sole proprietorship a normal thing in Japan, or would I need something like an LLC? (I'd be keeping the company small, 2-4 employees maximum for the first 2 years, but most likely, just me.)
To anyone that helps or tries to help, thanks!
TL;DR: - I want to live in Japan and want to start a small business, but not sure if it will ever bring a profit, or how long it will take to become profitable. I'm also not sure if proving you can make a profit is required to move into Japan under business management visa.
I have a modest inheritance that I want to use to move to Japan for about 2-4 years. Recently losing a close relative kind of makes it clear that I have to reach for my goals before it's too late, oddly enough it also gives me the chance to try this.
While I have a bachelor's degree, I've been mostly stuck in low-paying, part-time jobs here in the USA, and I would like to try starting my own small business (again... the first one didn't go so well, but I learned some valuable lessons).
While I think I have the financial situation figured out (i.e. using as little of my inheritance as possible, living frugally, trying to make sure I have a nest egg even if everything fails, etc.), I don't know what to do about the Certificate of Eligibility for my visa. The problem is, I don't know if my business will make any money, especially in the first year, how much it will make, or what the requirements or overhead for businesses are in Japan.
I don't know specifically what the requirements are for the COE/visa, but on the website there was a form that mentioned you should be able to prove you have 3 years of experience managing a business. My last business was in operation for 2 years and 11 months, so I'm not sure if they'll be lenient on that or not.
I spoke with immigration on the phone, with someone who knew some English. He said there wasn't a minimum income required to be a business owner, but that I could only get the visa *before* coming to Japan if my business already existed in America. However, starting a business after arriving in Japan seems counter-productive, since I don't want to rent an apartment before I have my visa (with all the rent start-up costs: deposits, key money, etc., it doesn't make sense if I have to move out when a tourist visa expires). I'm also not sure if he fully understood my question or answered properly, as his English wasn't the best, and it would probably take me an hour to explain it in Japanese.
My goal is to make this barely any more expensive than relocating elsewhere in the USA, while being able to experience a new country, learn more about Japanese culture and learn their language. Honestly I could work on my business idea without registering a business entity, until I have a chance to monetize it, but then it wouldn't help me for the visa requirements.
Is a business manager visa viable to me in my situation? What other options do I have that may work or work better? I read that learning the Japanese language doesn't work for a cultural visa, but the student visa requires too many hours studying (20 hours minimum a week, I think), and that gets expensive fast (if it wasn't already time-consuming, and I doubt many places teach Japanese to English speakers for 20 hours a week, anyway). I'm not ready to go back to school for anything anyhow, and I doubt I can find a full-time job anytime soon, since I had trouble finding one in the US. Even if I could, it probably wouldn't leave any time to work on my business, so it's not my favorite option.
Does anyone have some helpful advice? Has anyone started a business (such as a small studio and/or software company) in Japan? Can you start from nothing or do they expect you already have something? How do you deal with taxes, etc.? Is a sole proprietorship a normal thing in Japan, or would I need something like an LLC? (I'd be keeping the company small, 2-4 employees maximum for the first 2 years, but most likely, just me.)
To anyone that helps or tries to help, thanks!