Moving to Okinawa with kids

[sakuranebula]

Hello! I am working on moving back to Okinawa and bringing my two children with me. I plan on moving there within 3 years. I am currently saving money for the move and getting everything in order. I am studying for an AA in Health Information Technology and have a certificate in Medical Coding. Any suggestions on how to move there and if I could get the kids in base schools if I was able to land a job on base? Basically, any input you have would be appreciated. I have plenty of bases near my home, including Andrews AFB. I am trying to get a job there now, just to get my foot in the door.
Some background:
My dad was a Marine, my mom, Okinawan. I lived there for a majority of my childhood. I have tons of family on my mom's side that lives there. Been wanting to move back for some time now. I have done a lot of research but still a little confused. I know my best chances of thriving over there would be to land a base job. And without having at least a bachelors, getting hired state-side is pretty slim. That's why I'm saving my own money to get over there and get settled in before job hunting. I am currently taking a TESOL certification course so that I could teach English as a side-job or while I'm trying to land that elusive base job. I know that preference is given to spouses, veterans and I'm just one step higher on the totem pole from a local. Basically, if I could work on base as a teller at the credit union or the commissary, would my kids still get the option to go to base schools? I don't care about moving/transportation expenses and living/utility expenses benefits. I'd be happy with health and education access for my girls. My mom is also reteaching me Japanese, and the kids are learning with me.
I apologize for the lengthy post. Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Mike Cash]

Would it be correct to assume you have Japanese citizenship?

 

[sakuranebula]

No, I was born in Camp LeJeune, NC

 

[Mike Cash]

Then you need to examine the possibility of claiming Japanese citizenship through your mother (Japan is a jus sanguinus country) because I'm afraid you may have difficulty with visa eligibility. Under what sort of visa did you plan to move here?

 

[sakuranebula]

I didn't know Japanese citizenship was even a possibility! I am confused about the visa. I would think a work visa- but would I be able to get one without having a job first? If I could get a work visa, I would do that and then try to get SOFA status with the DoD once I'm in Okinawa

 

[Mike Cash]

Most working visas are going to require a bachelors degree. There are exceptions, however. This is the first thing you need to look into. Without a visa, everything else is moot. With citizenship, you're in like Flynn.

If you are a local hire on base (especially if you aren't SOFA sponsored) you will likely find you have no access to things like the PX and base schools.

Verify everything. Assume nothing.

 

[sakuranebula]

Thank you! I might try calling the embassy to see if they can help too. My parents are making plans to move there as well. My dad has since retired from the Marines (20 years in EOD) but is now a teacher with about 15 years of experience, so he's trying to get a teaching job on one of the bases and my mom is sponsoring him but she can't do it for me and my kids as well. With his former service, can he put in a good word to get me SOFA status- or does it not work like that at all?

 

[Mike Cash]

Your father won't be SOFA status unless he gets hired by DoDDSS, I believe. You're too old to be his dependent and I don't think there's a "hey, hook a buddy up!" aspect to SOFA sponsorship either.

Lots of people do it, but I was always leery of attaching my livelihood in Japan to the continued presence of American bases. I would be especially leery in Okinawa. Who knows when what base will be shut down with all the agitation to reduce the American military footprint there?

Is the father of your children aware you intend to take them out of country for an extended stay? This may result in legal troubles for you if you're not careful, depending on your specific individual circumstances, of course, and which you need not reveal here. Just make sure you're okay on that front as well.

 

[sakuranebula]

I was thinking about the base closures too. I know they plan on relocating Futenma and moving a good portion of the military to Guam, etc. But they also just recently built a multi-million dollar hospital on Camp Foster so they aren't moving everyone off. And they are also moving the middle school on Camp Lester and eventually the housing too, to Camp Foster. That's why I'm hoping my degree in Health Info and Coding will be of use- especially if I can land a job here at Andrews so that I'm already familiar with their computer systems.
Their father hasn't been actively in their lives for the past 5 years. But I found out he moved to another state and was able to hunt him down and he has no problem with it and will sign and notarize any paperwork that is necessary.

 

[Glenski]

If you can get citizenship, great. No problems in the respect that you are eligible for any sort of job. (of course, you have to have the necessary qualifications, so find out if that AA degree is sufficient for on-base work)
Your kids would then have to get a visa for relatives of a Japanese.

Personally, I don't think you can get citizenship at this point. Japan doesn't recognize dual nationality beyond the age of 22 (although many people hide it). You would either have to get a visa like I described above for your kids (based on your Japanese mother), or do the following.

If you can't get citizenship, you will need a work visa or SOFA status. Pretty impossible to get a work visa with only an AA, so as I wrote above, find out what the job qualifications are. Keep in mind that if you lose the job (and subsequently your SOFA status), you will probably have to leave the country because an AA won't get you any work visa.

My dad has since retired from the Marines (20 years in EOD) but is now a teacher with about 15 years of experience, so he's trying to get a teaching job on one of the bases and my mom is sponsoring him but she can't do it for me and my kids as well.

Well, those are different visas anyway! Spousal visa vs. relative of a Japanese citizen. But who said she can't sponsor you, and why?

 

[Mike Cash]

You may be able to pull an "I didn't know" and get by on the citizenship thing. Or claim that since you were out of Japan at the time you were unable to declare your choice and shouldn't be penalized. I don't know the details offhand, but at some point in the past Japanese citizenship could only pass through the father, not the mother. So it may depend on when you were born and/or on how they decided to treat old cases when the law changed. If you were born while Okinawa was still under American control, that may play into it as well. I really don't know.

If you do manage to get citizenship recognized, there is one potential pitfall you have to watch out for with base employment. They may want you to go as a locally hired American and get a SOFA visa. If you do that, Japan may very likely treat that as your having made a choice of American citizenship. They may grant the visa and vacate your Japanese citizenship, in which case you'd be S.O.L. for remaining here without that SOFA job and visa, as you otherwise don't qualify for a working visa. Or they may refuse the visa, vacate your citizenship, and boot you out of the country as having no status here. If you come as a citizen, make sure you are hired as a Japanese citizen and do NOT seek a SOFA sponsored visa status.

I once looked into a base job as a locally hired American, by the way. They wanted me to give up my spouse visa (which lets me easily change jobs if I want and opens up practically anything in Japan I can convince somebody to hire me for), go on a SOFA visa (which ties me to them), get paid in dollars a salary nobody could live on after converting to yen, and have ZERO base privileges. No PX, no base medical, no base schools for my kids, no NOTHING.

I suggest you directly contact someone at the base hospital where you plan to be in Okinawa and ask a LOT of questions before your plans proceed any farther.

1. Are there civilian positions for what you want to do?
2. Are there frequent openings?
3. What qualifications do they require?
4. Do they hire Japanese citizens for the positions or is it SOFA status only?
5. What is the salary?
6. If they hire Japanese citizens, do they pay into the Japanese unemployment, health insurance and pension schemes?
7. Will you have base PX, medical, school, etc privileges?
8. Is base housing available?
9. Does the position require any degree of Japanese proficiency (including literacy)?
10. Etc etc etc

How old are your children? Do they speak any Japanese? If you are denied base school for them, is there an international school in the area? How much is the tuition? Will you be able to afford that? What if they have to attend regular Japanese public schools? What is your plan if your children are unable to cope with things?

There's a whole lot of ducks that need to be gotten into a row. If you foresee this being a permanent move and if it is at all possible, I would VERY STRONGLY recommend spending another two years going after a bachelors degree before coming here and using the time to get yourself and your kids some intensive Japanese learning, including reading.

 

[sakuranebula]

My kids will be 9 and 10 this year. I looked into international schools- and it'll cost me about $1000 dollars a month for both. I'm looking into a Pathway's type internship, maybe it'll help my chances a bit- I'm currently in the process of moving back in with my parents to save and prepare for the move- which most likely isn't going to be in the near future. But with my mom there, I'm hoping the girls and I will become pretty fluent in speaking and can read and write. I most likely won't pursue the citizenship route, because I would like the girls to be allowed on base schools and my skills and degree would be useless off base. My mom kinda confused me with her talk of visa sponsorship. Apparently she would be sponsoring my dad only if he was unable to get SOFA status- but he's very skilled and qualified in what he does, so if he won't be able to get it, I definitely won't. Not sure why she can't sponsor me as well- and then she started talking about needing to change my daughters' last name to match mine (they took their father's). And basically, I was more confused after talking to her.
The hospital, because it just opened, really doesn't have any positions open at this time- except, of course, for nurses. (If only I had the stomach for it!) The *plan* would be to get any ordinary base job that's GS with base access and education for the kids and I, and eventually apply for positions at the hospital as they become available....Maybe is it possible to get in on a student visa and go for the bachelors at the University of MD there? But I guess, I would have to forfeit that visa if I wanted SOFA for the kids to go to school too. Ugh, my head hurts!