Quote:
Originally Posted by RealJames
To have an investor/business manager visa you need to have a whole list of things,
a location, office or whatever, other than your residence
at least one full time Japanese employee
to have spent 5mil yen on the business (first fees, renovations, equipment, furniture, etc)
it's a serious shit-show getting it all organized since you technically can't earn any money working for yourself on a working visa, but you also technically can't get a business visa without all of the above, making it this ridiculous limbo.
I was lucky enough to have the most awesome immigrations officer who explained to me, off the record, that none of it makes sense and that's so that they get to deny you if they don't like your face.
He also waived the full time staff req (I started with a pt staff) and the 5mil req, I had spent 2.8mil, and he ignored the 3 months of income I had made with my business while waiting for the whole thing to process.
It's hard to believe this is the way it is, but.. this is the way it is.
I have a lot of tips and knowledge to pass on about the various aspects of starting a self proprietorship in Japan, enough to write a book about lol, so you'll have to narrow down the questions 
Glad I can help, and for what it's worth I think your questions are on-topic, but I'm no mod. |
A book does sound like a good idea. I'd buy it!
A few questions from what you wrote:
1. You have to invest 5mil into your business before you can even get the visa? What if they don't give it to you because they don't like your face?
(Although, my face is quite likable
)
2. What do you mean he ignored 3 months of income? Were you running the business for 3 months before you applied for the visa? Do you NEED that particular visa in order to open/run a business? Or is it that running a business just allows you to get that visa?
3. How much work/paperwork is involved in actually "forming" a business/company? (Compared to U.S.? I have experience starting/running a one-man S-Corp here.) Did you incorporate? Is there huge red-tape when you have an employee (or many) - like in the U.S.?
I'm probably getting WAY ahead of myself here. I just need to get over there and start teaching first. But I figured I'd ask since you're feeling so generous with your time.
I should probably be much more worried about getting a first apartment over there... something that sounds quite painful, financially.
Greg