Hello everyone, so some details about me:
- Ukrainian citizen on a Canadian work permit expiring July 2025
- I am not eligible for any sorts of humanitarian visas anywhere as far as I am aware
- Mid 20s
- Computer Science bachelors holder from Canadian university
- 1 year of work experience as a software developer + 2 semester-long internships
- Unable to gain further experience at the moment due to immigration limbo
- Maybe around N5 level Japanese (motivated to learn more, but am aware of the difficulty)
- Native English fluency (tbh my Russian and Ukrainian are much worse lol)
I think I should get to the meat of the matter first.
I have been doing quite a bit of research, and it seems like there might be a chance to make Japan my new home. However, I am well aware of the fact that this is a path with its own set of risks and trials, so I would appreciate it if you can be real but kind and patient with me.
I read that there are a decent number of tech jobs and opportunities that are English only or want English + N2 (maybe N3) Japanese and that they are easier to get once you are inside the country on a visa. I have ample time to boost my Japanese to N4 or N3 by next summer, and thought to then enroll in a decent language school for a year to get to N2/N1/business level-ish Japanese + the student visa + job seeking visa. From what it seems, I will still be quite rusty with any Japanese even at N2/N1 and I know that Japan is a country that generally you need to know Japanese and I respect that. I currently only really have enough savings for 1 year of language school + 2 years of living expenses (by Japanese standards) at the moment.
Please advise me as to whether it is a feasible plan and whether I am getting my hopes up too much. Do you suppose I would be able to procure a job and a liveable (not picky but not ALT pay) wage given this plan and where I am at? Any advice and/or modifications to my plan is appreciated!
I should make it clear that I am open to anything outside software developer jobs as long as I am able to get the job within the limitations that I would be in (such as the data centre jobs that I heard about). I love working with people especially, so tutoring and recruitment are something I am open to trying (but again, if I would be qualified for it).
What is my situation in Canada like?
I graduated from a university in Canada with the hopes that I'd be able to obtain permanent residency and eventually citizenship as I come from Ukraine. However as of late, the Canadian government has been tightening immigration, and the only real way for me to stay in Canada at the moment is to try to learn French to B2 fluency in all 4 skills, which will be a difficult task. I was laid off and am unemployed (not that employment would help with that) and my work permit here is set to expire in less than a year. The job market here is cooked (it is a burnt carbon rock tbh), and work sponsorship is near impossible for someone like me. I'd have gone back to Ukraine had it not been for the war, so now I am looking for the next best thing as an exit plan.
If anyone has any alternative suggestions for countries please feel free to speak up as well!
by WisdomWizerd98