I'm 20, Yemeni, and have been living in Malaysia since 2015 after leaving Yemen because of the war. My whole life has basically been shaped by that move—I was under my parents' visa until I started university, and now I'm under a student visa of my own. I’ll be finishing my degree in Software Engineering by December 2026, and after that, I need to figure out where I go. I want to be independent, step out of my parents’ shadow, and build a life I can actually call mine. I’m not interested in moving to Western countries for a whole list of reasons—cultural, personal, even political. Japan, though? That feels like the right place.
Even though I’m doing SE, I’ve been deep in the creative world since I was 15. I write, I build games independently, and I’ve been carving out my skills bit by bit—mostly solo, mostly for fun, but always serious about getting better. Japan’s language school visa would give me 1–2 years there to keep learning the language (I’m aiming for at least N3 or N2 before I go) and work part-time while I figure out a long-term path. Ideally, I'd want something connected to the creative industry—game studios, translation gigs, localization, or really anything that lets me sharpen both skillsets.
The problem is, well… my passport. Being Yemeni means I start the race ten steps behind. Getting visas is a nightmare. Embassies either don’t exist or don't respond. Systems treat you like a threat before you even speak. It’s frustrating—trying to do things right and getting stonewalled just for where you were born. So I’m asking: has anyone else been through this? Especially folks from countries like mine? If you’ve made it to Japan through the student route and stayed long-term—how? What should I expect? What can I prepare for? Any advice is appreciated.
by Mzawia07