Hello everyone.
My main goal is to obtain PR for Japan. I am leaving the military later this year and going to use my GI Bill in Japan to a university that is considered prestigious for extra PR points. I will hold and maintain TS / SCI through IMA Reserves and it would be ideal for me to work as a US Contractor/GS Employee after graduation in Japan.
My question is: Is there a pathway to PR for this route? From my research, I saw that it is impossible because SOFA status doesn't count and resets your time in Japan. However, I am putting this question out there because I have seen several Reddit posts about people working these positions and retiring in Japan. I assume those people married a Japanese civilian or something, but also wanted check if this path is possible.
Thanks in advance!
by Gangplank_Hentaii
1 comment
You’re asking the wrong question. Any status that allows you to work full time is a “pathway to PR”. You need to be figuring out how you’re going to be living here period.
You’re right, time spent on SOFA status does not count as time spent in Japan for the purposes of PR or naturalization. Time spent here as a student does count, but of the 10 years required for PR (fewer if you qualify for a shortcut) you’d need 5 years on a status that allows full time work (which student status does not).
Japanese immigration requires that foreign nationals wishing to live in Japan have a primary purpose that requires them to be in Japan. Which generally means you need a Japan based employer. A US contractor with an office here certainly counts for that. A 100% remote gig for a US based employer that does not have an office here does not count.
A 100% remote gig with a Japan based outsourcing firm (or Employer of Record service) servicing a US based customer would count though.
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