# Moving to Japan 2014 + Pregnant?



## Coconaut

Hi, 

I honestly don't mean to sound ridiculous in this post, but here goes:

I'm pregnant and unmarried and have always had dreams of moving to Japan. I don't believe in setting aside dreams for myself just because I'm having a child. I don't feel as if I'm being selfish by wanting to do this, because either way, whether I move to Japan or stay in the USA, I want my child to go to an international school where he'll learn Japanese language and culture.

The father is out of the picture (we agreed to sign the rights over to me).

I don't have a bachelor's degree yet, but I would actually prefer to study in Japan at a language school for a year or two, then go to a university in Japan.

Money is not a problem for me. I work from home, online, on a site as an independent contractor that allows me to take my work anywhere. The issue with this that I see is that if I came over on a student visa, how would my work apply to the 28 hours a week rule? Or would they not even have to know about my online job? Which country would I pay taxes to?

Also, is there any other sort of visa I could come over on? I tried looking at the work visas, and I know as an artist/model/entertainer, I would need a contract saying how often I work or when I get paid... So I don't know a work-around for that. I just figured the student visa would be my best shot, since I don't know much about self-sponsored visas either.

Also, another problem I encountered was trying to find a school that allows private accommodation instead of living in "dorms". I haven't looked TOO hard, but I still haven't found any from what I've looked through.

I'd like to be in the Tokyo area because I actually know some American and Japanese people there, but I do have other places in mind as well.


Please let me know if you have any suggestions for me based on visas, work, schools, or anything else I should consider before making preparations to move.

Thank you.


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## larabell

Coconaut said:


> The issue with this that I see is that if I came over on a student visa, how would my work apply to the 28 hours a week rule? Or would they not even have to know about my online job? Which country would I pay taxes to?


If you get paid for work performed in Japan, it's taxable in Japan. Unfortunately, if you're a US citizen, it's also taxable in the US. There's a treaty to prevent taxing the same income in both places but it still means two sets of forms and more complexity.

As for the 28-hour rule... I'm pretty sure working from home is still considered working from Immigration's point-of-view but it might not hurt to ask. It might be hard to hide your online work since, at some point, you're going to be bringing money over here to live on. But you might have some flexibility in how many hours you claim to have worked for that money. You can also apply for permission to work more than the 28 hours. Never having done that, I can't speak to the likelihood of approval but that's also worth asking about.



> Also, is there any other sort of visa I could come over on?


That's hard to say, not knowing anything about your employment. Any sort of working visa will require you to be able to prove you have a regular income that you can count on.


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## Coconaut

Thanks for your response.

So you're saying I don't have to pay taxes to both countries, just have to fill out forms for both?
On the site I work on, it's not based in the USA. They have countries where you can select to work in, so I'm wondering if I changed my to Japan, it'd be okay to do that? I'll try to get more information on that by emailing support.

I think the only two visas I'd fall under, work-wise, is the Artist visa and Entertainer visa. It's just that when I looked up what you need to qualify for the visa... It says that you need a contract saying how much make and how often you work? I'm purely indepedent... and independent contractor on the site. What I earn and how often I work is up to me. Is there any way to get around this or prove otherwise?


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## larabell

Coconaut said:


> So you're saying I don't have to pay taxes to both countries, just have to fill out forms for both?


No... I was talking about US citizens as an example (since that's the only case on which I can speak with confidence). I did say that your situation will depend on the tax treaties between Sweden and Japan (assuming you're a Swedish citizen). It also depends on whether Sweden expects their citizens to file tax returns even if they're living in another country. Unless someone else on the forum is from Sweden and happens to know the applicable laws, you'll probably have to do your own research.



> They have countries where you can select to work in, so I'm wondering if I changed my to Japan, it'd be okay to do that?


I have no idea but whatever you select won't matter to the Japanese tax authorities if you're physically living here when you perform the work. If, for example, you were a US citizen, it wouldn't matter to the US tax authorities, either, because the US taxes it's citizens on worldwide income no matter where they're living at the time (but not all countries do... you should check that out to be sure).

Un-selecting Sweden might save you from having taxes deducted up-front (assuming that's what's happening currently, as I believe you previously mentioned).



> I'm purely indepedent... and independent contractor on the site. What I earn and how often I work is up to me. Is there any way to get around this or prove otherwise?


You would need to ask someone at Immigration. You might try compiling a history of what you've been paid and when for the last several years. The goal would be to convince the Immigration officer who handles your application that you're not likely to become a financial burden while you're here. If you have a reasonable stash of cash to hold you over if work slows down, it might help to mention that. The more you can document, the better. But, like many things in Japan, visa applications are decided on a case-by-case basis so there's no way to say if you do A, B, and C you'll automatically be approved. It might help to have a Japanese guarantor. I would imagine self-sponsorship raises the bar for proving that you'll be able to make enough money to survive here on your own dime. That's the crux of what they're going to be looking for.


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## JerryDavid

Don't forget to register your pregnancy at the local city hall! They will provide you with a maternal and child health handbook and vouchers for free prenatal checkups!


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos

I'm a new member and therefore don't want to intrude in any major way, but I'm fairly surprised that no long-time member hasn't cautioned this woman about embarking on this journey at this stage in her life: pregnant, unmarried, split permanently from the father, her only income from this internet business, not apparently speaking Japanese, declaring that she feels she has the right to live out her dreams despite her situation and who is going to pay for her and her child's medical needs? The people of Japan? Why?

Plus, she feels her best chance other than as a student of obtaining a visa is to get a visa as an entertainer? What talent? I'd be afraid to ask. She sees the only problem that she needs a sponsor. She doesn't see that she'll be arriving in Japan very pregnant, as an entertainer? This sets off no bells of alarm?

She wants to enroll as a student but is miffed that the only living arrangements she sees are in dorms, and she wants private housing as a student? Does she know anything about Japan, even though she says she knows a few Westerners and Japanese in Tokyo area? I assume she is talking about subsidized student housing, because if not, she would just get it for herself. So, again, she is expecting the people of Japan to subsidize her, and at a much higher level that Japanese students forced to live in dorms? 

Again, I'm new. I leave it to high ranked members on what to do, if anything. Maybe nothing.


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## BBCWatcher

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> ...who is going to pay for her and her child's medical needs? The people of Japan? Why?


Are you aware that Japan has a demographic crisis? There aren't enough babies, quite simply. The people of Japan, through their elected representatives, are very happy to pay for babies, literally. reggers:

One probably has to be a _little_ "crazy" to emigrate anywhere, so that bridge is already crossed. If Japan wants to grant immigration permission to the original poster -- who will have a child born in Japan who "grows up Japanese," presumably -- who are we to judge?


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos

Uh, yeah I do know Japan. Let's not be politically correct, okay. The Japanese need babies, but that would be JAPANESE babies. That is their preference, not me involved at all. Again, let's not be politically correct. It is what it is. I've been in intense conversations with trusted Japanese.


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## larabell

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> The Japanese need babies, but that would be JAPANESE babies.


I don't think either one of you has nailed the real issue. The Japanese need taxpayers. And they need them soon because the number of retirees is growing while the number of young workers supporting those retirees is shrinking.

Babies are good but not if the cost of an extra taxpayer 20 years down the road is a mother who has to be supported until then. That's a short-term loss as far as the government is concerned. Now... if a whole family with one or two working (and tax-paying) adults and some number of children were to immigrate, the result would be in Japan's favor regardless of whether the children were or were not Japanese.

But... whether the children (or the adults, for that matter) will stay in Japan long enough to pay more into the system than they take out is purely speculation. A Japanese baby is more likely to live in Japan until the day they die. Babies that grow up in Japan, go to public school, and then move elsewhere when they graduate don't solve anyone's problem.

So, again, what Japan needs right now is taxpayers. They're loosening the requirements for visas for *professionals* because they make good taxpayers. Entertainers... not so good. Single entertainers with no obvious source of income... you're dreaming.


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