I just got some wonderful news !

[Yakumo]

Today I got a call from the Shimonoseki city office telling me that I've been accepted and given permanent residents status in Japan !! Basically this means no more VISA !! No more bull shit from companies about VISA rules ! No more crap from people at the immigration office ! No more fucking Gaijin Card !! I hate those bloody things. Feel like a prisoner having to show that when asked. No more worrying about not having a wife then losing a VISA. No need to worry about loosing a VISA due to not having a job ! So in other words I can now live in either Japan or the UK without any hassles, questions or what ever :dance:

Yakumo

[babu]

congratulations!
from what I understand it's realy hard to get approved, so I'm guessing your really happy

[ccovell]

Congratulations! Now you can vote the crooks out of office in the next election!

What am I saying???!? The Diet would be empty if that happened. ;-D

[Yakumo]

congratulations!
from what I understand it's realy hard to get approved, so I'm guessing your really happy

Yes, it is hard to get approved. In fact I didn't even expect to be approved since I don't have anything to offer that a Japanese can't do. I sent my application in last November and had forgotten all about it so you can guess my surprise when I got a call this afternoon.

Still can't vote though since I'm still a British citizen. Only Japanese citizens can vote. no big loss there though. They're all as bad as each other.

Yakumo

[Warakia]

Congratulations, lucky guy! I really hope I can say the same in the future.

Enjoy the next time you re-enter Japan and walk right through Japanese isle at the airport. Do you get some kind of card or medal to show off this status to replace the damned gaikoku card?

OT friend of mine lost her gaijin card, she is also chinese... She spent about a day at a goverment office getting a new one - nightmare. They threatened to deport her and she would have to get a new visa in China before returning!

[Yakumo]

THe people at the goverment offices are lazy sods !! YOu find that tpo be the case with any goverment place in Japan apart from the post office that is. I really hate going to any of those places such as the imigration office, tax office, city office and so on. They always seem to look down on you. There's only one yongish guy at the imigration office that's cool with people. He was the one who I saw.

Yakumo

[_skitzo_]

Hey man thats good to hear ^_^ congrad, I get to go back next year for my friends wedding :D

[Warakia]

When I first got my gaijin card at an imigration office, they kept me hanging around for about 4 hours while they went through the process. Not that they needed me at all, they just liked me there, then they just sent me home. The women at those places are always cool to me, but the guys treat you like smeg. My advice to any guy without perfect polite japanese sorted is to grab a japanese guy to go with you, otherwise you will extend the visit by about an hour. I was alright but the keigo the guy used to me was solid - I did not get half of it, there was a lot of guess work going on!

In contrast, on the way home I brought a mobile phone at docomo which took about 5 minutes!

[Mark30001]

I can imagine what you went through Yakumo. Here in the states, they're all real arses over at the INS centers, and treat foreigners like they aren't worth anything. It's a pain waking up early in the mornings every few months just to wait in a line for hours to come, just to enter a building with another line inside!

You might not even be lucky and they might tell you to go home! Luckily, I've become a US citizen just recently! :dance:

How long have you been living in Japan now?

[madhatter256]

So are you going to dump your wife now that you no longer need her??? Don't worry thats not a serious question lol.

Congrats on becoming a Japanese citizen!!

[Yakumo]

How long have you been living in Japan now?

Been here for about 8 years now. Normally the amount of time doesn't matter but I guess it can help. The only real sure way to get residents in Japan is if you can do something that will be a benifit to Japan. So God knows why I got one so easily? But hey, I'm not going to complain :033:

So are you going to dump your wife now that you no longer need her???

what ever could you mean? :fresh: :dance:

Yakumo

[Importaku]

Omedetou gozaimasu you lucky git

But you do, do somthing for japan (^_^)

You help their economy by exporting their games supply direct to my house. Without you nintendo would collapse :-)

[SuperGrafx]

Great news!
From what I've read that's not exactly easy.
Good luck nonetheless, enjoy your new resident status.

[GaijinPunch]

They are really weird about that. I know some people who've gotten it who are way out of place in Japan, and some that fit in perfectly that get rejected.

No more bull shit from companies about VISA rules

Eeew... they weren't playing that card on you, were they? You know it's a bluff right? They're the ones that take shit for pulling your visa.

But, congrats anyway. Even on 3-year visas, the chore of going down there and renewing everything sucks.

[Hazuki]

Been here for about 8 years now. Normally the amount of time doesn't matter but I guess it can help. The only real sure way to get residents in Japan is if you can do something that will be a benifit to Japan. So God knows why I got one so easily? But hey, I'm not going to complain :033:

what ever could you mean? :fresh: :dance:

Yakumo

8 years :oh: OMG now you are officialy Japanese :evil: [in a way ^^]

As for the benefit for japan, does importing saturn titles count :p Well does for the rest of us :pray:

[velcrostrapshoes]

THe people at the goverment offices are lazy sods !! YOu find that tpo be the case with any goverment place in Japan apart from the post office that is. I really hate going to any of those places such as the imigration office, tax office, city office and so on. They always seem to look down on you. There's only one yongish guy at the imigration office that's cool with people. He was the one who I saw.

Yakumo

I think that might be a universal thing.. It's just like that in the US.. Any american who's been to a DMV can attest to that. Government workers are government workers no matter where in the world.

[Kittyhawk]

Congratulations! You should celebrate. Have an Internet beer! pub:

[Perkunas]

THe people at the goverment offices are lazy sods !! YOu find that tpo be the case with any goverment place in Japan apart from the post office that is. I really hate going to any of those places such as the imigration office, tax office, city office and so on. They always seem to look down on you. There's only one yongish guy at the imigration office that's cool with people. He was the one who I saw.

Yakumo

All you need is some Kone (connections) and Jinmyaku (informal networks with people in poltical/economical/administrative sectors). ;)

But I am really glad for you. :)

[liquitt]

Great! Congratulations, now enjoy it in any way ;)