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Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

asia.nikkei.com

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Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#21

Post by informatimago »

mytailorisrich wrote: post #4
andybak wrote: post #2

The salary requirement seems harsh for people working on non-profit, self-funded or early-stage.

Obviously this type of visa is aimed at getting people to spend money in the country. Why would they want people with no money?

Well, the digital nomad doesn't spend a lot of money. Some on accommodation, some for internet, some for food, and that's it. He spends his time remote working on his laptop. His income is paid offshore.

Apart from the tourist aspect of it, the point of a digital nomad is to save money on rent, food and taxes, not to spend all your money in a foreign country.

Of course, a business hub, or a technological hub can attract digital nomads punctually, even if accommodations are more expensive.

Now Japan has a problem with its age pyramid and desertification of its country side. So it should be possible to attract digital nomad for longer and cheaper stays, even if they don't have a lot of money (to spend in Japan), at least that's good for the young body count, and perhaps they'd eventually fixate and have families. But again, this wouldn't be a six-month thing, they would have to add more incentive (free or $1-house in the countryside with minimal occupancy, good internet connection (I don't know if Japan has 100% territory fiber coverage) (that said nowadays there's Starlink), etc.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#22

Post by sebg »

arwineap wrote: post #7

Has anyone done the digital nomad thing with children? It'd be great if childcare/schooling was easier overseas, maybe even an opportunity for kids to get an early mind opening experience

If you haven’t run into it, the keyword you're looking for is "world schooling". I have some friends who home school and they decided to travel while doing it. They move to a location for a few months and use a "world school" in the new location. The school is global and has a ton of branches in different countries so there is continuity in philosophy and assessment and whether the kids are curriculum-wise.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#23

Post by oldtownroad »

alibarber wrote: post #20
oldtownroad wrote: post #16

“The most similar existing status is usually used by tourists, does not allow work and allows a maximum stay of just 90 days” I don’t think that’s correct. A tourist visa doesn’t allow you to work locally but they do not limit working remotely for an overseas company. For example, if you’re on vacation in Japan from the US and an emergency happens at work, you can join a call without risk of deportation.

No, this is the correct interpretation in a lot of countries, you are performing paid work there regardless of who and where the employer is. Emergencies are all well and good, but turning up at the immigration desk and saying you don’t plan on working when you actually do will lead to trouble in a lot of places.

Can you share the tourist visa regulations for Japan that say this? I haven’t been able to find any. Thank you :)

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#24

Post by true_religion »

walthamstow wrote: post #12
arwineap wrote: post #7

Has anyone done the digital nomad thing with children? It'd be great if childcare/schooling was easier overseas, maybe even an opportunity for kids to get an early mind opening experience

If you're not paying tax in a country it's a bit out of order to send your kids to their schools.

I would assume the kids would go to private schools. Probably necessary since they're traveling so much that they need to follow a foreign curriculum or an international one like IB.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#25

Post by NineStarPoint »

alibarber wrote: post #14
walthamstow wrote: post #10

180 days with a salary threshold and country restrictions, or 90 days pretending to be a tourist. I know which I'd choose.

Pretending to be a tourist is a good way to get deported usually in a lot of places.

Is it? I know that legally they could deport you so its not a great idea, but how often does someone actually get deported for doing remote work while spending a few months in another country?

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#26

Post by catherinecodes »

alibarber wrote: post #14
walthamstow wrote: post #10

180 days with a salary threshold and country restrictions, or 90 days pretending to be a tourist. I know which I'd choose.

Pretending to be a tourist is a good way to get deported usually in a lot of places.

Someone working in a foreign country for a few months is a tourist for all practical purposes.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#28

Post by mc32 »

walthamstow wrote: post #12
arwineap wrote: post #7

Has anyone done the digital nomad thing with children? It'd be great if childcare/schooling was easier overseas, maybe even an opportunity for kids to get an early mind opening experience

If you're not paying tax in a country it's a bit out of order to send your kids to their schools.

You can send them to private schools -which you may want to do anyway if they don't speak Japanese.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#29

Post by prg20 »

andybak wrote: post #2

The salary requirement seems harsh for people working on non-profit, self-funded or early-stage.

Totally. They should allow anyone, even those with no income, to come to their country and use their services for nothing in return. We can see how well that's worked in the US.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#30

Post by mc32 »

andybak wrote: post #2

The salary requirement seems harsh for people working on non-profit, self-funded or early-stage.

They don't want pretenders. They want people who are going to be productive and bring something to the country. They're not looking for "backpackers," they're looking for well paid professionals who will spend money and also conform better (these people would hire people to do paperwork, translate, etc., rather than drain local resources.)

People may not agree with the above, but that's what they want, and I can't blame them for wanting good for their country.

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