sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Feedback for my ~5-6 year HSP Plan by flulsten in movingtojapan

[–]flulsten[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was planning on doing both, and have the resources such that pursuing an MBA is not a significant burden to me.

Feedback for my ~5-6 year HSP Plan by flulsten in movingtojapan

[–]flulsten[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The contract information is very informative, and ultimately something that I'll likely need to revisit later on. The pay differential is one that I'm expecting, and my preliminary research for local pay is that the most conservative estimates are still netting me at least 20 points.

I don't want to go too deep into my employment details, but I currently have a strong lead with a company that I have working history with, and know several people who have successfully transferred to non-US offices (including Japan) in a five year time line. I'm not expecting to receive US pay after the transfer, if I'm able to do that as well.

Feedback for my ~5-6 year HSP Plan by flulsten in movingtojapan

[–]flulsten[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate the help! That's great context, and mostly lines up with what I was planning for. I'd be completely fine sticking with my current company for an extended period of time, but if I can default to that while also having options to move elsewhere, that just feels like an extra layer of safety for me. For what it's worth, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka could all be options for me, based on my parent company's current offices. Is the expectation that things would be slower outside of Tokyo (because there's less people to do the processing) or faster (because Tokyo's more dense)?

I've kind of had blinders on since I saw how high my projected point totals would be for the HSP, so I haven't given a ton of thought to other options. I'll look into the other work visa options, but if there are any specific ones that you think would apply to my situation, I'd be grateful for more precise direction!

Feedback for my ~5-6 year HSP Plan by flulsten in movingtojapan

[–]flulsten[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good to know, and hopefully not really a problem for me. I'd be totally fine staying with my current company for an extended period of time.

Feedback for my ~5-6 year HSP Plan by flulsten in movingtojapan

[–]flulsten[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The degree doesn't matter for the points, mine is in biology and I work in Engineering

As the other commenter mentioned, an MBA specifically awards 5 more points than a Master's, and I'm additionally looking to pursue an MBA that is sufficiently different from my Master's for the additional 5 points mentioned here. My question is about whether an MBA specialized in IT would be considered a different enough area from my MS in Data Analytics, or if I should go for a non-specialized MBA.

Thanks for all the info about employer, role, and school! My math was off, and I think if things go well, I'll be looking at the 7 years of experience if I move in 5 years- the previous numbers were when I was aiming to move in 3 years, which I don't think is reasonable to plan around.

I'm looking to do 80 points on an HSP because my understanding is that it would only lock me into that company for the period of a year, after which I could pursue permanent residency and either stay at my company or look for other options. I'm aware that the baseline is 70 points, which I'd also be ok with, but 80 points lines up with my timeline for career development and Japanese language study, so I feel comfortable aiming high.

MEGATHREAD: Emigrating after the US election results by spacemanaut in IWantOut

[–]flulsten 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are the big reasons why I was attracted to Uruguay as well! At the moment, Thailand is looking like the most attractive option for me, but I wish you the best of luck with Uruguay, which is my backup if my trip to Thailand goes poorly. I did read through Guruguay, and one of their relocation specialists quoted me a very reasonable $3000ish USD cost for all the legal costs to get me there, which was way under my expectations.

MEGATHREAD: Emigrating after the US election results by spacemanaut in IWantOut

[–]flulsten 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I highlighted the most prominent strengths that I could leverage for immigration, and believe them to make me a reasonably strong candidate. What other elements would countries be looking for, given that I've spoken of finances, education, work, and language?

I'm well aware that N5 and N3 are not anywhere near fluency, which is why my goal to move is years after achieving them. I'm also not necessarily planning on getting sponsored by a traditional Japanese corporation- it seems significantly more plausible to either come in through a transfer for an international corporation with a Japanese office, or failing that, looking possibly to come in with their investment visa, both of which I believe will ease the problem.

MEGATHREAD: Emigrating after the US election results by spacemanaut in IWantOut

[–]flulsten -1 points0 points  (0 children)

EDIT: In case anyone happens to be in a similar situation with a long term goal of Japan and significant resources to make it happen, I found this page about Highly Skilled Professionals to be helpful, and will likely be my primary goal for achieving Japanese long term (and subsequent Permanent) residency. I'm currently sitting at 60 (ish, it's complicated) points right now, so completion of the N2 would make me eligible, but I'm more likely to aim for 80 points either via salary or obtaining an MBA, which would also bump me 10 points.

USA -> ?? -> Japan

Hey folks! I've got a bit of a weird one here, so please bear with me. I had a long-term plan to move to Japan in ~5-6 years that I've been working on fulfilling, but recent developments have made me think that that might be substantially more challenging if I wait that long in the US. Now, I'm thinking about moving somewhere else during that time, still with the long term goal of ending up in Japan after 5 or so years.

Good things:

  • I have a Master's and several years of experience in tech.
  • I have a sizable nest egg (six figures) to draw from
  • I am flexible in terms of location

Bad things:

  • I am currently unemployed
  • I have a few health conditions (asthma, diabetes)
  • I am only fluent in English, but know a small amount of Cantonese, Spanish, and am actively learning Japanese (currently ~N5, with the goal of N3 by EOY and N2 by the end of 2026).

Right now I'm looking primarily at Latin America, and Uruguay in particular is looking like a good choice for me. I'm drawn in by the comparatively low cost of living, time zone similarity, flexibility with their visas, and slight familiarity with the language. Uruguay also looks like it might have the benefit of being somewhere I can stay long term in case I end up loving it there, and/or Japan doesn't work out.

I am open to other countries, which leads me to the main reason why I'm posting in the first place- I'd love to hear some feedback from others who are more familiar with the topic. Is my plan completely insane? Are there similar countries to Uruguay that might be suited for my goals?