2025-09-14

A Spouse Visa is a residence status available to foreigners married to Japanese nationals. One screening criterion is whether the applicant can maintain a financially stable life in Japan. But if either the applicant or the Japanese spouse is unemployed, does that mean the visa won’t be granted?

What is a Spouse Visa?

A “spouse visa” refers to the residence status available to foreigners residing in Japan who marry a Japanese national.

While commonly called a “spouse visa,” the official name is actually “Residence Status: Spouse or Child of Japanese National.” This status is available not only to foreigners married to Japanese nationals, but also to foreigners who have been specially adopted by a Japanese national or were born as the child of a Japanese national.

To obtain a “Spouse Visa,” the applicant must prepare the application form and required documents, then submit them to the Immigration Bureau (Regional Immigration Bureau) with jurisdiction over the applicant’s address. The Immigration Bureau then conducts an examination to determine whether to grant permission.

Examination Criteria for the Spouse Visa

There are two main criteria for examining the “Spouse Visa” application.

The first is the “authenticity of the marriage,” meaning it is not a sham marriage.

For example, if the couple’s dating history is extremely short or there is a large age difference between spouses, suspicion of a sham marriage is likely during the review. Furthermore, if both spouses are unemployed, it inevitably means the foreign national will work in Japan. This raises suspicion that the marriage to a Japanese national was for the purpose of working in Japan.

To prove this “authenticity of the marriage,” it is crucial to carefully explain how the couple met and the circumstances leading to their marriage in the “Statement of Reasons” submitted with the application.

The second criterion is “financial stability,” meaning there must be assurance of an economically stable life.

If the applicant or Japanese spouse lacks a stable foundation for living in Japan (such as stable employment), obtaining permission becomes difficult. Therefore, if both spouses are unemployed or in non-regular employment, the probability of rejection increases.

How to apply when unemployed?

Should applicants or Japanese spouses who are unemployed simply give up on applying for a “Spouse Visa”? Absolutely not. What matters is having an economic foundation that allows for the stable continuation of married life.

The amount of welfare benefits received serves as a guideline for determining whether this “economic foundation” exists. Welfare eligibility criteria vary by region, but generally, the annual threshold for a couple is said to be 1.6 million yen. Additionally, 780,000 yen is added per dependent child.

Therefore, for a family consisting of a couple and one child, if the annual income falls below approximately 2.4 million yen, they would be eligible for welfare. In other words, if your income is above this amount, even if you are unemployed or not a full-time employee, you are likely to be judged capable of maintaining a stable life, making you eligible for a “Spouse Visa.”

Furthermore, even if your annual income is low, having substantial savings (tens of millions of yen) can demonstrate the ability to maintain a stable life. The same applies if you can receive financial support from relatives or other sources.

Summary

One criterion for granting a “spouse visa” is the presence of an “economic foundation.” However, being unemployed does not automatically lead to rejection. The decision is made based on all factors, including whether substantial savings exist or if financial support is available from relatives.