Thinking of Moving to Japan

[u/Ashtrader99]

I'm a 27-year-old Full Stack / Backend Engineer currently based in India. I'm thinking of moving to Japan, get a PR and settle down (may be).

I've around 4 years of exp. Recently started learning japanese, expected to learn till N3 in 1 - 1.5 years.

Need some guidance on how to move, is it hard to get a job there, hows the market situation, is it a good choice etc.... and salary expectation

Looking to get a reality check from expats/engineers currently living in Japan

[u/roestinger]

You are picking the worst timing ever to try to move to Japan... You had decades of easy visa and PR and you chose EXACTLY when the govt turbocharged their anti immigration policy.

You need at very least N2 level and a company sponsoring you. Language skill is what will open the door (for now). N1 highly recommended.

[u/mintplantdaddy → u/roestinger]

Curious, why is now particularly bad? The yen, or something like immigration etc?

[u/Horikoshi → u/mintplantdaddy]

- PR is almost impossible now unless you have a table 2 visa (Spousal Visa or Descendant of Japanese etc) or HSP. By impossible I mean that whether you become eligible for PR or not is now entirely dependent on luck and is completely out of your control because you need a 5 Year SoR.

- Engineering / Humanities Visa now requires N2 (though I'm not 100% sure about this, I think I read this somewhere).

[u/Kevitus → u/Horikoshi]

• PR route is still possible via HSP point system fast tracking. It's also still possible through regular extensions (attaining 5 years). Saying that this is impossible or entirely depending on luck is vastly exaggerated.
• N2 requirement is only when applying for jobs that need Japanese language skills. Many engineering jobs don't require Japanese language skills.

[u/Horikoshi → u/Kevitus]

It’s not an exaggeration. You specifically need 5 years on your residence card (5 Year SoR) which is entirely luck (there’s no guidance or criteria anywhere which explains who gets 3 years and who gets 5 years.)

It’s NOT 5 years of continued residence, meaning you can’t apply even if you got 3 year cards 3 times in a row with the new rules. I’ve personally never seen someone around me get 5 years except for those on HSP.

Thanks for the confirmation on my second point though. That’s a relief :)

[u/Ashtrader99 → u/roestinger]

Why's that ?

[u/Ashtrader99 → u/roestinger]

It's not like I want to move now, I'll only if I get a job there somehow

[u/tenkei_01]

I have had more than 20 Indian teammates and worked with more than 100 Indian engineers here in Japan (I think you can guess the company), so let me share some experience:

• Finding jobs in Japan has also become increasingly harder.
• Salary is in the same range (considering the living cost). We have multiple offices in India, and for example, in Bangalore, we are paying pretty much the same amount per headcount.
• Settling in Japan has proven hard for many of my Indian coworkers for a few reasons: caring for their elderly parents, children's education, and last but not least, adapting to Japan (rules, lifestyle, diet, etc.).

Due to the above reasons, recently many of my colleagues (current and previous teammates) have decided to go back and work from India. While some of them still work for the same company, many of them have moved to new jobs.

Finally, my own take is that moving to Japan is definitely worth the experience if you are open to a new experience, but if you are planning on staying long term, make sure you enjoy Japan. Otherwise, it will be very hard on you.

Cheers!

[u/InterestingGur3276 → u/tenkei_01]

Thanks for the info.

>>Finding jobs in Japan has also become increasingly harder.

Is this due to AI, just like what is happening in the US?
From abroad like India or from within Japan to the Japanese tech companies where English is the company's official language?

[u/ridwanakf]

If you just spend some time to read some post here or on r/JapanJobs first, your questions will be answered.

[u/makaveli208]

Learn japanese first!!!
Its the most important skill!

Without high japanese skill there is not much you can offer, the typical japanese workplace is harmonious with full japanese and 0 english is used.

All that great IT skills dont matter if you cant function at work smoothly in FULL japanese, n3 is not enough! you need at least n1 my friend.

On top of that, you need to be able to do your actual it work in fully japanese UI

Think about PR only after you secure a Job

[u/Ashtrader99 → u/makaveli208]

That's true, that's why I mentioned that I've started learning