New Life In Japan

Some of you may have remembered my past posts about leaving the US and living abroad in Japan. After a year’s planning and saving I was able to make it happen. The decision wasn’t an easy one, seeing as there is really no turning back. I’ve been in the US since I was 4yrs old and desired so much that the Dream Act would happen since 2001 when I was starting college. As the years went by we saw other possible chances. In 2010 we were so close and nothing. Was about to give it all up and had planned to leave a little after that defeat but soon enough 2012 came and we were granted DACA. I am so grateful for that because it allowed me to leave a crappy factory job and finally use my degree and obtain a better way of life. 5 years later and I started to feel once again trapped that I couldn’t do the one thing I had always wanted to, which is to travel outside the US. When Trump came in and messed DACA and eventually removed AP. It was time to decide. I am not getting any younger and can’t keep hoping that something may or may not happen and watch the years go by. Can’t live a normal life not knowing whether or not we will still have DACA in a near future. It is hard to make long term plans living that way. Rather start from scratch somewhere else and do things right on my own. I can legally be here, work, study, travel in and out as I please and get to be somewhere I’ve always wanted to come to. I will face my own hardships here like in any new place. I am aware I am more foreign here than back home but I am ready to take on those challenges. I have a network of friends here and so far people have been welcoming. I like the culture, the people, the food, and my Japanese is improving at a much faster rate.

Before moving to Japan I first when to my home country Mexico for 2 weeks where I had a blast. Met lots of family I didn’t even knew I had and others I had completely forgotten about. Did some sightseeing and know I can return to it in the near future and visit once more. I had to go to Mexico anyway to finalize my visa to Japan.

To those that have stayed by choice or not I still wish you the best of luck and still hope something does eventually happen but remember the US isn’t the only place to succeed in. I owe a lot to the US and am grateful to have been raised there. I still consider it home and hope to visit again in the future. There’s many more countries in the world that are willing to welcome us. If any of you have questions on the process or others in general I’ll be more than happy to answer them. I write this not with the intent to brag but rather to give additional knowledge and describe an alternative choice that some of you may wonder to make.

Congrats to your new endeavor. Hope you find a nice Japanese lady to marry!

Glad to hear Japan has worked out for you!

Congratulations on making the move! How did you manage to immigrate over to Japan?

Brave!

JET... or are you trying to japanese DACA ?

Wow mad respects for you bro better now while youre young than when youre old and arent able to

Thanks. I applied to a student program and also allows me to work. After being accepted they just required me to prove enough money was in my account to sustain myself and the course. Once approved then they sent me the approval letter with the certificate of eligibility for me to take to immigration and get the visa.

Sadly we can't do it through JET. :/
Had to be the other way.

Congrats! How was the process? And what did you do to legally move to Japan? I have been to Asia before and my team is to become a commercial pilot. Like you said, we’re not getting younger and I’m most likely going to follow your foortsteps and leave the US.