moving to hawaii from japan; questions, concerns (job transfer, company)

[pansygal]

I suggest you should DM original poster since post was 2 years ago...

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by freeimprov

i'd actually thought about san francisco, too, but like the other poster said, it's even more expensive than hawaii, from what i've read. and although it supposedly has a large japanese community, i don't think it compares in that respect to hawaii. as far as i can tell, nothing does (well, except south brazil, i guess). it does look beautiful from what i've seen and heard, though, and if i was on my own, i'd probably consider it more seriously.

Jumping on the 'consider San Francisco' part of the thread.

I lived in San Francisco for a year (mainly because I knew it had a higher Asian population than elsewhere)...and the Japanese population is fairly small and very underrepresented within the Asian community. CHINESE is the dominant Asian ethnicity, with a whole lot of others - Filipinos, Vietnamese, Korean, etc. Japanese is there, but didn't REALLY seem there, if that makes sense.

Whereas, in HAWAII...you'll see and hear Japanese absolutely everywhere, and has a very strong presense in the overall culture.

----

Regarding this overall thread...yeah, the OP probably won't check here, but this is still a great thread to bring back, and who knows what or who else might post with info.

As a person who is also living in Japan and has a wife/son...HAWAII is also my IDEAL spot for myself, wife, and son. But, financially maybe not the most ideal.

[Ochasuki]

This thread is really old, but I have a similar question, so I'm bumping it.

Well, my husband is Japanese and I'm American. I'm 29 and he is 32. We got married in Maui over winter vacation and loved it, so we have been talking about the possibility of moving to Hawaii in the next two years or so. We'd like to live in Maui, but we understand that Oahu is where the job opportunities are so we'd like to start there.

As for our skills, I've been in Japan for the past 8 years and speak Japanese fluently. I've mainly taught English, but I've also done some translation and interpretation, and I have lead tour groups and planned events as well. My major was biochemistry and I have some experience working in a lab in uni, if that helps. I'd actually like a job not in teaching if I can help it. My husband doesn't speak more than the basics of English, but he will work on it before the move. He is currently selling life insurance. He is also good with computers and enjoys driving. We are both open to take any jobs we can get, as we are both flexible and neither of us are set in a certain career track. As for backup funds, we have over $20K in the bank and hopefully will add a lot to that by the time we move. It's just the two of us, no kids, but we plan on bringing our super chill kitty with us too.

Because we are coming from Japan, we are used to living in small places, expensive gas and groceries, island living, and discrimination against me for being white. These things don't bother me. I haven't really read anything negative about Hawaii that discouraged me, except for some estimates I read that it takes $125,000 a year to live comfortably. We live on about half that now and do just fine. We are generally frugal and don't have expensive interests, and we would like to continue that lifestyle after the move. We really loved the atmosphere and think the way of life in Hawaii fits with our outlook on life. I appreciate the advice in this thread. If anyone else has anything to add, I'm all ears.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Ochasuki

As for backup funds, we have over $20K in the bank and hopefully will add a lot to that by the time we move. It's just the two of us, no kids, but we plan on bringing our super chill kitty with us too.

How are you going to find a place to live with a cat and no jobs when you move?

Have a good plan on where you are going to live when your $20K runs out - back to Japan?

[Ochasuki]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

How are you going to find a place to live with a cat and no jobs when you move?

Have a good plan on where you are going to live when your $20K runs out - back to Japan?

I'm wondering the same thing. Of course we'll try to land jobs and a place to live beforehand, but I read that it's difficult to get hired unless you already live there. Catch 22? And yeah we would come back to Japan if we had to.

[nerdlette]

If your husband is not a US citizen or permanent resident, he will have to obtain an employment authorization document in order to be legally entitled to work here. You may want to look into that while you save and plan.

[Ochasuki]

Originally Posted by nerdlette

If your husband is not a US citizen or permanent resident, he will have to obtain an employment authorization document in order to be legally entitled to work here. You may want to look into that while you save and plan.

He is a Japanese citizen and has never lived or worked in America before, so I have been starting to look into visas. In Japan, I am on a spouse visa that is renewed yearly as I don't qualify for permanent residency yet. I can work without restrictions in Japan. I've been trying to find information about a similar kind of visa in America that allows work but isn't permanent residency, but all I can find info about is the green card. Would the green card be the right way to go, even if we aren't sure if we'd live in Hawaii permanently at first? Seems like it would suck to go through all the trouble of getting the green card, end up not making it and having to come back to Japan, and then losing the green card for not being a US resident anymore.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Ochasuki

He is a Japanese citizen and has never lived or worked in America before, so I have been starting to look into visas. In Japan, I am on a spouse visa that is renewed yearly as I don't qualify for permanent residency yet. I can work without restrictions in Japan. I've been trying to find information about a similar kind of visa in America that allows work but isn't permanent residency, but all I can find info about is the green card. Would the green card be the right way to go, even if we aren't sure if we'd live in Hawaii permanently at first? Seems like it would suck to go through all the trouble of getting the green card, end up not making it and having to come back to Japan, and then losing the green card for not being a US resident anymore.

These are better questions for the Embassy in Japan. They get inquiries like this all the time.

I believe the process is:

Apply for permanent residency - Form I-130

While that is pending - you apply for Non-Immigrant K-3 Visa, he can live/work in US while awaiting permanent residency.

Again, see the Embassy.

[Sherwoody]

This is a very common situation in Hawaii, I would contact the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu as they are most familiar with Hawaiian intricacies.

Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu

[nerdlette]

You will need to do paperwork to help him secure his papers. He can't just come and work in US.Contact the US Embassy in Japan. Check out Homepage | USCIS and VisaJourney - Your US Immigration Community (it's like City Data but for visas)