Working abroad? Sweet. LDR? Not so much.

azuresunday — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:19:47 -0800

Visafilter: I've been hitting a brick wall with the Japanese consulate regarding same-sex partners and dependent-visa eligibility. Any Mefites have experience with this sort of thing? I'm a guy in my mid-twenties with a same-sex partner about the same age, and we've been together for six years. I've just been hired to teach English in Japan this spring, which I'm really excited about, and my SO has an interview lined up with the same company this weekend. I'm fairly confident he'll be hired as well (he's got much more teaching experience) but just in case, we're applying elsewhere and researching alternatives, including visa options.
I've found several unofficial websites like this one which mention it's now possible for a married same-sex partner to sponsor their accompanying spouse.
I've tried calling the local Japanese Consulate in Seattle to confirm or deny this, but the visa officer was out, and it seemed like no matter how I phrased the question, all I got back from the woman I spoke to was "Japan doesn't have a domestic partnership visa," which felt like a canned answer and didn't actually address my question.
What I want to know is whether a married (or in Washington State, domestic-partnered) couple is eligible to apply for the already-existent dependent visa, or perhaps some other type of visa I'm not aware of.
The SO and I aren't married - we've discussed getting hitched but we've held off due to R-71, and given the general lack of information from the Consulate, we aren't sure whether becoming domestic partners in Washington would do anything for my partner's visa eligibility anyway. Maybe a state offering full-on Marriage would be better?
I'd really appreciate any advice from Mefites who have either Japan-specific experience or those who have successfully negotiated similar problems before. Anything helps, really. Please let me know if you need more information, and thanks in advance.

Buddhist wedding tips?

frosty_hut — Thu, 17 May 2007 13:19:19 -0800

We've been invited to a Buddhist wedding. How can we stay faux-pas-free? We've never been to one of these, and have never been inside a temple. Is there anything I should expect around clothes, like taking off shoes or anything? My impulse would be to wear lighter colors, since it's a wedding and not a funeral, but are there any restrictions or expectations around attire?

Also, it's a same-sex marriage of two men, one of them a co-worker from my new job. I just met him and don't feel comfortable asking him all of this stuff, so I'm hoping you guys can help. Just don't want to be the straight, unenlightened dorks at this thing.

Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with same-sex

Working abroad? Sweet. LDR? Not so much.

Buddhist wedding tips?