Japanese citizens living abroad OFFTOPIC about visa requirements and cost in various countries

[misa.j]

In Europe, it seems that at least a few countries do not have spouse or permanent visas at all (e.g. Belgium). My wife doesn't need any visa to stay in Belgium, just register the act of marriage at the local town hall. That's simple and doesn't cost anything, but she has no proof that she can live in and work there for employers (she doesn't need one, but most employers don't know that, so I am not sure it's a better system

Wow, so practically, does that mean she can get a job without a work permit and live as long as she would like to after entering the coutry with a tourist visa?

The process of getting a Permanent Resident status in the US was long; I had three interviews including the one in Japan to get my K-1(fiance) visa, fingerprinting, waiting for three to six months to hear from the immigration office, and the fee cost $315 only for adjusting the status.
I think I have paid close to $1,000 for everything.

I wonder what kind of requirements you need to become a PR in other Asian countries.

[Maciamo]

Wow, so practically, does that mean she can get a job without a work permit and live as long as she would like to after entering the coutry with a tourist visa?

Almost. She just has to register our marriage certificate at the town hall, and in case of divorce she could not stay (or at least work) in the country anymore. This is for Japanese citizens, but the rules are surely different for other nationalities (i.e. developing countries).

The process of getting a Permanent Resident status in the US was long; I had three interviews including the one in Japan to get my K-1(fiance) visa, fingerprinting, waiting for three to six months to hear from the immigration office, and the fee cost $315 only for adjusting the status.
I think I have paid close to $1,000 for everything.

Wow ! That's much more of a hassle in the US. I didn't get any interview and paied $70 in total for the Japanese PV. The thing that seemed to matter most was the stability of my annual revenues. But it also took 7 months to get a reply.