---
name: "chapan-visa"
description: "Research and track Japanese visa pathways for the Chapan Hokkaido relocation, evaluated against Daniel's family profile. Use when the user says \"chapan visa\", /chapan-visa, asks which visa fits, or wants visa requirements/rules checked or refreshed. Searches official sources (ISA, MOFA, JETRO), writes/updates D:\\Repos\\Chapan\\visa\\*.md dossiers with a source URL and retrieved date."
---

## chapan-visa — visa pathway research & tracking

Tracker root: `D:\Repos\Chapan`. Dates = America/Los_Angeles. Goal: find and track the visa pathway(s) that get Daniel's family to Hokkaido (rural-inclusive) and ideally toward permanent residency.

### Step 1 — Context
Read `profile.md` (citizenship, employer/transfer, degree, income, Japanese level, family) and `visa/README.md` + existing `visa/*.md`. Eligibility is judged against the profile — if a gating field is `TBD`, note it and proceed with best-effort, flagging the gap.

### Step 2 — Research
Scope: a named pathway, or `all` / `refresh`. Use **search web + web_fetch + browser** against official sources first:
- Immigration Services Agency (isa.go.jp), MOFA (mofa.go.jp), JETRO (jetro.go.jp), and the HSP points sheet.
- Seed queries live in `resources.md` (e.g. "Japan highly skilled professional visa points 2026").
Candidate pathways to consider: Intra-company Transferee, Highly Skilled Professional (points), Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/Int'l Services, Business Manager, J-Skip/J-Find, Digital Nomad (scouting only), Dependent, Spouse. Note that rural programs like 地域おこし協力隊 are NOT visas — the holder still needs a residence status; cross-reference `programs/`.

### Step 3 — Write/update `visa/<slug>.md`
Frontmatter:
```
type: chapan-visa
pathway: <name>
slug: <slug>
fit: strong | possible | weak | n/a
status: researching | viable | pursuing | ruled-out
official_source: <url>
retrieved: <YYYY-MM-DD>
updated: <YYYY-MM-DD>
```
Body: requirements; **eligibility check against this family's profile** (point-by-point); cost & processing time; **path to permanent residency**; how dependents (spouse/kids) are handled; pros/cons specifically for a *rural Hokkaido* move; open questions. For HSP, compute an estimated points total from the profile and show the breakdown.

### Step 4 — Evidence + gaps
Save a raw snapshot of substantive searches to `research/YYYY-MM-DD-visa-<slug>.md` (URLs + key quotes). If a profile gap blocks assessment, add it to `profile.md`'s open-questions list and to `status.md` next actions.

### Refresh mode
Re-check any pathway whose `retrieved` is >90 days or whose `status` is `viable`/`pursuing`, looking for rule changes; bump dates and note deltas.

### Rules
- Always cite an official `official_source` + `retrieved` date. Mark inferred/uncertain items **UNVERIFIED**.
- This is research, not legal advice. For decisions, recommend confirming with ISA or a licensed immigration specialist (行政書士 / immigration lawyer).
- Private data — keep in the vault.