We had an exchange student from Japan several years ago and she has become a close family friend visiting repeatedly over the years. She has completed college in Japan and would like to move here to work and eventually marry.

Her college studies were something along the lines of pre-law, but her subsequent work experience has just been in retail. She is proficient at piano and could probably teach lessons here. Our area has a population of Japanese families here due to the auto industry so she could perhaps market directly to them.

Not sure any of that is useful for immigration purposes. The immigration sites seem to indicate that specific technical skills and an employer willing to sponsor are necessary.

Any advice?

Employment based visas have specific requirements, and the applicant must have US employer who is willing to hire and sponsor visa.

The process involves labor department and there are certain requirements that must be carried out by the employer. I suggest you find her a job first and then she will need an experienced immigration lawyer.

We had an exchange student from Japan several years ago and she has become a close family friend visiting repeatedly over the years. She has completed college in Japan and would like to move here to work and eventually marry.

Her college studies were something along the lines of pre-law, but her subsequent work experience has just been in retail. She is proficient at piano and could probably teach lessons here. Our area has a population of Japanese families here due to the auto industry so she could perhaps market directly to them.

Not sure any of that is useful for immigration purposes. The immigration sites seem to indicate that specific technical skills and an employer willing to sponsor are necessary.

Any advice?
Most countries, including Japan and the United States, require a work visa applicant (both the foreign individual and the sponsoring company) to argue why this particular individual should be allowed to work-- what particular skills that person has that would be unique and otherwise not available from citizens of that country. Essentially for immigration authorities this is always a case of "taking away jobs" from nationals of the hosting country, even when in fact it's not really that big a deal. This is why it's usually very hard to get such a visa unless one has already gotten assurance from a company that they will hire you and sponsor your visa. When you're sponsored by a company in that country, they handle all legal aspects and usually do most of the application for you.

Unlike the States, countries like Australia, with a low population density and a lack of skilled migrants in certain areas, are almost desperate for in-migration of skilled individuals-- to the extent that if you have the desired skills, you can become a permanent resident of Australia before you even move there, and become a citizen within a matter of years. Unfortunately the US is the complete reverse of that, and aside from getting married or being a relative of a US citizen, there are few "fast-tracks."

So I suggest that your friend either try to get hired by an American company or a Japanese company that does business in the States (and would post her there), that she comes here for additional schooling (perhaps on a good scholarship from her government or from the United States-- one possibility being the East-West Center at the University of Hawail, which can offer a full scholarship)-- and then while on a study visa to aggressively look to get hired. Students in the States usually have an extended year on their visa to do work training experience, which allows them to work in the States on an internship, and often they get hired and get green cards as a result.