Hello, this is Ito of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. The number of new COVID infections is currently on a downward trend, in part due to the state of emergency now declared in 10 prefectures. However, whether or not to lift the state of emergency is still a difficult decision. The number of hospital beds, seriously ill patients, and the rise of COVID mutations are all urgent things to consider. But also, if the state of emergency is not lifted, then new entries into Japan will continue to be blocked; obviously, this has serious effects on foreign nationals and their families who will enroll in school or start a new job beginning in April.
Since the start of the pandemic last year, we have received many inquiries about applications for permanent residency, residence card renewals for current permanent residents, re-entry permits, and those with a status of residence like "Spouse of a Japanese National". In particular, we receive several inquiries a day by phone or e-mail about applying for permanent residency. In those cases, we first ask about the applicant's background to determine whether or not they meet the basic requirements. Although the Ministry of Justice has published guidelines on the application process on its website, they are difficult to find, so there are few people who know these guidelines exist.
※ Guidelines for Permanent Residence Permits (Revised on May 31, 2019) (Japanese, English)
Things to Consider
If you are thinking of applying for a Permanent Residence Permit, you may know that your current residence card must have the longest period of stay stipulated in "Appendix 2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act Enforcement Regulations". Currently, the longest period of stay is "5 years", but for the time being, even "3 years" will be treated the same.
Since an application for permanent residency is separate from an application to extend your current period of stay, if your current residence card is nearing expiration, you will still need to apply for an extension or change of status. Please note: if you are only given "1 year" after the Immigration Bureau's examination, you will no longer meet the requirements for permanent residency. Also, if your situation changes during your permanent residency examination, you will have to submit supplementary documents explaining why.
How long the Immigration Bureau's examination will take varies from each individual, and it may take more than a year (even almost two years). However, compared to last year, the overall review period seems to have shortened, and some applicants are able to complete the process in about 5-6 months.
We offer paid consulting services for individual and specific questions. Please contact us by phone or email if you would like to speak with one of our consultants.
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Permanent Resident Japan Requirements
If you have a work visa
- Be of good conduct
- No delinquent payments of resident tax, national health insurance, etc., no traffic violations or punishments such as imprisonment or fines, etc.
- Have sufficient assets or skills to make a living
- Have an annual income of at least 3 million yen, own a home, etc.
- Continuous stay in Japan of 10 years or more, 5 years or more of which were on a working visa status
- No more than a few months out of Japan in a 10-year period, etc.
- The current status of residence must have a period of stay of 3 or 5 years
- If you have a visa with a 1-year period of stay, you cannot apply for a permanent residence permit even if you meet the above conditions
If you have a Highly-Skilled Professional visa, or meet the qualifications of a Highly-Skilled Professional
- Be of good conduct
- No delinquent payments of resident tax, national health insurance, etc., no traffic violations or punishments such as imprisonment or fines, etc.
- Have sufficient assets or skills to make a living
- Have an annual income of at least 3 million yen, own a home, etc.
- Be in possession of 70 points or more, according to the highly-skilled professional point calculation table, AND have been in possession of 70 points or more 3 years prior
- Be in possession of 80 points or more, according to the highly-skilled professional point calculation table, AND have been in possession of 80 points or more for at least the last 1 year
If you have a Spouse of Japanese Resident visa, Spouse of Permanent Resident visa, or Dependent visa
- Be in a bona fide marriage for a continuous 3 years or more, and have lived in Japan for at least 1 continuous year
In the case of biological children, must have lived in Japan for at least 1 continuous year - The current status of residence must have a period of stay of 3 years or more
- If you have a visa with a 1-year period of stay, you cannot apply for a permanent residence permit even if you meet the above conditions
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Contact information below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
Please also visit our website dedicated to permanent residence applications.
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