This is Kuwahara of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. The format of application forms for various statuses of residence have continued to change one after the other since the end of last year.
The updated forms can be downloaded from the following links:
http://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/index.html (Japanese)
https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/procedures/index.html (English)
Official Seals
First, the representative organization no longer needs to provide their seal on the last page of the "For Organization" application form. ("Organization" refers to the company, school, etc. to which the applicant belongs.) This change was made as a result of the government's recent policy to eliminate the use of official seals on administrative documents. In addition, the Letter of Guarantee (身元保証書, mimoto hoshosho) no longer needs a seal, either.
New Requirement Regarding Insurance Coverage
Additionally, from the end of March, it is now necessary to enter the employment insurance coverage business number on application forms for select work visas.
As a general rule, if you employ even one worker, your business to pay required labor insurance premiums. Failure to follow this procedure may result in late fees, additional charges, and eventual seizure of your property. If you are an employer with at least one worker and have not yet completed the procedures for unemployment insurance, please consult with Hello Work and other agencies immediately.
I assume that this measure was taken due to the increase in unemployment as a result of COVID-19. If a company does not follow the required procedures for labor insurance and social insurance, or if they follow the procedures but do not pay the insurance premiums, the applicant's period of stay may never get longer than 1 year per renewal. Employees should also check with their employers to make sure that they are paying their taxes properly. The employer's failure to comply with the law may result in the denial of the applicant's status of residence application.
If you are considering applying for permanent residency, please make sure that your company is paying your pension insurance premiums. These applications are rigorously examined to see if pension premiums have been properly made. In some cases, the premiums are not being paid even if they are deducted from your salary. In this case, you can go to the pension office to correct your pension record. Be sure to keep the relevant documents (pay stubs, etc.) on hand to prove it.
Procedure for Requesting Correction of Pension Records (Japanese only)
Validity of Previous Application Forms
On another note, if the application form is changed, how long will the old form be accepted? The Immigration Bureau does not have a strict time limit; however, if it has been more than three months, you will be asked to change to the new format. Even if there are other changes in the law, there are many cases where a grace period is given to allow the previous form being used "for the time being".
We at IMS consistently handle with a large number of applications and visit the Immigration Bureau every week. This allows us to quickly catch up with changes in the application process and respond flexibly.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
