Hello, this is Iwaya of IMS. We received many inquiries last week. Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, entry into Japan remains subject to strict restrictions; however, it seems that there are still many foreign nationals who are considering coming to Japan.
For this post, I will be talking about an inquiry we received about a case in which one’s period of stay for their “dependent (family stay)” visa was reduced to 6 months from 1 year upon renewal of their visa. I believe there are many people like this inquirer whose period of stay for their “dependent” visa has been shortened, compared to before.
Change of Duration for Periods of Stay
From April 2021, the “Ministerial Ordinance for the Partial Amendment of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act” was put into effect, and the period of stay for the “dependent” and “student” visas was changed. The following depicts the periods of stay before and after the amendment was implemented.
Period of Stay Before Amendment
“Dependent (Family Stay)”: 5 years, 4 years and 3 months, 4 years, 3 years and 3 months, 2 years and 3 months, 2 years, 1 year and 3 months, 1 year, 6 months or 3 months
“Student”: 4 years and 3 months, 4 years, 3 years and 3 months, 3 years, 2 years and 3 months, 2 years, 1 year and 3 months, 1 year, 6 months or 3 months
Period of Stay After Amendment
“Dependent (Family Stay)”: A period of stay designated by the Minister of Justice for each individual foreign national within a period not exceeding 5 years.
“Student”: A period of stay designated by the Minister of Justice for each individual foreign national within a period not exceeding 4 years and 3 months.
- Appendix 2 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (related to Article 3)
What does this mean for me?
In other words, for “dependent” visas, while the maximum period of stay is 5 years, which is the maximum period for a work visa held by the main body (supporter), the Minister of Justice will designate the dependent’s period of stay individually according to the remaining period of stay of the main body (supporter). As for “student” visas, while the maximum period of stay is 4 years and 3 months, the Minister of Justice will designate the period of stay individually according to the period of time until graduation.
For example, before the amendment, when one renewed their “dependent” visa under the situation that the remaining period of stay of the main body (supporter) was 2 years and 3 months or more, a period of stay of 3 years was granted for their “dependent” visa. However, after the amendment, the period of stay granted is designated based on the remaining period of stay of the main body (supporter), as described above.
The periods of stay granted to foreign students for whom we carried out applications by proxy indicate that the period of stay granted after the amendment differ from the periods before the amendment, such as 4 months, 11 months, and so on.
Extra periods of stay are no longer granted like before.
However, if granted a period of stay of less than 3 months, one may no longer be classified as a “mid-to-long-term resident”, who is subject to residency management, so in most cases, I believe applicants will be granted a period of stay of at least 4 months in order to maintain the applicant’s status of “mid-to-long-term resident”.
Summary
In conclusion, please be aware of the changes that have occurred in the period of stay for "dependent" and “student" visas. We, at IMS, handle many applications for the renewal of "dependent" and "student" visas, as well as applications for the Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Please feel free to contact us if you would like to invite your family from overseas or if you are a university official who would like to accept overseas students.
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For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
