Hello, this is Kuwahara of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. For the past few years, it seems that the New Year's break is over in a flash. This is probably because January 4th, the day our offices open again, has fallen on a weekday. But somehow, it's already January 21st, and New Year's Day feels like a long time ago. I guess that's how fast the days are passing by.
It was announced at the end of the year that the restrictions on entry into Japan from abroad, which were scheduled to last until the end of the year, would be extended for the time being. In line with this, the suspension period for the application of the examination certificate (Shinsazumisho), which is required for visa application for new mid- to long-term residents from abroad, has also been extended.
The number of people infected by the Omicron variant has increased dramatically. Semi-emergency COVID-19 measures will also be applied, which may lead to further extension of the entry restrictions. Will the restrictions be lifted by the time the third dose of the vaccine and medication are available?
Criticism for Entry Restrictions
Recently, I have seen a lot of criticism for the immigration restrictions. Perhaps it is an extension of the criticism of entry restrictions, but I have also seen many articles on various news sites about Japan being abandoned by foreign countries and the outflow of human resources overseas. The articles seem to give the impression that Japan is a bad country (although their intention may be to say, "So let's do our best!") I'm a little disappointed by such articles. I guess it can't be helped that Japan is a culture where being modest is considered a virtue, but as I have become involved in residency applications for foreign nationals, I find this has given me more opportunities to reevaluate Japan.
Especially for Permanent Residence applications, an explanation letter stating the reason why the applicant wants to live in Japan permanently is required. When I ask the reasons to the foreign national applicants, they make me realize how wonderful Japan is.
I would like to share with all of you that things that are taken for granted in our daily lives in Japan are considered special by people in other countries.
Japan’s Top 5 Good Points
“This is why we want to live in Japan permanently!”
- It’s safe
- It’s clean
- The people are kind and polite
- The combination/coexistence of advanced technology and traditional culture
- The food
(Participants: Those who applied for Permanent Residence using IMS / Survey by Kuwahara)
Regarding No. 1 “It’s safe”, although there has been a lot of disturbing news lately, such as violent crimes and arson, looking at the news from other countries, this is a reason we can agree on.
I am deeply moved when I hear from several people, such as those who have lived in various developed countries or those who have visited more than 160 countries, that leaving Japan and living in other countries make them want to go back to Japan soon.
Many of the other reasons for wanting to live in Japan permanently make me think “That might be true” when I look around, and inspire me to intentionally retain them.
It is essential for the world to be a place where people from other countries live together. The Immigration Bureau seems to be exploring various ways to do so as well.
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001361884.pdf （Japanese site）
I, too, will choose to see the aforementioned articles about the crisis in Japan as inspirational, and I will continue to respect the wonderful things about Japan and try my best to help others through my work.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
Please also visit our website dedicated to permanent residence applications.
