Hello, this is Kou from IMS. While the weather is already gradually shifting to spring, the season of hay fever is also upon us, so I would like to urge those of you that usually experience symptoms to take good care of your health.
Today, I would like to talk a little about visas (status of residence) and social insurance (pension and health insurance).
Actually, around the end of last year, I saw an article titled "Failure to pay social insurance premiums, residency not approved in Japan". In other words, the policy is intended to address the increase in the number of foreigners in Japan and the large number of people who have failed to pay their insurance premiums.
Social Insurance
In Japan, basically, all employees working for a company are covered by Social Insurance, while those who are self-employed or freelance workers are covered by National Health Insurance and National Pension. Foreigners are also required to enroll if they are at least 20 years old and registered as a resident of Japan. Moreover, since enrollment is compulsory and a payment slip will be sent to you before you know it, it is often a surprise to first-time visitors of Japan.
By the way, it is still unclear when the above policy will start and whether it will cover all working visa holders, but it is of great interest to foreign residents of Japan. If you are an employee of a company and are covered by social insurance, the premiums are basically deducted from your salary, so unless the company is dishonest, you should not be in arrears. However, there are many foreigners who are not enrolled in social insurance but enrolled in National Health Insurance by themselves due to small companies or company circumstances, and who do not pay their premiums. These people must be careful from now on.
Until now, it has been considered a rather minimal evaluating factor depending on whether or not one has been fulfilling their official obligations, but from now on, it is likely to have a direct impact on decisions for renewal permission, period of stay, and permanent residence applications.
Overdue on Insurance Premiums?
And as some of you may know, if you are long overdue on your insurance premiums, you will receive a demand letter, and if you still do not pay, your bank account will be seized and the premiums will be deducted from that account. This is a privilege of the Japanese government. I heard from a Japanese person who used to be a bank employee that if there is a person in long-term arrears, the ward office will send a letter of inquiry to the bank in question to see if the person in arrears has an account with them.
In fact, my sister-in-law once received a notice from the ward office that her account at Japan Post Bank had been seized when she had failed to pay her health insurance premiums as an international student. It is a scary situation. Of course, it is the fault of those who have been in arrears for a long period of time, but I question whether it is fair to be forced to join the program regardless of whether or not one wishes to do so. Still, there may come a time when you rush to the hospital and only have to pay 30% of the cost, and realize it was a good thing you had insurance after all.
Effects on Applications
Recently, the payment status of such insurance premiums is becoming a subject of examination in the screening of applications for permanent residence. Those with social insurance may not have to worry too much, but those with a history of overdue payments of National Health Insurance premiums or those who are not enrolled in the National Pension Plan need to be careful. We have heard from many people that they were asked by the Immigration Services Agency to submit documents showing their payment status during the permanent residence examination. Since there are so many applicants for permanent residence today, it is easy to be rejected if there is even the slightest flaw in your residency status.
As the saying goes, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," and there is no better way to do your duty than to obey the laws of the country in which you are residing. As the number of foreigners increases, it is only natural that regulations will become stricter, since it is essential to protect the interests of one's own citizens.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
