Permanent Residency Visa In Japan

Permanent Residency Visa In Japan has a relaxation of its immigration control, Permanent residency visa can be obtained as an alternative to the standard Long-Term Resident Visas, like working and spouse visas. This is also known as ‘Visa Code: Q’ and given mainly to spouses of Japanese Citizenship.

Permanent Residency Visa In Japan is granted to foreign nationals who have entered the country to reside there permanently and has no intention of returning to their home country. This visa has got the privilege of renewal without any restriction.

The Japanese government introduced new rules for the Permanent Residency Visa in Japan at the end of September 2012. Although the most talked about change was the hike in the processing fee, which saw applicants pay a whopping 5 million yen – up from 2 million – additional visa requirements were also introduced.

Permanent Residency Visa In Japan

Japanese permanent residency is different in that it gives you the same rights and privileges of a natural born Japanese Citizen. The most important difference with a visa is it cannot be cancelled. Your visa status can never be changed from permanent residency to a temporary status. If you are married with children, then applying for a spouse visa becomes unnecessary since your wife or husband already has the same rights and privileges as you once you are granted permanent residency in Japan.

Significant Changes in the Permanent Resident Visa Requirements

The guideline for the Permanent Resident Visa application has been modified on 26th April 2017 and the following exception has been added to the residency requirements.

The standard rule to qualify for the Permanent Resident visa is to have lived in Japan consecutively for 10 years, but it is now possible to apply for the Permanent Resident Visa if an applicant can show that he/she scores 70 points in this Point Calculation Table at the time of application and that he/she has been doing so at all times during the most recent 3 years of residency leading up to the application, or 80 points in the said Table during the past one year of residency leading up to the application.

This applies to applicants who currently hold:

(a) any type of work visa that is listed in one of the Highly Skilled Professional sub-categories (e.g. Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Intra-Company Transferee, Business Manager, Researcher, Professor),
(b) Spouse of Japanese National Visa, or (c) Long Term Resident visa.

However, please note that when applying for Permanent Residency, there are other requirements that must also be met. For example:

• The applicant needs to have a job in Japan that satisfies the point requirements at the time of application
• The applicant needs to have had a job in Japan 3 years or 1 year ago (as the case may be) that satisfies the point requirements
• The applicant needs to have paid taxes and contributions to the official Japanese social security system during the required period, based on a salary that is at least the same amount as the salary declared on the point chart
• The applicant needs a guarantor to support the application. This guarantor should either be a Japanese national or a non-Japanese national with Permanent Residency in Japan, and the guarantor needs to provide a few personal documents relating to his/her identity and income
• The applicant needs to have spent a significant amount of time physically in Japan during the years leading up to the application (more than 6 months usually)
• The applicant needs to have abided by laws and needs to be in compliance with the Immigration related procedures
• The applicant must have at least a 3 year visa at the time of the application, etc.