To apply for a permanent residence permit, you must meet the following requirements．
| １．Be of good conduct －No fines, imprisonment, or serious traffic violations. ２．Have sufficient assets or skills to earn an independent living －Have a household income of at least 3 million yen annually for the last 5 years. ３．Have a good reason to believe that his/her permanent residence is in the best interest of Japan －have paid taxes (for the last 5 years), social insurance and pension (for the last 2 years) by the due date ４．Have been continuously residing in Japan for at least 10 years (at least 5 years of which must be on a terminated status or status-related status). －Exceptions may be made depending on the status of residence． ５．Have a period of stay of 3 years with the current status of residence. ６．Not be likely to be harmful from a public health standpoint ７．Able to provide a guarantor. |
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■Must continue to reside in Japan for at least 10 years .
In order to obtain permanent resident status, the applicant must have “been continuously residing in Japan for at least 10 years (of which at least 5 years must have been spent in Japan with work or status-related residency status).
This is called the residency requirement.
Continued stay in Japan for one year or more” does not mean “continued” if you have been out of Japan for more than 100 days in a year, or if you have been out of Japan for more than three months at a time, and you will not meet the application requirements.
The starting point of “more than 100 days in a year” is not January 1, but rather the year from the time of departure from Japan.
For example, if you leave Japan on June 27 and are outside Japan for more than 100 days by June 27 next year, even if you have lived in Japan for 7 years, the period will be reset and you will have to wait for another 10 years to pass after returning to Japan.
In addition, at least 5 years of the 10-year period of residence must be spent in Japan with a work visa such as “Technical/Humanities/International Services” or a status-based visa such as “Spouse or Child of Japanese National”.
In other words, even if you work for 6 years on a college student visa and then 4 years on a work visa, you will not meet the requirement.
The five-year period does not include the period of a working holiday.
■Exception Cases for Residency Requirements
There are several exceptions to the residency requirement as follows
You may apply for permanent residence even if you do not continue to reside in the country for 10 years if
<If you are married to a Japanese national or permanent resident＞
You must have been married to a Japanese national or permanent resident for at least three years and have lived in Japan for at least one year.
➡ Permanent residence can be applied for after 1 year.
*You do not necessarily have to be a “spouse or child of Japanese national” or “spouse or child of permanent resident” to apply for permanent residence.
＜In the case of a biological child or specially adopted child of a Japanese national>
The applicant must be a natural or specially adopted child of a Japanese national and have lived in Japan for at least one year.
➡ Permanent residence can be applied for after 1 year.
<If you are born as the biological child of a permanent resident>
Apply for permanent residence within 30 days of birth as the biological child of a permanent resident.
➡He/She can apply for permanent residence within 30 days.
<In case the status of residence is “Highly skilled professional No. 1”>
The applicant must maintain 80 points at the end of one year after obtaining 80 points for Highly skilled professional No. 1.
➡ Permanent residence can be applied for in 1 year.
The applicant must maintain 70 points at the end of three years after obtaining 70 points for Highly skilled professional No. 1.
➡ Permanent residence can be applied for in 3 years
<If you have 70 or more points in point system for highly skilled human resources＞
The calculation result of the apoint system for highly skilled human resources must have been 70 points or more for the past 3 years.
➡ Permanent residence can be applied for in 3 years
The calculation result of the apoint system for highly skilled human resources must have been 80 points or more for the past 1 years.
➡ Permanent residence can be applied for in 1 year.
<If your status of residence is “long-term resident”＞
The applicant’s current status of residence is “long-term resident”
➡ Permanent residence can be applied for in ５ year.
You will need to document that you fall under one of these exceptions when you apply for permanent residence.
■Income
One of the requirements to obtain permanent residence is to have assets or skills sufficient to earn an independent living.
This is the so-called “livelihood requirement”.
Specifically, this means that the applicant must have a stable income.
Household income must generally be at least 3 million yen annually for the last five years.
If your income is less than 3 million yen for even one year out of the last five years, it will be difficult to be screened and you may be denied.
In addition, if you have dependents, your annual income must be 700,000-800,000 yen per dependent.
Example: If you have two children: annual income of 4.4~4.6 million yen or more is required for a married couple.
This income cannot be earned from a part-time job, as it is considered unstable employment status.
If the applicant has no income at all, the income of the Japanese spouse will be considered.
The amount of savings does not have much influence. The amount of monthly income is more important than the amount shown on the balance certificate.
This income is proven by the taxation certificate issued by the municipal office of the municipality where you lived on January 1.
Note that this annual income is the standard for the Immigration Bureau of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau.
In some prefectures in Japan’s regional immigration jurisdictions, there are cases where a slightly lower annual income may be approved.
■Status of payment of taxes, pension and health insurance premiums
In applying for permanent residence, tax and social insurance (health insurance premiums and pension) must be paid by the due date in order to obtain a permanent residence permit.
－Tax Payment－
Taxes, both income tax and inhabitant tax, for the last five years will be checked on your taxation certificate and tax payment certificate to confirm that you have properly paid them by the due date.
If you work for a company, there should be no problem since your taxes are deducted from your paycheck, but if you are a freelancer or run your own company, please be careful.
If you have a spouse, his/her tax payment status will also be examined.
－Social Insurance－
For social insurance (public pension and health insurance), you will be asked to submit a copy of your “Pension Periodical Letter” or “Nenkin Net” to confirm that you have paid the last two years’ worth of benefits properly and by the due date.
A copy of your health insurance card must also be submitted to prove that you are covered by health insurance.
Please be careful about this as well if you are a freelancer or run your own company.
In the past, even if you were slightly in arrears, it was tolerated as long as it was paid in full by the time you applied for permanent residence, but from 2019 onward, it will be strictly checked whether you have paid on time without delay.
Therefore, if you are paying yourself, you will be asked for a copy of the receipt you paid
In addition, if the foreign spouse is dependent on the Japanese spouse and does not pay social insurance or pension, the Japanese spouse’s payment status will be examined.
■Cases of problems with tax and social insurance payment status
In many cases, tax payment and social insurance/pension are disallowed because of non-payment by the spouse, even if the individual himself/herself has paid the taxes and social insurance/pension properly.
However, if there is a blank period of time before the next company is selected, you will need to pay your own taxes or change to the National Pension Plan during that time. If you inadvertently fail to follow these procedures, you may be denied permission for permanent residence.
In addition, there are exemption and deferment systems for national pension and national health insurance, but if you have used these systems in the past two years, there is a possibility that you will be denied because you have a problem with “stable livelihood.
If you have not paid or delayed payment of taxes, insurance, or pension, you are likely to be disapproved.
In this case, you will need to accumulate a payment record and be prepared to explain the reasons for non-payment or delays in the past and how to prevent recurrence.
■The current status of residence must be valid for at least 3 years.
The period of stay for each status of residence includes “6 months,” “1 year,” “3 years,” and “5 years”.
The maximum period of stay for each status of residence is required to apply for a permanent residence permit, but currently a three-year period of stay is sufficient.
■Have never been sentenced to imprisonment, imprisonment, or a fine for violating the laws and regulations of Japan “conduct requirement”
Since permanent residence is a right to reside in Japan without restriction, it is not granted to those who fail to comply with Japanese laws and regulations.
Compliance with laws and regulations” here means the following
１．Have you been fined or imprisoned under criminal or tax laws?
-If you have been sentenced to imprisonment, you will not be able to apply for permanent residence for 10 years after release from prison (5 years after expiration of probation).
-If you have been fined, detained, or fined, you may not apply for permanent residence for 5 years after payment.
-If you are still under the protection of the Juvenile Law, you are not eligible to apply for permanent residence.
２．Have you committed any serious traffic violations?
-If you have committed minor traffic violations such as jaywalking, parking violations, etc., you may be eligible for a permit if you have committed 5 or fewer violations in the past 5 years or 4 or fewer violations in the past 2 years, but if your license is suspended, you cannot apply for permanent residence for a certain period.
■No risk of being harmful from a public health standpoint.
This is required to be free from infectious diseases such as Ebola, plague, etc., and not to be addicted to drugs, marijuana, methamphetamine, etc.
In some cases, however, an examination at a hospital designated by the Immigration Bureau is required.
In addition, garbage dumps also fall under the category of “hazardous from the standpoint of public health.
However, a history of infection with the new coronavirus does not seem to be a particular problem.
■Must have a guarantor.
A guarantor is always required to apply for permanent residence in Japan.
The guarantor must be a Japanese national or permanent resident. Along with the guarantor, an identification card is required.
If you are married to a Japanese national or permanent resident, the Japanese national or permanent resident will be your guarantor.
The guarantor guarantees the foreign spouse’s accommodation and airfare, and has the moral obligation to ensure that the foreign spouse complies with Japanese laws and regulations.
Unlike a guarantor under civil law, the guarantor does not assume legal responsibility or financial compensation on behalf of the foreign spouse.
If the foreign spouse does not comply with Japanese laws and regulations, he/she will be disqualified from the next guarantee.
■It is recognized that there is no risk of committing acts that are significantly detrimental to the public interest.
This means that there is no fear of committing acts detrimental to the national interests of Japan.
If you plan to commit acts of terrorism, your application for permanent residence will not be approved.
■Proper fulfillment of obligations under immigration law.
It is necessary to properly observe the obligations stipulated in the Immigration Control Act.
For example, if you change your address or the company you work for, you must notify the City Hall or the Immigration and Residence Office, otherwise your application may be denied.
Also, if there are work restrictions on family members, those work restrictions must be properly observed.
For example, if a spouse is staying with a family member and is found to be working more than the 28 hours per week allowed under the work permit, not only will the application for permanent residence be denied, but the period of stay may also be shortened when the current status of residence is renewed.
If you are unsure whether you meet the requirements for the above 8 points, Please try the “Permanent Residency Application Admissibility Diagnostic Tool” at this URL below.
https://nanaibashi.com/diagnose2/
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