Two Reasons Why It's Difficult to Obtain Permanent Residency in Japan.

With Advice on how to Avoid your Application being Rejected.

“Is it difficult to become a permanent resident in Japan?

“One way or another, I want to be a permanent resident of Japan!”

Do you have any of these concerns?

Generally, it is a widely held belief that it’s difficult to obtain permanent residence in Japan. So, let‘s take a look at the actual numbers. Taken from the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, the total number of applications for permanent residence and the number of approved applications is shown below:

Source: 出入国管理局

The data shows that the approval rate is about 54%, meaning half of all applications are approved.

Despite this, a large number of applications are still being denied. Luckily there is a typical pattern among rejected applications. If you take the time to prepare your documents carefully and ensure you meet the conditions described, there is a high chance of your application being approved.

This article aims to help you fully understand the process and associated difficulties in applying for permanent residence so you can accurately prepare and increase your chances of getting approval.

Things you`ll understand after reading this article.

Please read until the end!

1.Two Main Reasons that Applying for Permanent Residency is Difficult

2Reasons Obtaining Permanent Residency is difficult.

From here, I’ll explain each point individually.

1-1. It's challenging to meet all of the conditions

One of the reasons that obtaining permanent residency in Japan is difficult is because of the requirements.

Which I`ve listed below:

Permanent Residency Requirements

Each requirement to apply for permanent residency is defined in detail.

If you decide to apply, even if you don’t meet all the requirements, your application will be denied 100% of the time.

What often happens is that someone applies and gets denied without fully realizing the requirements for approval in the first place.

On top of being difficult to meet the requirements, knowing whether or not you meet the requirements in the first place is not easy, and this is one of the most difficult things about applying for permanent residency.

1-2.Even if you do meet all of the requirements, it isn't easy to prepare all of the documents by yourself

As stated above, gathering and accurately completing all documents is a big challenge when applying for permanent residence. There are over 20 documents that you need to provide, including the permanent residency application itself, as well as a statement of reasons explaining why you want to apply and other aspects

Looking at the above, it becomes clear why it's not easy to make and collect all required documents accurately.

Consequently, many people apply independently and, even though they meet all of the requirements, are denied due to inaccurate document preparation. This is an unfortunate waste of the applicant's time.

For those who are concerned about preparing the documents yourself, we highly recommend that you consult with a professional.

2.11 Examples of Cases Where it Would be Difficult to Obtain Permanent Residency

From here, I’ll explain each point in more detail.

2-1. The Statement of Reasons was written poorly

When submitting an application for permanent residency, it is also required that you send in a Statement of Reasons detailing why you want to apply. Often the whole application is rejected due to the Statement of Reasons not being written correctly.

Writing a good Statement of Reasons requires skill. For non-professionals, writing the Statement of Reasons can be very difficult because the aim is to get the Immigration Bureau to understand why they should grant you permanent residency, and most of the time, applicants write the Statement of Reasons without really understanding its purpose in the first place.

The Statement of Reasons doesn’t have a set format that you have to follow. There is much freedom in how you can structure it. For example:

If you can, you need to summarize the above information using the politest Japanese possible. While also making sure to explain each point carefully.

For permanent residence applications, there is no interview. The decision is based solely on what documents you provide, such as a Statement of Reasons. For this reason, it is extremely difficult for a non-professional to produce an adequate Statement of Reasons on their own.

2-2 Annual income is below 3 million yen.

If your annual income is below 3 million yen, in all honesty, it's quite difficult to be approved for permanent residency.

This requirement exists because it is an extension of the “stable livelihood” requirement. If you make less than 3 million yen annually, it is determined that you do not make enough money for a secure lifestyle in Japan.

In addition, if you have family members to support your income must increase proportionally. For example, for each additional family member that you have to support, you need to add \700,000. So, if you have a spouse to support, then an annual income of 3.7 million yen is required.

2-3 Too many days spent outside of Japan

If you leave the country too often and for too long, you cannot meet the required period for living in Japan.

If the following things occur, then the number of years you have lived in Japan will be reset.

Even if you have lived in Japan for a long time, if the above occurs, all of those years spent in Japan will become null, and you will have to meet the requirement again starting from year one.

If you are seriously considering applying for permanent residence, then you need to be careful about how many times you leave Japan and for how long.

2-4 Too many dependents

If you have too many dependents, it will be difficult to obtain permanent residence.

Even though having many dependents can decrease how much tax you're paying, if it is found that you are supporting people who are not deemed fit, then this will also affect your chances of being granted permanent residency.

Despite this, the reality is that many foreign residents in Japan have dependents such as parents or siblings living back in their home country.

If you are including someone as a dependent even though they don’t need it, you must remove that person immediately and file a revised tax return.

The number of dependents is heavily considered during the permanent residence application process, so be careful and adjust to an appropriate range.

2-5 Non-payment of national health insurance and late payments

For people who haven’t paid national health insurance at all or for those who have made late payments, it is very difficult to get approval for permanent residency.

National Health Insurance payments are examined very strictly during the review process.

If you are covered by social insurance at your place of employment, then there is no issue because it is deducted automatically from your income, but if you pay national health insurance individually, then you have to be extremely careful about paying on time.

2-6 Non-payment of national pension

If you do not pay the national pension, it is very difficult to obtain approval for permanent residency.

However, unlike with national health insurance, just because you don’t pay doesn’t mean that you will be denied 100% of the time.

Those who are enrolled in the employee pension system at their company will have no problem, but if not, you will have to pay the national pension yourself, so be sure to make your payments on time.

2-7 Unpaid Taxes

If you haven’t paid your taxes, then 100% of the time, your application will be denied.

Take extra care regarding the following:

People who don’t pay taxes are considered to be “not aligned with Japan’s interests” and will be denied permanent residence. Make sure to keep track of and pay all of your taxes in full.

2-8 Lots of minor traffic violations

For people with lots of traffic violations, it is quite difficult to receive approval for permanent residency.

This is because one of the main requirements to receive permanent residency is “Good Conduct.”

Minor traffic violations can include:

People who have driver`s licenses need to drive carefully and protect traffic laws always.

2-9 Insufficient years of residency in Japan

If the number of years you`ve lived in Japan does not meet the requirements, your application for permanent residency will be rejected.

The requirements are as follows:

Exceptions for "Spouse/Child of Japanese National" and "Spouse/Child of Permanent Resident" status

・Must be married for more than 3 years and have lived in Japan for more than 1 year

Although these requirements are clearly defined, sometimes applicants make the following mistake:

“Can I apply if I`ve lived in Japan for 9 and a half years and use the time that immigration needs to process my application to make up the remaining time?”

The answer is simply “No”.

The reason why you can`t do this is that at the time you submit your application, it is judged whether you have resided in Japan for 10 years or not.

2-10 Failure to supervise dependents

When applying for permanent residence, your dependents are also heavily scrutinized. If they are found to be working when they do not have permission to or if they are working over the 28-hour-a-week limit, they are engaging in illegal behavior and your application will be denied.

If you have a spouse or a child who is on a dependent visa, make sure they observe the following:

If your dependent is found to be engaging in either of the above, then not only will your application for permanent residence be rejected, but you may also not be able to renew their visa. Please obey the law and only work within the scope of your status of residence.

2-11 Guarantor is not suitable

If the Guarantor is not appropriate, then your application for permanent residence will be denied.

The following requirements must be met in order for your Guarantor to be considered suitable:

For those with difficulty finding a guarantor, there are companies out there that claim to offer a “guarantor service”. We do not recommend using this service, as using a guarantor service might cause your application to be rejected.

3.Examples of rejected applications

Let`s take a look at some applications for permanent residency that were rejected.

Let`s take a closer look at each case.

3-1 Case 1: Rejected due to changing jobs too many times.

Application for permanent residence from a work visa

This applicant has lived in Japan for 10 years, 6 of which he has worked on a work visa. Although at first glance, it looks like he meets the requirements for permanent residence, in reality, he changed jobs three times within the last year of his application, and his application was denied due to lack of stability.

Point!

If you have changed jobs in the last year of your application for permanent residence, the risk of being denied for lack of stability is high.

3-2 Case 2: Not being enrolled in social health insurance

Application for Permanent Residence from Business Administration Visa

This applicant has lived in Japan for 10 years and has worked for more than 5 of those years. The application was denied because even though he is the sole proprietor of his company he was not registered in his company`s social insurance. Even if the company has no employess, it is still required that the president join the health insurance.

Point!

Foreign business owners are required to join their own company's social insurance. Even if the company has no employees and the president is the only employee, it is still required to join the social insurance system.

3-3 Case 3: Extension of Period of Stay Not Granted During Permanent Residency Examination

I applied for permanent residence while on a work visa, but while I was waiting for the result, my extension for period of stay was not approved. The application for permanent residence was also rejected.

Point!

If the extension of the period of stay is not approved, the application for permanent residence will also be denied. In addition, if this situation continues, you will not be able to stay in Japan, so you should first make sure your current status of residence is not in jeopardy of expiring.

3-4 Not being recognized as having contributed to Japanese society

Application for permanent residence based on contribution to Japanese society:

An application was filed by a teacher who worked at an institution that provides education for children of foreign nationals, but the application was denied because the said activities did not constitute social contribution, etc.

Point!

If you are applying for permanent residence because of your contribution to Japan, the application will only be approved if the contributions are clear, such as clear contributions to technological improvement through the publication of dozens of research papers or long years of service as a university professor.

Source：出入国管理局

4.Applying for permanent residence is difficult; This is why we recommend leaving it up to professionals.

Applying for permanent residence in Japan is difficult, which is why we recommend hiring a professional.

Let’s look at each point in more detail.

4-1 Applying for permanent residency is more difficult, complicated, and labor-intensive than you can imagine

Applying for permanent residency is not as easy as it sounds, so we recommend that you leave it to the professionals.

If you apply on your own, you will have to start by understanding the complex approval process. It is not easy to prepare the documents, especially for those who work full-time and do not have time to spare.

If you leave it to a professional, they will do all the work, including collecting and preparing the documents and even writing the application for you.

There is a big difference between what you have to do when you apply by yourself and when you ask a professional to do it for you. Specifically, we tell you about it in 5. Flow of Application for Permanent Residence and Screening Period, so please continue reading.

4-2 Many people apply by themselves, get disapproved, and end up hiring a professional anyways.

Many people try to apply for permanent residence by themselves because of the cost. We strongly recommend that you hire a professional from the beginning.

This is because there are many cases where the application is not approved when you prepare everything by yourself. Many people end up asking a professional for help when reapplying.

This wastes both time and money.

The reality is that if you apply for permanent residence and get denied when you reapply, your application will be examined even more critically than before. Thus, making it more difficult to get approved.

There is a clear difference in the approval rate when hiring a professional versus applying by yourself. So, we recommend that you hire a professional from the very start.

4-3 Professionals have the necessary knowledge, experience and technical-know how to help you get approval.

Professionals have expertise related to permanent residence applications, which greatly increases the probability that your application will be approved.

Let's compare the case of applying for permanent residence by yourself with the case of hiring a professional.

However, this is true only for administrative scriveners (行政書士) and attorneys（弁護士） who specialize in permanent residence applications.

Please research carefully whether or not they specialize in permanent residence applications, whether they have a wealth of experience, and whether they offer a guarantee in the event of your application being denied.

5.Flow of Application for Permanent Residence and Screening Period

How long does it take for Immigration to examine an application for permanent residence? What is the application process? The examination period and the two application methods are as follows.

Let`s take a closer look.

5-1 Examination Period

The Immigration Bureau states that it takes approximately 4 months to process an application for permanent residence, but in reality, it can take at least 6 months and in some cases as long as 10 months.

There is no difference in the processing time whether you apply by yourself or hire a professional.

5-2 When you apply by yourself

Steps 1 to 4 in the process are things you must do yourself; Steps 5 and 6 are done by the Immigration Office.

We will go into detail about each step.

STEP1 Consult with the Immigration Bureau in your Jurisdiction

Go to the immigration office in your jurisdiction to discuss whether you are eligible to apply for permanent residence and what documents you need.

STEP2 Gather the required documents

Gather the necessary documents for the application. The required documents vary depending on your original visa, employment status, etc.

However, these are the documents commonly required when applying for permanent residence, specifically from a work visa.

・Permanent Residence Permit Application Form

・Original passport

・Statement of reasons for application

・Chronological table (applicant's history of residence, education, employment, and changes in status)

・Certificate of residence（住民票）

・A copy of the lease for your home (certificate of registration for applicants who own their own home)

・Photograph of home (exterior, entrance, kitchen, living room, bedroom)

・Photos of you and your family (at least 3 photos)

・Resident tax payment certificate and taxation certificate (for the past 5 years)

・Copy of bankbook of savings account

・Certificate of graduation from the last school attended

STEP3 Create the application

Prepare documents such as "Application for Permanent Residence Permit" and "Statement of Reasons for Application". The documents must be prepared in Japanese.

STEP4 Apply

Bring the required documents to the immigration office in your jurisdiction. The waiting time is very long, sometimes more than 5 hours, so choose a day when you have ample time.

STEP5 Immigration reviews your application

The Immigration Bureau may contact you during the examination period asking for additional documents, so please make sure to respond accordingly.

STEP6 Result

A postcard with your result will be mailed to your home address.

5-3 When you hire a professional

If you hire a professional, you do not have to do anything directly related to the application. You can follow the professional's instructions and leave it to them.

When you hire a professional, it is extremely convenient because you do not need to prepare all of the documents yourself, nor do you need to wait for a long time at immigration.

If you are busy or cannot take the time to apply by yourself, we recommend that you take advantage of this service.

6.Approximate cost of hiring a professional

How much does it cost to apply for permanent residence? The costs of hiring an administrative scrivener or lawyer versus applying by yourself are as follows.

6-1 Administrative Scrivener (行政書士)

The cost of hiring an administrative scrivener is approximately 100,000 yen to 250,000 yen. This is the cost per applicant.

When requesting an Administrative Scrivener, the cost varies depending on the extent on the extent of the request and, ultimately, what you decide to ask of them.

6-2 Attorney

The cost of hiring an attorney is roughly 150,000 yen to 400,000 yen. Compared to Administrative Scrivener, it is more expensive.

When hiring an attorney, the price varies greatly depending on the law firm you choose.

6-3 By yourself

The cost of applying on your own is the cost of issuing the necessary documents and revenue stamps when permission is granted.

For a single applicant, the cost will be approximately 14,000 yen. The breakdown is as follows

Cost of issuing necessary documents: approx. 6,000 yen

Revenue stamps for a permanent residence permit: 8,000 yen

In addition, there are miscellaneous expenses such as transportation costs for application and document acquisition, and stamps for mailing.

7.Frequently Asked Questions about the Permanent Residency Application

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the application for permanent residency.

7-1 What should I do if my application was rejected?

If your application for permanent residence is denied, the first step is to find out the reason for the denial.

Go to the immigration office where you applied and ask the reason from the examiner privately. The result will not change, so do not protest or complain, but rather ask for their opinion on reapplication. You will then have to reapply with different details from the first application.

7-2 What happens if I change jobs after I submit my application?

Changing jobs during the examination period, unless it is to significantly advance your career, will have a negative impact, and there is a high probability of your application being rejected.

8.Summary

In this article, we have provided information on the reasons why it is difficult to obtain permanent residence in Japan, the cases in which it is denied, and the application process.

Finally, let's review the reasons why it is difficult to obtain permanent residence.

I hope this article was helpful to you in your journey to permanent residency.