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Permanent Residency

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psd

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I don't see any previous threads on applying for permanent residency, I have some questions and it might be useful to post some info.


The process seems straightforward, I've always done the paperwork for work visa myself and my case is pretty simple: 20 years residence with stable employment in tech, no legal problems. Would an immigration lawyer be of any use?

There doesn't seem to be any requirement for supporting documentation, eg work history. I can get a letter showing my current employment and copies of old contracts, tax receipts, pension payments. Surely extra documents can't hurt, any thoughts?

Does the guarantor have to provide any supporting documents? It just seems they just have to sign a form (in blood).

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/zairyuu/eizyuu.html
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/05.html
 
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My personal recommendation, hire a immigration lawyer to do it for you. They'll give you a list of documents that are required and all you have to do is collect them and the lawyer takes care of it. You don't even have to visit immigration except to get a new Zairyu card with your updated status once received.

I did this long ago and can't remember everything I submitted, but I was given a list of documents... probably about 8-10 documents. The guarantor didn't have to show any special documents, they just singed a form letter which was used to take care of that requirement. (Edit: I submitted everything at one time with the lawyer, zero further questions or documents were required... just waited until they needed my password, back when you used to get stamps in your passport.)

The application waiting time can vary from 3-6 months once all material has been accepted.

I will see if I can dig up the list I had, but I would assume things have changed a little since I got mine done. (Not very different, but I'm sure something has been updated since 2011.)
 
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Just my own experience so YMMV, but I’d say if you’ve been here working for 20 Years it will be a very smooth process.

As you mentioned, the paperwork is pretty straightforward so I doubt a lawyer would be much use. In any event applying is free (you only pay if you get approved) so if you’re not in a hurry I’d just try it yourself and see how it goes.

They say it takes up to 6 months and in my case it took the whole period. I’ve heard from friends that they got theirs much faster so there’s some variance there. Might want to make sure you’ve got a decent amount of time left on your work visa before applying in the unlikely case it doesn’t go through.

Others with more experience than me might say differently but I only provided the required documents. I figured if they needed anything else they would ask for it and, in the end, they didn’t.

Good luck! PR makes things so much easier than having to re-up a visa - haven’t been to the Shinagawa office since. That alone makes it a godsend...
 
Desktop said:
I thought the guarantor needed to submit tax papers.
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Mine did not. They had to complete the employment section and their personal info with a seal. There was no further documentation asked for after that.
 
Chris, what your lawyer asked for seems to be additional to requirements.
As per the link I edited in above and what BIPSY indicates, what's required is:
+ application form (no requirement for attached documents)
+ photo
+ passport, residence card
+ guarantor form (no mention of tax documents, id documents etc)

So, I will attach some stuff that I feel useful but it doesn't seem to be necessary.
 
psd said:
Chris, what your lawyer asked for seems to be additional to requirements.
As per the link I edited in above and what BIPSY indicates, what's required is:
+ application form (no requirement for attached documents)
+ photo
+ passport, residence card
+ guarantor form (no mention of tax documents, id documents etc)

So, I will attach some stuff that I feel useful but it doesn't seem to be necessary.
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As I mentioned, I did mine long ago and I expect that things have changed a bit. (The lawyer probably did ask for more than what was necessary to prevent any additional questions, I guess.)
I know I provided my employment contract and copies of income statements from my primary employer.

Anyway, it was a flawless process.
 
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If you have time to do the needed paperwork yourself then you don't need a lawyer. I did mine already couple of decades ago so things have probably changed a lot, but basically you need to be able to read what they want and then submit that.

I think my time they wanted to have a letter stating the reasons why I would want to get PR but everything else was just straightforward searching for old documents.

In your case the lawyer would be needed only for the legwork to submit the papers, it's your call if the saved time is worth the money.
 
psd said:
what your lawyer asked for seems to be additional to requirements.
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Yep. All the things they've been known to come back and ask for after the application.

For PR applications, the lawyer is well worth it. I got mine in 6 weeks. Lawyer prepped application.
 
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Where. I did this it was the simplest procedure ever so I really wouldn't waste money on a lawyer. If there's anything you don't understand just ask them. You barely need to submit anything compared to the immigration procedures in other countries.
 
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Tabanico said:
Where. I did this it was the simplest procedure ever so I really wouldn't waste money on a lawyer. If there's anything you don't understand just ask them. You barely need to submit anything compared to the immigration procedures in other countries.
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There's nothing 'wasted' about a lawyer, it's just simply an avenue to hand it off to someone and be hands-off. My time is much more valuable than taking care of this application process. I prefer the hands-off approach and that's what I recommend. That's all.
 
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Yep, totally get that. But thought I would add another perspective .

Either way I think it's a pretty simple procedure. I wouldn't get too stressed about it.
 
I got turned down about 5-6 years ago because my reason to live here wasn't good enough. Maybe this has all changed now though. Do you have to write a letter of why you want permanent residency?
 
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just4fun said:
I got turned down about 5-6 years ago because my reason to live here wasn't good enough. Maybe this has all changed now though. Do you have to write a letter of why you want permanent residency?
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I did mine within the last few years and yes, I had to say why I wanted to live here, and my guarantor had to say why he thought I should live here. It was mostly related to the fact Im a source of income for the government (tax).

a few friends have gone the lawyer route. It was 50k up from then 50k upon approval. If 100k is a big deal to you, do it yourself, if not a big deal then yeah its gonna take away some monotonous work and make sure you don't make a silly mistake that will get the application rejected. Personally I didn't find it overly burdensome.
 
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My guarantor was my wife......hahahahahahahaha Even she couldn't come up with a good reason to live here and she's Japanese.
 
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TAG Manager said:
There's nothing 'wasted' about a lawyer, it's just simply an avenue to hand it off to someone and be hands-off. My time is much more valuable than taking care of this application process. I prefer the hands-off approach and that's what I recommend. That's all.
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BIngo. Lawyer cost me a hundred K, saved me 4-5 hours of paperwork prep and 6-8 hours at immigration. Lowball it and say he saved me ten hours - if you're averaging more than a thousand yen an hour, you save money.
 
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psd said:
You might want to run that one past your accountant.
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I believe in that calculation the ten hours might be pretty accurate though. That's about how much my memory believes I used for it too.

But I did it in company time so I got paid to do it anyway. :p
 
psd said:
You might want to run that one past your accountant.
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Wee hours and scotch, what can I say... hahaha! Meant ten K an hour there.... and that goes down rapidly if you factor in all the legwork and transit.
 
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Could anyone kindly recommend a lawyer for this? I just started to prepare my documentation and I need help.
(I also searched for a lawyer via Google but cant decide given the small number of options I found)

Also as I need a guarantor and don't know anyone that well to vouch for me in Japan I heard there are companies that do that for a fee. Anyone have any experience with that? (example /www.hoshonin.jp/koe.html)
 
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there are privileges that can be enjoyed by non-pr gaijin too such as obtaining some scholarships <which cannot be applied by pr status>
rethink twice before becoming pr
 
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uyeo said:
there are privileges that can be enjoyed by non-pr gaijin too
rethink twice before becoming pr
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Such as?

Please don’t post something like this without qualifying your statement.
 
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