Reapplying for Permanent Residence

Permanent Residence Applications

Many foreign nationals who have lived in Japan for a long time and plan to continue residing here are likely considering obtaining the “Permanent Resident” Status of Residence.

To obtain “Permanent Resident” status, you must file a Permanent Residence application with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and have it approved. It is not the kind of thing where anyone who simply applies will be approved — a review is conducted for each individual, and approval or denial is determined.

Due to the revision of the “Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence” on May 31, 2019, the review for Permanent Residence applications has become stricter than before. According to 2020 statistics, the Permanent Residence approval rate is only about 50%. The reality is that one in two applicants is being denied.

If you have applied for Permanent Residence and unfortunately been denied, what should you do about reapplying? This page explains reapplication for Permanent Residence.

When Your Permanent Residence Application Is Denied

When a Permanent Residence application is denied, you will receive a “notice of denial.”
This notice of denial is an important first step toward obtaining Permission for Permanent Residence through reapplication, so please do not throw it away — keep it carefully.

The Path to Obtaining Permanent Residence Through Reapplication

Confirming the Reasons for Denial

The notice of denial typically only cites the legal provision serving as the basis for denial — for example, “It cannot be recognized as meeting Article 22, Paragraph 2, Item 2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act” — and does not specify what specifically was problematic. After receiving the notice of denial, by bringing the required documents to the Immigration Bureau, you can ask for the reasons your Permanent Residence application was denied.

However, please note that you can only ask about the reasons for denial once. For those considering reapplying, going to inquire about these reasons for denial is the first step. In addition, the Immigration Bureau staff have no obligation to volunteer information not asked about, so you need to actively draw out the information you want to know. When doing so, it is important to thoroughly understand the points emphasized in the Permanent Residence review, as well as the practical standards and operational practices, and to ask appropriate questions.

Of course, the applicant can also inquire about the reasons for denial on their own.

However, as noted above, since you can only ask about the reasons once, conducting this inquiry without specialized knowledge about Permanent Residence applications may not yield useful information.

To make an appropriate reapplication, it is important to appropriately ascertain the reasons for denial and, based on those reasons, prepare appropriate documents anew.

For this purpose, we recommend consulting in advance with a specialist experienced in Permanent Residence applications, and, depending on the situation, considering having the specialist accompany you.

Preparing Your Documents Anew Based on the Reasons for Denial and Reapplying

Depending on the reasons for denial as ascertained, some are unrecoverable. If the reasons for denial are recoverable, there is a possibility of obtaining Permission for Permanent Residence by preparing appropriate documents and reapplying. Note that there is no particular waiting period for reapplying — you can reapply immediately.

Unrecoverable Reasons for Denial

One example is when the applicant simply did not objectively meet the requirements for Permission for Permanent Residence in the first place.

Many people say, “My friend was approved for Permanent Residence with this.” However, since the requirements that must be met differ from person to person in a Permanent Residence application, putting together the same set of documents as a friend does not necessarily mean you will be approved.

Also, as with the revision of the Guidelines mentioned above, there are cases where “it was OK in the past but not now.”

In such cases, you cannot reapply until you actually meet the requirements for Permission for Permanent Residence (reapplying anyway will result in another denial). In addition, tax-related matters have been reviewed very strictly in recent years, so if there are any unpaid amounts or late payments, the Permanent Residence application will not be approved.

Recoverable Reasons for Denial

When the Immigration Bureau staff determined that the requirements were not met because there were deficiencies in the documents submitted or because the documents prepared were inadequate, there is a possibility of obtaining Permission for Permanent Residence on reapplication by recovering those points.

Note that when preparing new materials, if you prepare and submit documents that contradict the contents of your previous application, this can cause the Immigration Bureau to become suspicious, so please be careful.

Summary of Reapplication for Permanent Residence

This page has explained reapplication for Permanent Residence.

Reapplication for Permanent Residence requires specialized knowledge.

If you find yourself in such a situation, we recommend consulting a specialist.