How Long Does the Review Period for a Permanent Residence Application Take?

What Is Permanent Residence?

Permanent Residence refers to the right of a foreign national to reside in the host country without restrictions on residence activities or period of stay. In Japan, a foreign national obtains Permanent Residence by acquiring the “Permanent Resident” Status of Residence.

Once you can obtain the Permanent Resident Status of Residence, the restrictions on life in Japan are almost entirely removed.

For this reason, many foreign nationals who have resided in Japan for a long time and plan to continue residing here may be considering a Permanent Residence application. When doing so, many people may also wonder just how long it takes for a Permanent Residence application to be approved.

This page explains the review period for a Permanent Residence application.

Requirements for the “Permanent Resident” Status of Residence

To obtain Permanent Residence, the following 3 requirements must be satisfied.

Being of Good Conduct

Being of good conduct means complying with laws and social norms and leading a quiet, orderly life.

Minor traffic violations do not cause major issues unless they are frequent, but a buildup of violations can negatively affect the review.

Having Sufficient Assets or Skills to Make an Independent Living

To live in Japan as a Permanent Resident, stable income and sufficient assets are required.

Since income is sometimes evaluated on a household basis, the review may take into account family income as well. This means that even if the applicant themselves has a small income, the requirement may be satisfied as long as the household’s overall livelihood is stable.

Specifically, maintaining an annual income of 3 million yen or more is required. If there are dependents, an additional 200,000 yen per dependent is required.

The Person’s Permanent Residence Being Recognized as Consistent with the Interests of Japan

Permission for Permanent Residence is granted when the applicant is judged to bring benefits to Japanese society.

Specifically, the following conditions must be satisfied.

Advantages of Obtaining Permanent Residence

Obtaining Permanent Residence brings the following advantages for foreign nationals living in Japan.

Removal of Restrictions on Period of Stay

By obtaining Permanent Residence, period-of-stay renewal procedures become unnecessary, and you can stay in Japan indefinitely. Being able to continue living in Japan without restrictions on the length of your stay, while keeping your nationality unchanged, is a major advantage not found in other Statuses of Residence.

You Can Continue to Stay Even if Your Spouse Passes Away

Since the “Spouse of Japanese National” visa depends on the relationship with the spouse, bereavement or divorce may necessitate a change of visa or return to your home country. However, Permanent Residence is granted to the individual applicant, so even in the event of an unforeseen parting with your spouse, you can continue living in Japan.

Freedom of Employment and Improved Social Credibility

Holding Permanent Residence allows you to work without employment restrictions and to engage in any kind of occupation. In addition, obtaining Permanent Residence also serves as proof that your life until now has been stable and that your conduct and financial situation are good. As a result, it becomes easier to gain social credibility in situations such as the following.

The General Review Period for a Permanent Residence Application

The “Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence” were revised on May 31, 2019, and due to the resulting expansion of review items and increase in required documents, the review of Permanent Residence applications has become stricter than before.

Along with this, the review of Permanent Residence applications has also become more careful, and now takes longer than before. The standard review period for a Permanent Residence application as announced by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan is 4 months. In practice, however, most applicants find that 6 months or more pass between application and approval. In long cases, some applicants find the process taking close to 1 year.

Compared with the popular Statuses of Residence “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” and “Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services,” which can be approved in as little as 1 month and at most around 3 months from application, the review period for a Permanent Residence application can be said to be extremely long.

How to Shorten the Review Period

The length of the review period is entirely at the discretion of the Immigration Bureau’s reviewing officers, so there is no specific method to shorten it. However, by reducing as much as possible the room for doubt on the part of the reviewing officer, and by preparing submission documents that allow for a smooth review, it is possible to take measures to ensure that the review period does not become needlessly long.

Common Reasons Reviews Take a Long Time

Common reasons reviews take a long time include the following.

By being mindful of the following points when applying, you can take steps to ensure that the review period does not become unnecessarily long.

Missing Application Documents

If application documents are missing, additional materials will be requested through a notice for submission of materials, and the review period will be extended. It also gives the reviewing officer a poor impression, which can become a cause of suspicion.

It is important to submit appropriate documents in line with the “Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence” cited below, so that the reviewing officer can conduct the review smoothly.

Inadequate Written Statements of Reasons

When applying for Permanent Residence, you must submit a written statement of reasons describing why you need the “Permanent Resident” Status of Residence. There is no set format, so you must write it in your own words.

If the content of the written statement of reasons is insufficient, or if it is written in unnatural Japanese, the reviewing officer may become suspicious, causing the review to be extended.

Changing Jobs

One of the requirements for Permission for Permanent Residence is that your livelihood is stable.

If you change jobs during the Permanent Residence review, additional materials relating to your new job will be requested in order to assess the stability of your livelihood, and the review will be extended. The reviewing officer will also need to carefully judge the stability of your work after the job change, which similarly extends the review.

Furthermore, it can also give the reviewing officer cause for distrust and create a poor impression.

That said, given the above, a job change involving a significant salary increase or a move to a company much more stable than the current one may, in some cases, work in your favor for Permission for Permanent Residence.

Inquiries About the Review Status

Because the review period for a Permanent Residence application is very long, some people become anxious about whether the review is actually proceeding and inquire with the Immigration Bureau about the progress.

However, since the review status is, as a rule, non-public, frequent inquiries without a real need give the reviewing officer a poor impression and can become a cause of extended review periods.

[Reference] Requirements for Permission for Permanent Residence (Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence)

• Being of good conduct
• Having sufficient assets or skills to make an independent living
• The person’s permanent residence being recognized as consistent with the interests of Japan

The Flow When Our Office Supports Your Application

Our office supports applications through the following steps to ensure that they proceed smoothly.

1. Inquiry

First, please reserve a free consultation.
Reservations can be made by (1) telephone or (2) the inquiry form.

2. Free Consultation

In the free consultation, we confirm the residence situation, income, and social insurance premium payment status of those wishing to obtain Permanent Residence, and provide advice on the prospects of obtaining Permanent Residence. We also carefully explain the specific procedural flow and fees.

3. Payment of the Initial Fee

If you formally engage our office, you will pay half of the total fee as an initial fee. The remaining balance is to be paid within 10 days after the application is accepted by the Immigration Services Bureau.

4. Collection of Required Documents and Preparation of Application Documents

Please leave the preparation of application documents and written statements of reasons to our office. All you need to do is obtain the required documents from the municipal office, tax office, etc., and mail them to our office. If you use our Full Support Plan, our office will collect on your behalf any documents that can be obtained by proxy.

5. Application to the Immigration Services Bureau

Our office’s administrative scriveners file the application with the Immigration Services Bureau on your behalf. Therefore, you do not need to go to the Immigration Bureau in person. Furthermore, if additional materials are requested during the review, we will respond promptly at no additional charge, so please rest assured.

6. Notification of the Result

The review period for a Permanent Residence application is approximately 4 to 6 months (15 to 17 months in the Tokyo Immigration Bureau’s jurisdiction). We will contact you promptly once the result is issued.

Those Considering a Permanent Residence Application — Please Consult Our Office

This page has explained the review period for a Permanent Residence application.

Because the review period for a Permanent Residence application is very long, at least 4 to 6 months (15 to 17 months in the Tokyo Immigration Bureau’s jurisdiction), it can interfere with making plans for daily life during that time and effectively restrict free activity.

To prevent the review period from being needlessly long, it is also important to consider engaging a specialist experienced in Permanent Residence applications.

Administrative Scrivener Corporation Touch has multiple administrative scriveners well-versed in Permanent Residence applications. We strive to provide careful support so that even first-time applicants can proceed with their Permanent Residence applications with peace of mind, so please feel free to consult us.