From Permanent Residency Application to Approval: An Immigration Lawyer Explains the Process and What to Do If Your Application Is Denied

A permanent residency application does not end simply by submitting documents at the immigration counter. After submission, the examination currently takes around 8 to 18 months, during which applicants may be asked to submit additional materials or may reach the expiration date of their current status of residence. In addition, due to stricter screening in recent years, refusals are by no means rare.

In this article, we provide a complete two-part explanation of the process from permanent residency application to approval. The first half covers the 5 steps from application to approval, while the second half explains how to respond if your application is refused, from the perspective of an administrative scrivener. If you are preparing to apply, currently under review, or considering reapplication after refusal, please read through to the end.

 

This Article Is Also Explained in Video Format

The content of this article is also explained in detail through a video by Yuda, representative of Touch Immigration Law Firm. If you prefer learning through video rather than text, please watch it as well.

Overview of the 5 Steps in a Permanent Residency Application

The process from permanent residency application to approval consists broadly of 5 steps.

Step	Content	Estimated Time	Key Point
①	Prepare required documents	2 to 3 months	Obtain residence records, tax certificates, etc. in a planned manner
②	Prepare application documents	1 to 2 weeks	Prepare the application form, statement of reasons, and written explanation of circumstances
③	Apply at the immigration counter	1 day, or half a day	Bring documents to the regional immigration bureau with jurisdiction over your residence
④	Immigration review	8 to 18 months	Additional materials may be requested
⑤	Result notification and residence card issuance	Within 2 weeks after notification	If approved: postcard → receive residence card at immigration

These are the 5 steps: ① document preparation, ② preparation of application documents, ③ application at the immigration counter, ④ immigration review, and ⑤ result notification and residence card issuance.

The longest part is ④, the immigration review. As explained later in Chapter 3, you should currently expect around 8 to 18 months.

If you apply on your own, it is realistic to expect a total period of around 1 to 1.5 years from document preparation to result notification. Let us now examine each step in detail.

 

Application Counter and What to Bring on the Application Date

The application counter is the regional immigration bureau with jurisdiction over your place of residence.

For example, applicants living in Tokyo apply at the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, while those living in Osaka apply at the Osaka Immigration Bureau. Jurisdiction is determined by residence. Please check the Immigration Services Agency website for details.

On the application date, be sure to bring the complete set of application documents, your passport, and your residence card. If there are deficiencies in the documents, they may be pointed out at the counter.

Once the application is accepted, immigration will issue an “application receipt,” a postcard-sized document. Please keep it carefully until the result notification arrives.

 

Actual Review Periods by Region

The Immigration Services Agency publicly states that the standard processing period for permanent residency applications is 4 months. In reality, however, applications are taking much longer, especially at regional immigration bureaus in major urban areas.

Category	Period
Standard processing period published by the Immigration Services Agency	4 months
Actual period at Tokyo Immigration	Around 18 months
Actual period at Osaka Immigration	Around 1 year
Other regional immigration bureaus	Around 6 to 8 months

During the review period, applicants often ask, “I am worried about when the result will come. Is it okay to frequently contact immigration?”

In conclusion, frequent inquiries are not recommended. The frequency of inquiries does not affect the review result.

There is also one important point regarding life during the review period.

 

How to Respond to a Notice Requesting Additional Materials

After applying for permanent residency, immigration may send a “notice requesting additional materials.” This is a written notice asking for additional documents, and it is very common in permanent residency applications.

When applicants hear “notice requesting additional materials,” many worry that there may be a problem with their application. However, this is not necessarily the case. It is a normal procedural notice sent when immigration wants to confirm more detailed information during the review.

What Is Written in the Notice

The notice lists the materials to be submitted and the submission deadline. The deadline is usually around two weeks.

The requested materials vary and may include, for example, the following.

Key Points for Responding

There are 2 key points when responding.

Responding to these notices is an area where our office frequently receives consultations. If you are unsure which documents to prepare, please feel free to contact us.

 

How Approval and Refusal Notices Are Received

Once the review is complete, immigration will send the result notification by mail. The form and content of the notice differ significantly depending on whether the application is approved or refused.

If Approved

If the application is approved, immigration will send a postcard. It will state that you should come to the bureau regarding the result of your permanent residency application.

Take this postcard to the regional immigration bureau where you applied and receive your new residence card showing “Permanent Resident.”

If Refused

If the application is refused, unlike in the case of approval, you will not receive a postcard. Instead, you will receive a written “notice of refusal” directly by mail.

However, the notice of refusal only cites the article number of the Immigration Control Act that served as the legal basis, such as “Article ○○ of the Immigration Control Act.” It does not state the specific reason for refusal.

To learn the specific reason for refusal, you must visit immigration and receive an oral explanation from the examiner in charge. This interview is extremely important for preparing a reapplication. Details are explained in PART 2, Chapter 8.

 

What to Do If Your Period of Stay Is Approaching Expiration During Review [Important]

As review periods become longer, we often receive questions such as, “What should I do if my current status of residence is about to expire while my permanent residency application is under review?”

In other words, separately from your permanent residency application, you must apply to renew your current status of residence within the deadline. If you fail to do so, you will become an overstayer after your period of stay expires, which will have a fatal impact on all future residence statuses, including your permanent residency application. Please be extremely careful.

At our office, we advise applicants on the timing of renewing their current status of residence while handling their permanent residency application. If your period of stay is approaching expiration, please consult us early.

 

Up to this point, PART 1 covered the process from application to approval. From here, PART 2 explains how to respond if your application is refused.

Due to stricter screening in recent years, permanent residency applications are by no means always approved on the first attempt. If your application is refused, taking the right steps can significantly increase the likelihood of approval in your next reapplication.

 

3 Typical Patterns of Refusal

Here are 3 typical patterns that commonly lead to refusal.

No.	Typical Pattern	Main Reason for Refusal
①	Late Payment of Public Dues [Most Common]	Late payment of resident tax, pension premiums, or health insurance premiums, including late payments by co-residing family members
②	Insufficient Annual Income	Does not meet the independent livelihood requirement: JPY 3.5 million for a single applicant, plus JPY 200,000 to 300,000 per dependent
③	Violation of the Good Conduct Requirement	Failure to comply with notification obligations, repeated traffic violations, violations involving fines or heavier penalties, overwork, etc.

Pattern ① Late Payment of Public Dues [Most Common]

By far the most common reason for refusal is late payment of public dues, meaning resident tax, pension premiums, and health insurance premiums.

If there is a late payment during the review period, the application is almost certainly refused under current practice. No matter how carefully this is explained in the statement of reasons, the fact itself does not change.

Pattern ② Insufficient Annual Income

Permanent residency applications require satisfaction of the independent livelihood requirement. A single applicant generally needs annual income of around JPY 3.5 million, and applicants with dependents need an additional JPY 200,000 to 300,000 per dependent. If this is not met, the application will be refused.

Please note that immigration does not only look at income at the time of application. It also reviews income trends over the past 3 to 5 years. Even if income is forcibly increased for the most recent 1 year, low figures in the past will be disadvantageous.

Pattern ③ Violation of the Good Conduct Requirement

The third pattern is a case where the applicant is judged not to satisfy the good conduct requirement, meaning they are not considered to have shown an attitude of complying with Japanese laws and regulations. Some cases do not amount to criminal offenses under the Penal Code, but from the perspective of permanent residency screening, they may be judged as failing to meet the good conduct requirement. As a result, they are typical causes of permanent residency refusal or a shortened period of stay when renewing the current status of residence.

Specifically, the following 4 cases apply.

In particular, (c) violations involving fines or heavier penalties can make permanent residency applications difficult for a long period afterward. If you have such a case in the past, you need to carefully assess the timing of reapplication.

 

Receiving the Notice of Refusal and Hearing the Reason [Most Important]

If your application is refused, the response flow is as follows.

When You Receive the Notice of Refusal

First, immigration will send a document called a “notice of refusal” by mail. As explained earlier, the notice itself does not state the specific reason for refusal.

Visit Immigration to Hear the Reason [Most Important]

During the hearing, confirm the following points.

Accompaniment by an Administrative Scrivener

For the hearing, you may ask an administrative scrivener to accompany you. Our office also receives many requests for accompaniment after refusal. Having a professional present may help draw out more specific information from the examiner.

 

Timing and Preparation for Reapplication

The timing and preparation for reapplication can be organized by reason for refusal as follows.

Reason for Refusal	Approximate Time Before Reapplication	Actions Needed Before Reapplication
Late payment of public dues	1 to 2 years	Build a record with no late payments during the review period
Insufficient annual income	When income has stabilized	Continuously secure annual income that meets the benchmark
Violation of notification obligations or repeated minor traffic violations	1 to 2 years	Build a period with no violations
Traffic violations involving fines or heavier penalties, such as drunk driving or driving without a license	5 years	Wait until 5 years have passed since the fine
Overwork, or violation of permission to engage in activity other than that permitted	1 to 2 years	Build a period with no violations

If the Reason Was Late Payment of Public Dues

If the reason for refusal was late payment of public dues, you will need to wait at least 1 to 2 years.

The reason is clear: you need to build a record with no late payments during the review period for the permanent residency application. If you reapply immediately, the past late payment will still fall within the review period, and the application will be refused again for the same reason.

As explained in the related article “How to Write a Statement of Reasons for Permanent Residency,” disadvantageous factors cannot be rescued merely by explaining them in the statement of reasons. The proper approach is to build a clean record before reapplying.

If the Reason Was Insufficient Annual Income

If the reason was insufficient annual income, wait until you can continuously satisfy the independent livelihood requirement. Even if you increase income for just 1 year, immigration will review trends over the past 3 to 5 years, so it is important to maintain stable income continuously.

If the Reason Was Violation of the Good Conduct Requirement

For violations of the good conduct requirement, the required period before reapplication varies significantly depending on the content of the violation.

If the cause was failure to comply with notification obligations or repeated minor traffic violations, it is realistic to build at least 1 to 2 years of clean record with no violations before reapplying.

On the other hand, if the cause was a traffic violation involving fines or heavier penalties, such as drunk driving or driving without a license, reapplication should wait until at least 5 years have passed since the fine. Reapplying earlier than that is extremely unlikely to succeed, so waiting 5 years is realistic.

If the reason was overwork, meaning violation of permission to engage in activity other than that permitted, we also recommend waiting until after at least 1 to 2 years of clean record with no violations.

Statement of Reasons for Reapplication

 

Summary: Wrap-Up of the 4-Part Series and Introduction to the Special Article

With this article, our complete guide series on permanent residency applications, consisting of 4 articles, is now complete.

The first article covered the 3 requirements for permanent residency, the second covered required documents, the third covered how to write a statement of reasons, and this article explained the process from application to approval and how to respond to refusal.

By reading these 4 articles, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge needed for a permanent residency application. If you are preparing to apply, please review them repeatedly and use them according to your own circumstances.

Related Articles

Please also see the other articles in our complete guide series on permanent residency applications.

• Part 1/4: Complete Guide to the Three Requirements for Permanent Residency｜Updated for the 2026 Guidelines
• Part 2/4: Complete Guide to Required Documents for Permanent Residency｜How to Read the Immigration Website and Case-Specific Pitfalls
• Part 3/4: How to Write a Statement of Reasons for Permanent Residency｜Explained by an Administrative Scrivener with Sample Text by Pattern
• Special Article: All Cases in Which Permanent Resident Status Can Be Revoked

 

We Offer Free Consultations for Permanent Residency Applications

Touch Immigration Law Firm offers free consultations for permanent residency applications. If you are preparing to apply, currently under review and unsure how to respond to a notice requesting additional materials, or considering reapplication after refusal, please feel free to contact us.

In particular, reapplication after refusal requires accurate understanding of the previous reason for refusal and preparation of a new statement of reasons showing the improved facts. Our office can support you, including accompanying you to the hearing.

Please contact us anytime through the inquiry form on our website or by phone.