How to Obtain Permanent Residency from a Work Visa

Representative Work Visas in Japan

There are 19 types of work visa in Japan, and many foreign nationals come to consider obtaining Permanent Residence as they continue working at Japanese companies on a work visa. First, the representative work visas are listed below.

Representative work visas in Japan

Of these, the most common among foreign nationals applying for Permanent Residence is likely (4) the Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services visa, followed by (3) the Business Manager visa and (2) the Highly Skilled Professional visa.

This page explains the key points for obtaining Permanent Residence from a work visa.

* Note: Permanent Residence applications from the Highly Skilled Professional visa have different requirements from those for other work visas, so they are covered on a separate page.

Conformity with the Status of Residence

First, as a prerequisite, whether the applicant is continuing activities consistent with their Status of Residence is a key point in the review. For example, if a person holds the Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services visa but is running a company or performing unskilled labor at their workplace, they cannot be said to be engaged in activities consistent with their Status of Residence.

Likewise, a holder of the Business Manager visa cannot, for instance, take orders at the restaurant they manage.

It is necessary to stay within the scope of activities permitted under the Status of Residence held, and to engage in activities consistent with that status.

Residence Requirement

To apply for Permanent Residence from a work visa, the applicant must have resided continuously in Japan for 10 years or more, and within that period, must have lived in Japan for 5 years or more under a work-visa Status of Residence.

For example, if a person resided in Japan for 7 years as a student and then switched to a work visa for 3 years, they do not satisfy the residence requirement. In this case, residence of 5 years as a student plus 5 years or more on a work visa is required.

Furthermore, the “5 years or more on a work visa” refers to the most recent 5 years calculated from the time of the Permanent Residence application. Therefore, for example, if a person worked on a work visa for 2 years, then switched to a Student Status of Residence to attend school, and then switched back to a work visa for 3 years of work, the most recent 5 years are not entirely on a work visa, so the residence requirement is not satisfied.

In addition, satisfying the income requirement is also difficult in such cases, so the applicant must have been residing in Japan on a work visa for the most recent 5 years calculated from the time of the Permanent Residence application.

The approach to departures from Japan is the same as for Permanent Residence applications from other Statuses of Residence: if departures are frequent, the count toward the continuous 10-year requirement may be reset. A single departure of 90 days or more, or departures totaling more than half a year within one year, will be treated as a negative factor in the Permanent Residence review.

Period of Stay

For the work visa currently held, the applicant must be residing under the longest period of stay prescribed in Appended Table 2 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control Act.

The period of stay currently granted under the work-visa Status of Residence must be the longest one. In other words, even if you hold a work-visa Status of Residence, this requirement is not satisfied if the period of stay granted is only 1 year.

The periods of stay available under work-visa Statuses of Residence are 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years. While one might assume that a 5-year period is required, a period of stay of 3 years or more is sufficient to satisfy this requirement.

Sufficient Assets or Skills to Make an Independent Living

When obtaining Permanent Residence from a work visa, the conditions regarding income are largely the same as for applications from other Statuses of Residence. As a guideline, an annual income of 3 million yen or more is required, with an additional 200,000 to 300,000 yen for each dependent. If your spouse resides in Japan on a Dependent visa and works part-time, the spouse’s income is not added to your own.

For holders of the Business Manager visa, the review is based on the amount of executive compensation, so it is important to set executive compensation at a minimum of 3 million yen or more. Also, when applying for Permanent Residence from a Business Manager visa, the stability of the business is another point in the review. For this reason, in addition to having completed 2 or more fiscal years of financial settlements since starting the company, it is preferable that those settlements have been profitable.

The applicant must not be a burden on public funds in daily life, and based on their assets, skills, etc., must be expected to lead a stable life in the future.

If you are receiving public assistance and have become a burden on public funds, obtaining Permanent Residence will be difficult. The same applies if you are married and your spouse is receiving public assistance.

The applicant must be of good conduct.

This means complying with the law and leading a life as a resident that is not socially criticized in daily life.

The most important point to note when applying for Permanent Residence from a work visa is the case where the applicant is married and the spouse holds a Dependent Status of Residence. Even with Permission to Engage in Activities Other Than That Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted, if the spouse is working more than 28 hours per week, the good conduct requirement is not satisfied. This affects the good conduct requirement as a matter of inadequate supervision, even though it concerns someone other than the applicant. The other requirements are the same as for applications from other Statuses of Residence.

The applicant must not have received a fine, imprisonment, or similar penalty. The applicant must have properly fulfilled public duties (payment of taxes, payment of public pension and public health insurance premiums, notification obligations stipulated in the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, etc.).

Resident tax and pension premiums must have been paid at the appropriate times. Unpaid amounts are out of the question; even if payments have been completed, any delays past the payment deadlines will make it difficult to obtain approval. A Permanent Residence application requires that the appropriate taxes have been paid at the appropriate times.

Summary: Obtaining Permanent Residence from a Work Visa

This page has explained the key points for obtaining Permanent Residence from a work visa. Since July 2019, the income requirement for obtaining Permanent Residence from a work visa requires the submission of taxation certificates for the most recent 5 years (previously, the most recent 3 years).

Previously, the submission of 3 years of taxation certificates was sufficient, but since it is now 5 years, the applicant must maintain a stable income over a longer period, and the bar for the income requirement has been raised compared to before.

In addition, since October 2021, a document called the “Letter of Acknowledgment” has been added, and if the applicant changes jobs during the review period, this must be reported to the Immigration Bureau immediately.

The Permanent Residence review tends to become stricter year by year, so we recommend that those who currently satisfy the requirements apply at the earliest opportunity. There is no disadvantage to holding Permanent Residence.