How to Obtain a Business Manager Visa Through Real Estate Investment

For those concerned about part-time work and work restrictions on the Business Manager visa

Is this you? Those who find the keywords “Business Manager visa,” “part-time work,” and “work restrictions” on their mind probably have questions like the following.

This article is written to be useful to people like the above.

We explain part-time work and work restrictions on the Business Manager visa

In this article, you can learn the following.

Whether a side job is possible after obtaining a Business Manager visa

(1) Where the problem lies

Even if you obtain a Business Manager visa and start a business in Japan in earnest, the hard part of any business is the stretch before it gets off the ground. Sales don’t pick up easily, and the company’s income is zero. Monthly running costs include the office rent, your own remuneration, taxes, insurance and so on, but without sales you can’t pay these costs, and your initial funds steadily dwindle away.

And so, what comes to mind is a side job. You start wanting to work part-time at a late-night family restaurant or a convenience store, or to work weekends part-time as a security guard.
So, is it possible to do part-time work other than business management on a Business Manager visa?

(2) The conclusion and the reason

Part-time work on a Business Manager visa is a no

Put plainly, you cannot do part-time work other than business management on a Business Manager visa. That’s because the Business Manager visa is, after all, a residence status granted for the purpose of operating a business, and the side jobs above are not included in that.

Activities permitted under the Business Manager visa

Just to be sure, let’s accurately confirm the scope of the activities permitted under the Business Manager visa. According to the Immigration Services Agency, it is as follows.

Activities of operating international trade or other business in Japan, or of engaging in the management of such business (excluding activities of engaging in the operation or management of business that legally cannot be carried out without holding the qualifications listed in the “Legal/Accounting Services” section of this table).

Activities not included in the above are treated as “activities outside the scope of the residence status.”

(3) Is part-time work OK if you have permission for activities outside the status?

Speaking of “activities outside the scope of the residence status,” the following comes to mind. Namely, that under the law, if you file an “application for activities outside the scope of the residence status” and receive permission, you can carry out activities outside the scope of activities of the residence status you hold.

That being so, one might think that even on a Business Manager visa, receiving this permission for activities outside the status would make part-time work permissible. It’s certainly possible under the law. However, even if someone who started a business on a Business Manager visa applies for permission for activities outside the status, it is not granted in practice. Therefore, doing part-time work is, after all, effectively impossible.

What happens if you do part-time work unlawfully?

This is purely hypothetical, but what would happen if you secretly did part-time work on a Business Manager visa?
In this case, the data reported by your part-time employer to the Labour Bureau is also sent to Immigration, so Immigration finds out right away. That then poses a risk from the standpoint of the Business Manager visa. Specifically, it may be regarded as a violation involving activities outside the scope of the residence status, and there’s a risk that your Business Manager visa won’t be renewed going forward.

Furthermore, if you throw yourself into part-time work to the point that the management activities that constitute the Business Manager visa’s activities stop for three months, your Business Manager visa may be revoked or you may be deported. And in the worst case, you could face imprisonment with or without work for up to one year, or a fine of up to 2 million yen.

The special exception for the Highly Skilled Professional visa (the difference between (i) and (ii))

If you hold a Highly Skilled Professional visa (i), operating a business related to your main work as a side job is legally permitted. However, since it is strictly a side job, please note that you cannot run a company as your main activity. Also, if you end up running an unrelated company, that becomes unlawful as an activity outside the scope of the residence status.

On the other hand, if you have obtained the higher-ranking residence status “Highly Skilled Professional (ii),” the restrictions on activities are greatly relaxed. With Highly Skilled Professional (ii), it is legally permitted to run your own company (business management activities) while also being on the books at another company and carrying out separate work (employment) in parallel. Because a comprehensive relaxation of work activities applies, you can freely combine both activity as a business owner and employment as a company employee, without being bound by restrictions like (i)’s “only side jobs in businesses related to your main work.”

Funding measures to sustain the business without relying on a side job

The Business Manager visa is a visa that’s difficult to maintain even after obtaining it, not just at the acquisition stage. Under the current criteria, with approval standards tightened by the latest ministerial ordinance revisions, an even more robust funding plan is required than before.

Even in the founding period when much in the way of sales cannot be expected, it’s important to thoroughly implement the following measures so that you don’t hit a wall with living expenses and the company’s upkeep costs.

In closing

The essence of this article is as follows.