Mr. Ogawa (pictured right), who runs a plastics processing business in Saitama Prefecture, asked Gyoseishoshioshioshi Lawyer Corporation Touch to help him change the visa status of his employee from China, Mr. Chen (pictured center), who has been with him since the company was founded.
We asked him in detail about how he decided to change from his originally planned visa to a business management visa and why he was able to obtain a business management visa with a 40% investment ratio.
(Interview: July 2021)
Company Name: OTEC Ltd.
Representative Director: Mr. Takayuki Ogawa
Applicant: Mr. Chen Baumei (Chinese national)
Application details: Change of status from Family Residency to Business Management Visa (Appointment as an executive officer)
Application date: May 20, 2021
Permit date: June 25, 2021
From “Family Visa” to “Business Management Visa” for part time employees since the establishment of the company.
What is the nature of your company’s business?
We are a plastic product assembly and processing company established in 2005. Now we mainly assemble and process helmets in general, from safety material related, disaster prevention helmets to construction helmets, etc.
What was the size of the company when it was founded?
Me, my parents, and Mr. Chen. There were one or two more people, so we started with about five or six people. At the time of establishment, we opened our business in Toda City, unlike today’s Omiya.
There, we continued to do the same kind of work steadily and steadily, and now have about 20 employees.
Mr. Chen has been in business since the beginning?
Strictly speaking, it started the year after the company was founded. First, they came to us as part-timers.
This is our 15th term, so he has been working for us for almost 14 years. Mr. Chen is the only one who has been with us since the company was founded, so in that sense he is our mainstay. In that sense, he is our mainstay.
What type of visa did Mr. Chen have at the time?
This is a family visa. Your husband is a chef and had a visa.
What led you to change from a family visa?
When the company was founded, I didn’t study enough and didn’t understand details such as the types of visas for so-called foreigners and restrictions on working hours.
I had them work as part-timers, but as the number of employees increased, I learned that there is a limit to the number of hours one can work on a family stay visa. Of course, I was working within the limits of the hours I could work.
Ms. Chen is an indispensable person in our company. Working within the available working hours has become a problem for both of us. Mr. Chen said he wanted to work more, and I said I needed more help. Because we were in agreement with each other, we began to think about changing his visa.
Other administrative scriveners turned me down…
Did you know who to talk to about visa issues?
No, I did not. However, I did have a relationship with a tax accountant and a laborer, so I did consult with them in a light-hearted way. But I didn’t feel that they had expertise.
In addition to that, as I researched, I found out that there are foreign visa specialists. Then I decided to consult an expert, so I searched the Internet.
What is the response of the visa experts that you found in your online search?
The response was not good. When I sent a consultation e-mail to Mr. Chen and told him about his background, he kept responding, “You can’t do it,” or “It’s too difficult. For my part, I wanted to get some ideas on how to do it, regardless of whether it could be done or not, but it was by e-mail, and it was not easy to get there. ＞I wanted to have an idea of how to do it, but it was by e-mail, and I couldn’t get there.
Then, Dr. Yuda became a hit. He was young and, although this is just my imagination, I thought he might have a flexible mindset. Then things went smoothly, and I met with him for a face-to-face consultation.
More specifically, what did you like about it?
First, he is young in age. I have the impression that he is probably a flexible thinker. Second, we were from the same hometown (laughs). Although not directly related to work, we also talked well together.
The most significant was the response to our face-to-face consultation. We initially consulted over the phone, but after meeting with them, the discussion proceeded in more detail. My overall impression was that I could trust them for speed and responsiveness, so I decided to hire them on the spot.
Instead of the original “working visa”, a new “business administration visa” was proposed. What did you think at the time?
As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Chen has been with us since the company was founded, and the company had no problem accepting him as a board member. However, I had not talked to him about it, so I was worried. However, I could understand that if both parties could achieve their goals by obtaining a business management visa, then we had no choice but to go this way.
Besides, he told me in advance that it might not be possible to obtain a business administration visa, and he also clarified the fees involved in that case, so in that sense I felt secure. Above all, I was left with the strong impression that they were willing to help us in a way that said, “It would be difficult according to conventional practice, but let’s give it a try! I was strongly impressed by the fact that you were able to help us in such a way.
Business management visa is also subject to the issue of investment ratio (50:50)
The percentage of investment is related to the right to represent the company, so we are not sure to what extent we can give up the right to manage the company. In addition, there is also the question of how much responsibility Chen should be given. In this sense, we sought a way to accept Mr. Chen as a board member while keeping his responsibilities in check.
Generally, a 50% investment ratio is considered the standard, but we ended up getting 40%, which I believe was the best possible result. This was also the result of a proposal from Dr. Yuda, for which I can only express my gratitude.
Evaluation of Gyoseishoshi Touch
Please give your evaluation of Dr. Yuda.
I would give her a perfect score of 100 (laughs). In every single e-mail and phone call, she explained in detail what to do and what points to pay attention to. I got the impression that he was not only clear in his instructions, but also easy to consult with.
What are your future business plans?
Mr. Chen can speak Chinese, and I am certain that he will be a reliable person when we decide to establish a manufacturing base in China in the future. In that sense, I feel that we have a bright future ahead of us.
Also, this time, I thought it was a difficult request even judged by other administrative scriveners, but Dr. Yuda said, “It is difficult according to conventional practice, but let’s give it a try! I believe that we were able to obtain the business management visa because Dr. Yuda was able to think of a way to help us. I am sure that you will continue to help me with visa renewals in the future, and I hope that you will continue to help me. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your time.
- Date of interview: October 2020
- All numerical information in the text is current as of
on the day of the interview.
