Number of people on business management visas and hiring employees

For those who have the following thoughts about the number of Business Manager Visas:

People who arrived at this page by searching for “business manager visa” and “number of people”. There are multiple perspectives on the topic of business manager visas and the number of people involved, but for example, aren’t you wondering about the following?

This article is intended to be helpful for people like those listed above.

What you can learn about the Business Management Visa in this article

In this article you will learn about

Number of foreign managers with business management visas

(1) Two questions about business manager visas and the number of people

In recent years, the number of foreigners coming to Japan to start running businesses has been increasing. Many people have seized business opportunities in Japan and become successful. Therefore, we can expect this number to continue to increase in the future.

The basic question that arises is how many mid- to long-term residents have the “Business Manager” status of residence (①). And the related point is how the number of new foreign entrants with the “Business Manager” status of residence has changed over time (②). Below, we will touch on ① and ②.

(2) How many people have the “Business Manager” status of residence?

First, let’s look at the number of people with the “Business Manager” residence status (①). According to the Immigration Management Statistics published by the Immigration Services Agency, the number of people with this status as of the end of 2020 was 27,119. How should we interpret this figure? Looking at it from another perspective, it can be interpreted in relation to the percentage of foreign residents with other residence statuses who have Business Manager visas.

Although it is data from 2019, the total number of foreigners by status of residence, including business manager, is 2,933,137 (Immigration Services Agency “Immigration Management Statistics”). Of these, the number of people with business manager visas is 27,249. In terms of percentage, it is about 0.93%. From the above, we can conclude that the percentage of people with “business manager” status of residence is by no means high.

(3) How has the number of new foreign entrants in the “Business Manager” category changed over time?

Next, regarding point ② above. According to the Immigration Statistics from the Immigration Services Agency, from 2000 to 2013, the number fluctuated from 604 in 2005 to a peak of 919 in 2008. After that, the number started to decrease until 2013, but then started to increase, reaching 2,237 in 2019. In 2020, the number was 1,532, which isIt is said to be affected by the pandemic.

Employment of 2 full-time staff members

(1) Do I need to employ two or more employees to obtain a business manager visa?

Something that comes to mind when you think about “business manager visa” and “number of people” is the employment of two employees.

So, below we will explain about “employing two employees”.

“To obtain a business manager visa, you must employ two or more employees.” Is there anyone who thinks this way? In fact, this is not necessary. What does this mean?

(2) Landing permission criteria for “management”

The landing permission criteria for “management and management” are set out as follows. Here are some excerpts:

The scale of the business related to the application falls under any of the following:

（3）Eligible full-time employees

Regarding the above item (A), we will explain who is eligible. What is required by item (A) above is a business that has two or more full-time employees residing in Japan, other than foreigners engaged in management or administration. Specifically, the following are eligible:Japanese nationals residing in Japan, special permanent residents, permanent residents, spouses of permanent residents, and long-term residents.

（4）Why you don’t need to hire two employees

Formally speaking, the above criteria state that “any of the following applies.” “Any of the following” means that one of several options must be selected. Therefore, for example, if an investment of 5 million yen or more has been made under item （B) above, then it would not be necessary to employ two or more employees under item (A).
By the way,In practice, the 5 million yen investment is often chosen.

Points to note

From the above, we can see that if you invest more than 5 million yen in capital, you do not need to employ more than two full-time employees, but if you are unable to prepare 5 million yen in capital, you will be required to employ more than two employees.

However, there are some points to note. The main duties of a foreign manager in relation to a Business Management Visa must be business management and administrative work, so for example, work by the manager himself cooking or giving massages is not permitted under a Business Management Visa, as these are not business activities. Therefore, for industries that handle such work, such as restaurants, massage parlours, and cleaning companies, it is not possible to prove that they are engaged in “management” activities unless they employ employees. In short, on-site labor is not permitted under a Business Management Visa.

Risks and countermeasures

Therefore, for example, if you are applying for a business manager visa to run a restaurant, if there are no cooks, waiters or waitresses other than the manager, the visa application is likely to be denied.
Therefore, in practice, when applying to the immigration bureau, employment contracts and shift schedules for those staff are submitted.
The reason for this is that this helps to prove that the restaurant can be operated even if the owner himself is not at the front of the store.

Summary of the number of people on Business Manager Visas

The vague keywords “business manager visa” and “number of people” were used, but what did you think? Now, let’s summarize the main points of this article.