Renewals - new rules

[GomiGirl]

Just renewed my work visa again - another 3 years of being allowed to pay taxes to the Japanese government.

But just a note for those who haven't renewed in a while... there is a new requirement for everybody to prove they have been good little boys and girls and paying their ward taxes.

This was a bit of a surprise as it doesn't seem to be written anywhere. So, a few weeks ago, I submitted my forms for renewal as usual. Supporting documentation was the company contract, my federal tax statement etc.

They sent me away with a form for my company tax accountant to send through additional documentation about the company - showing we are up to date on our taxes.

Then when the little postcard arrived, it had an additional stamp on it saying that I needed to bring with me the ward office tax statement showing how much I owed and how much tax I had paid to the ward office. Now fortunately I have been a good little resident and have paid all of my taxes.

So today, I went to immigration with my ward office tax certificates and my passport and I have a shiny new 3 year visa.

But I just wanted to let people know that if you haven't been paying your ward taxes then you might be in for a rude shock when trying to renew your visa.

Fortunately it doesn't appear they are checking on whether you are up to date with your NHK payments. If they start doing that, then I am screwed. But applying for PR this year as I have just clocked over 10 years as a good little tax payer.

[Mulboyne]

Do you think you might have been asked for the additional information because you work for your own company?

[GomiGirl]

Do you think you might have been asked for the additional information because you work for your own company?

Nope - I am on a regular working visa. The Prez is on the Investor Visa.

I asked the lady at immigration today and I asked why I had to provide these documents this time and not last time. She said that it was a new rule that came in about 2 years ago. But looking around the other people who were getting their renewals today, it seemed I was the only one with the ward office documents. I was the only white person though too, if that makes any difference. Actually, there might have been one other person with a ward office envelope.

But if could have been a random check, or the immigration officer just took a dislike to me, or perhaps because I have been here 10 years now.

I just mentioned it, as there are heaps of people who dodge the ward tax for as long as they can.

[tidbits]

We did our visa last year and PR this year in the Chiba office and as GG said, we were being told the same thing -we must show our residents's tax certificate, income tax alone is not enough.

[LTLurker]

Given the Japanese government's debt load, this shouldn't come as a surprise.

[Mock Cockpit]

I'm so glad I only have to deal with these cunts when I get my re-entry visa. I made the overly dramatic point of using the hand-spray as I left the office last time I was there.

[wuchan]

last time I renewed, Aug 08, all they wanted was my contract and my wife's contract. Things may have changed shortly after but it seems like each office picks and chooses which rules to enforce.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I wonder what they'll do in situations like the one I was in and my friend is currently in.

We both got laid off towards the beginning of last year and couldn't afford to make payments so I was and he still is making monthly payments to city hall. In those situations you are late and still have to pay the penalties but you aren't evading taxes as far as the local government is concerned. In my friend's case he's found an English school that's willing to sponsor him but since he was in front-office banking what's left on his residence tax is about two months' salary as an English teacher so he can't just pay it off. I wonder if immigration will reject him or not. My guess is there's no clear answer and it depends on who reviews his case

[FG Lurker]

I wonder what they'll do in situations like the one I was in and my friend is currently in.

We both got laid off towards the beginning of last year and couldn't afford to make payments so I was and he still is making monthly payments to city hall. In those situations you are late and still have to pay the penalties but you aren't evading taxes as far as the local government is concerned. In my friend's case he's found an English school that's willing to sponsor him but since he was in front-office banking what's left on his residence tax is about two months' salary as an English teacher so he can't just pay it off. I wonder if immigration will reject him or not. My guess is there's no clear answer and it depends on who reviews his case

I would suggest that your friend take a letter from the ward office explaining the situation and stating that he is making payments towards paying it off. It may take a little work on his part to get such a letter from the ward office, but it seems like it would be in everyone's best interest that he stays here and keeps making those payments.

[Samurai_Jerk]

A friend of mine is going through the renewal process right now and immigration is saying you have to show proof that you've paid your residence tax for the last three years. For those of you who think having to go to city hall is a pain in the ass or if you've moved across the country and can't go, you can get the necessary documents by mail.

It seems like this really only does apply to people renewing because I have another friend who left just over a year ago and came back last week on a new visa which he applied for while he was out of Japan and they didn't ask for any proof of having paid his taxes which was a good thing for him because he hasn't.

[omae mona]

OK, so in order to get your visa renewed:

1) Go to your local government office to request tax documents.
2) Go back to the local government office to pick up those documents.
3) Go to immigration to apply for the visa renewal
4) Go back to immigration to pick up the new visa stamp
5) Go back to the local government office to get your alien registration card updated with the new visa information (I think you have 2 weeks or so before you are subject to arrest, so there is a lot of flexibility here).

So you only have to take 5 days off from work to get your visa renewed. Seems reasonable.

[Samurai_Jerk]

OK, so in order to get your visa renewed:

1) Go to your local government office to request tax documents.
2) Go back to the local government office to pick up those documents.

I know you're just being funny but as I mentioned above you can have those tax documents mailed to you. Plus, if you do go to city hall, you can have the documents issued immediately. Think about it. If you relocated from Hokkaido to Okinawa do you think you'd be expected to fly all the way back up to Hokkaido twice to complete your renewal application?

[Samurai_Jerk]

The friend I mentioned got his three year extension. When he filed the application he explained his situation and submitted a document from the kuyakusho showing his payment plan which doesn't even confirm whether or not he's been making payments and they approved it.

[rooboy]

A bloke I knew at uni's landed a job around Tokyo. He was here last in Feb 2006 - pissed off from JLand after leaving about 8 months of health insurance unpaid and a crummy 18,000 won of city tax unpaid.

He's now got a fucking almost new passport (2008 new one). He's actually a good bloke so I don't wanna see him in trouble. He's going to Tokyo after pissing off from Fukuoka back in 2006.

What are the odds he gets a bill from his old city (Fukuoka)? And how much would that 18,000 awol yen cost him now in 2010 w/ interest? This bloke save my arse back in the day, ugly incident with bikies gatecrashing a fucking uni party, this bloke's built like a brick shithouse and did boxing cause uncles a retired professional. Also swings a mean cricket bat, saved us from getting the crap kicked out of us.

I owe him. Least I can do is give him real advice. Are they gonna catch him and about how much is that fucking city tax now?

[FG Lurker]

Are they gonna catch him and about how much is that fucking city tax now?

New passport, new passport number, 4 years passed, new city, new prefecture... Extremely unlikely that anything is going to happen.

[aquamarine]

So just to tack on with this thread - I'll be renewing mine (going to the office on the 29th of June - this month). How long is the process taking these days? I have two weeks off in August and really want to make it back to Canada to visit my family.

Any thoughts?

[Iraira]

So just to tack on with this thread - I'll be renewing mine (going to the office on the 29th of June - this month). How long is the process taking these days? I have two weeks off in August and really want to make it back to Canada to visit my family.

Any thoughts?

If you have all your stuff in a nice digestible manner, you might get your postcard w/i a week. Last summer, I was told that my application was incomplete and would definitely have to come back with this and that as further proof that I'm not leech on society. I left kinda po'ed and received my "bring us money in exchange for your new VISA" postcard 4 working days later.
As stated before here and there:
1) If you have a job, preferably the same job for several years, and they are clearly sponsoring your shit,
2) If you have a Master's or Ph.D,
3) If you speaky nice J to the immigration crone, and
4) If you've filled out the main pages of the application correctly,

things should go well quickly. Still, it can be a crap shoot. Someone in charge of your file is constipated, etc., and puts your file back in the "get to this my the start of the next of the four seasons" pile, yeah...sucks.

[GomiGirl]

2-3 weeks is average. If all things are the same then it is usually fairly quick for a renewal. But as usual, it is on a case by case basis and anything could happen.

[aquamarine]

Well just a little update....

I went in two weeks ago and brought in all the documents my company supplied for me as they have agreed to sponsor me for renewal.

The documents I had were
1) Not stamped or dated
2) One was out-dated by 5 years (the Japanese year on it was 18, and it's currently year 22)
3) Incomplete

Fuck....

The company apologized to be, said it's happened before (wtf?) and they would send the correct documents to Shinagawa. Now on Monday I received my post card.

From this point on, how much longer will it take? I'm heading back to Tachikawa on Tuesday along with 4,000 yen as they have requested. Will I be getting the visa that day, or do I need to submit my passport and let them hang onto it for a few weeks?

[Samurai_Jerk]

From this point on, how much longer will it take? I'm heading back to Tachikawa on Tuesday along with 4,000 yen as they have requested. Will I be getting the visa that day, or do I need to submit my passport and let them hang onto it for a few weeks?

You get it immediately.

[wuchan]

. Now on Monday I received my post card.

From this point on, how much longer will it take? I'm heading back to Tachikawa on Tuesday along with 4,000 yen as they have requested. Will I be getting the visa that day, or do I need to submit my passport and let them hang onto it for a few weeks?

Depends on the office, anywhere between 20 minutes and five hours.

[GomiGirl]

Make sure you get your re-entry permit at the same time.

[FG Lurker]

Make sure you get your re-entry permit at the same time.

Doesn't the re-entry permit system end next year sometime? If he's not planning to go anywhere before the system winds down then no need to donate more to j-gov't coffers.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Doesn't the re-entry permit system end next year sometime? If he's not planning to go anywhere before the system winds down then no need to donate more to j-gov't coffers.

I had to go to immigration to hand in my extension application today. On the way out I stopped by the information desk to ask if it was really true they were going to end the re-entry system and if so when would it happen. The lady behind the counter said she's never heard that.

It wouldn't surprise me if she just didn't know dick about shit but my guess is it's one of those things that will get discussed for eternity before actually chaning (if it ever does change).

[sublight]

According to yesterday's Japan Times (granted, it's in the Zeit Gist column, so take it as you will), the immigration law revisions have already been decided, and are scheduled to go into effect "within three years of July 15".

The biggest of the revisions are A) maximum visa length extended from 3 to 5 years, B) no more re-entry permits needed, and C) gaijin cards are now handled by (and at) the immigration office (so instead of being able to update my card and still get to work by 10, it'll now be an all-day ordeal).

Almost forgot the link: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20100720zg.html

[Samurai_Jerk]

According to yesterday's Japan Times (granted, it's in the Zeit Gist column, so take it as you will), the immigration law revisions have already been decided, and are scheduled to go into effect "within three years of July 15".

The biggest of the revisions are A) maximum visa length extended from 3 to 5 years, B) no more re-entry permits needed, and C) gaijin cards are now handled by (and at) the immigration office (so instead of being able to update my card and still get to work by 10, it'll now be an all-day ordeal).

Almost forgot the link: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20100720zg.html

Hopefully I'll be gone by then.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Almost forgot the link: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20100720zg.html

Finally read the article. This part at least looks somewhat promising:

"I think that the Immigration Bureau doesn't know yet in particular how it will work yet under the system," says Tomohide Koh, an immigration lawyer with Office Cosmopolitan. However, for foreign residents in practical terms, he adds, this much looks likely: "If you just change your address, you need to go to the ward office, but you will need to notify the Immigration Bureau (of changes in) information other than your address."

But it's all still very much up in the air, so who knows what the reality is going to be.

[omae mona]

Finally read the article. This part at least looks somewhat promising:



But it's all still very much up in the air, so who knows what the reality is going to be.

Indeed, I hope that turns out to be true. As a permanent resident, I can't even think of any data on my card which *could* change other than my address. So maybe this means no trips to immigration, after all. At least until I save up enough money for the sex change operation I have been planning.

except....

what about when the gaijin card expires? I think they tend to issue ARCs with 7 years of validity. Once every 7 years is still more often than I would like to visit that office.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Indeed, I hope that turns out to be true. As a permanent resident, I can't even think of any data on my card which *could* change other than my address.

So do you not need to report job changes if you have PR?

what about when the gaijin card expires? I think they tend to issue ARCs with 7 years of validity. Once every 7 years is still more often than I would like to visit that office.

5 years. Actually, it's technically 5 birthdays, so depending on when you renew it, it's usually less than 5 years.

[FG Lurker]

So do you not need to report job changes if you have PR?

PR holders don't need to put their passport info, period of stay info, or job info on their ARC. A lot of ward offices don't seem to know this, I had to push for it when I got my first ARC after getting PR. In the passport and period of stay fields there are just *** instead of information. There is no job/employer field on my ARC.

5 years. Actually, it's technically 5 birthdays, so depending on when you renew it, it's usually less than 5 years.

Maybe this is different for PR holders too. My last ARC was issued on August 20 2007 and expires in April 2014.