Perm Res.

[omae mona]

Good luck on becoming super-f*cked, FGL! Keep us posted.

[FG Lurker]

Good luck on becoming super-f*cked, FGL! Keep us posted.

Well, as of about 25 minutes ago I am officially super-fucked!

Parted with 8,000yen and got the little sticker in my passport. Now I just have to make sure I keep my re-entry permission up to date...

[Taro Toporific]

Good luck on becoming super-f*cked, FGL! Keep us posted.

Well, as of about 25 minutes ago I am officially super-fucked!

So, whatz your "score"?
From the moment of landing, until super-fucked perm. visa status, how many years and months did it take?

The rule-of-thumb I've been telling FG wannabes is that in reality it takes a minimum of 5 years and 8 years on average. The theoretical "3-year minimum" that J-Immigration states is a cruel joke.

[FG Lurker]

Good luck on becoming super-f*cked, FGL! Keep us posted.

Well, as of about 25 minutes ago I am officially super-fucked!

So, whatz your "score"?
From the moment of landing, until super-fucked perm. visa status, how many years and months did it take?

I've been in Japan in total about 10 years now. Married for 7 of those years. I never even looked into applying before now though so not sure if I would have gotten it or not.

The rule-of-thumb I've been telling FG wannabes is that in reality it takes a minimum of 5 years and 8 years on average. The theoretical "3-year minimum" that J-Immigration states is a cruel joke.

I've not heard the "3 year minimum" before. I thought the rule-of-thumb was 5-years in Japan while married to a Japanese national or 10 years here (with a reasonably high-paying job) if you're not.

It took 3 months and 10 days for my approval to come through. Not uber-fucked Arudou Debito speeds, but not too bad.

[sillygirl]

Congrats, FG lurker!!

[canman]

I came to Japan on May 15, 1993. I got married Sepr. 14, 1997, I recieved my PR on Nov. 9th 2001. So I was here a grand total of 8 years 6 months and 25 days before recieving it. WHen I first got married the immigration prick gave me a 6 month spouse visa, telling my wife, she had to be careful, I may be just marrying here to stay in Japan. That is after being here for 4 years already. Then I got a three year spuse visa and then finally the PR. I really haven't noticed any big shcnges other than not haveing to worry about getting your visa renewed, and the hassle involved with that.

[FG Lurker]

I came to Japan on May 15, 1993. I got married Sepr. 14, 1997, I recieved my PR on Nov. 9th 2001. So I was here a grand total of 8 years 6 months and 25 days before recieving it. WHen I first got married the immigration prick gave me a 6 month spouse visa, telling my wife, she had to be careful, I may be just marrying here to stay in Japan.

Man, that must've been a pleasant visit to the immigration office!

Then I got a three year spuse visa and then finally the PR. I really haven't noticed any big shcnges other than not haveing to worry about getting your visa renewed, and the hassle involved with that.

I think the biggest thing for me will be the ability to borrow money with greater ease. I haven't decided if I will buy a house or not, but I am getting pretty tired of paying rent & parking, so I might... I've also been thinking about starting a business (again), and it is helpful to have PR to get financing for that too.

[FG Lurker]

:nihonjin:


Congrats, FG lurker!!

Thanks. Wanted to reply to this much earlier but the post bug was preventing me...

It feels kinda strange to have PR after so long here on various visas. Not sure why it feels strange though... Maybe because it has driven home just how long I have been here. Sigh...

[dimwit]

I have offically joined the inertia club -AKA Permanent Residency. I just got their letter of love today.

[FG Lurker]

I have offically joined the inertia club -AKA Permanent Residency. I just got their letter of love today.

Welcome to the Uber-Fucked Crub (tm)!

[Taro Toporific]

I have offically joined the inertia club -AKA Permanent Residency. I just got their letter of love today.

Damn, I am gonna file for Permanent Residency at your Immigration Office and claim I'm living on the Shikoku farm. Here in Kanto, the smart, on-the-ball officials in immigration have been refusing my PR applications for decades.

[Greji]

Damn, I am gonna file for Permanent Residency at your Immigration Office and claim I'm living on the Shikoku farm. Here in Kanto, the smart, on-the-ball officials in immigration have been refusing my PR applications for decades.

My first visa was the spouse visa for three years. At the end of which I then filed for perm ressy and had it approved in about two months. Eat your heart out Taro.
Standing by for Pig spam!
Buuu

[ttjereth]

Bit of an old thread, but I have been looking into this PR for myself when my marriage visa expires again next year and found the following guidelines:


Question:What are the requirements for permission for permanent residence?

Answer:

1. Requirements for Permission of Permanent Residence
1. The applicant should be leading a life of a good citizen without any criminal record or bad behaviors and without neglecting public duties.
2. The applicant should have sufficient resources or skills to make an independent living. The applicant should be expected to lead a stable life considering his/her resources or skills. This requirement applies to the applicant and his/her family.
3. The permanent residence of the applicant should be beneficial to Japan. This requirement does not usually apply to foreigners who stay in Japan under the status of "Spouse etc. of a Japanese National".
2. Length of Stay
The length of the applicant's stay in Japan is not a legal requirement and no definite period of time is predetermined. However, the applicant should have stayed in Japan for some time if he/she were to be assessed against the above three requirements.
1. As a general rule, the applicant should have stayed in Japan without interruption for more than 10 years. If the applicant entered Japan as a college student and got a job in Japan after graduation, the length of stay should be more than 5 years after the change of the status of residence (after he/she obtained a working visa).
2. If the applicant is a spouse of a Japanese, permanent resident or special permanent resident, then he/she should have stayed in Japan for more than 3 years.
3. If the applicant is a child or adopted child of a Japanese or permanent resident, he/she should have stayed in Japan for more than 1 year without interruption.
4. A Refugee from Indochina or other parts should have stayed in Japan for more than 5 years without interruption.
5. A long term resident should have stayed in Japan for more than 5 years after obtaining permission for residence.
6. If the applicant is a person who is recognized to have made a contribution to Japan in the fields of diplomacy, social activities, economy and culture, he/she should have stayed in Japan for more than 5 years.

From the Osaka prefectional gov.
http://www.pref.osaka.jp/kokusai/OIS_web/english/immigration/04_4.html

[FG Lurker]

Bit of an old thread, but I have been looking into this PR for myself when my marriage visa expires again next year and found the following guidelines:


Question:What are the requirements for permission for permanent residence?

Answer:

1. Requirements for Permission of Permanent Residence

Yes, those sound about right.

A couple of things to keep in mind though:

1. You shouldn't wait until your spouse visa (nearly) expires. If your spouse visa runs out before your perm res app is approved you will have to go through the application process for another spouse visa as well.

2. When you go to immigration with all your papers, the immigration guy will check them out. Usually there are no problems. Occasionally though they will suggest you change something or that you wait a bit longer before applying. Take this advice! It is basically their way of saying that you're not going to get approved. Once you have been rejected once it is a lot harder to get approved down the road.

[ttjereth]

Yes, those sound about right.

A couple of things to keep in mind though:

1. You shouldn't wait until your spouse visa (nearly) expires. If your spouse visa runs out before your perm res app is approved you will have to go through the application process for another spouse visa as well.

2. When you go to immigration with all your papers, the immigration guy will check them out. Usually there are no problems. Occasionally though they will suggest you change something or that you wait a bit longer before applying. Take this advice! It is basically their way of saying that you're not going to get approved. Once you have been rejected once it is a lot harder to get approved down the road.

Thanks for the tips.

My spouse visa expires next April, then on top of that my passport expires next September, so I get to do a lot of paper shuffling anyway.

I wish I had the money to move back out to the country before having to do any of it, I hate the Tokyo immigration center =P The U.S. embassy has always been really nice at least.

[Greji]

Thanks for the tips.

My spouse visa expires next April, then on top of that my passport expires next September, so I get to do a lot of paper shuffling anyway.

Lurk's right on with his advice. One think to think about, when I was getting ready to file for PR, they said submit the paperwork no later that six months before the expiration of your current visa. If you do not, you leave yourself open for a lot of bad options and may end up trying to salvage a renewal on your old visa or find a new one when the clown at the window says they can't approve your PR. Actually, the dependent spouse renewal is a slam dunk, so not to worry on that part.

[dimwit]

If your spousal visa expires in 1 year you should be doing your permanent visa application [SIZE="4"]NOW[/SIZE]. My application took about 8 months and from what I understand the waiting times have increased since the magical six month time they used to say you needed. Whether or not your passport expires in the mean time is irrelevant as they will just transfer all the stamps to your new passport when you get it, and this includes your permanent residency application.

[FG Lurker]

If your spousal visa expires in 1 year you should be doing your permanent visa application [SIZE="4"]NOW[/SIZE]. My application took about 8 months and from what I understand the waiting times have increased since the magical six month time they used to say you needed. Whether or not your passport expires in the mean time is irrelevant as they will just transfer all the stamps to your new passport when you get it, and this includes your permanent residency application.

Mine didn't take that long, about 3 months I think.

There is definite variance though and one big consideration is where you apply. Buddy in Tokyo applied with similar salary/visa/job situation and his took about 8 months too I think.

[Taro Toporific]

Permanent residency
You don't need an Oscar, but it helps
Japan Times, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006

...recently, the Ministry of Justice for the first time revealed some of traditionally hidden criteria it uses to judge applications. There are some pitfalls, however, and length of time in Japan is no guarantee of a successful application.

There are several basic requirements for those wishing to become permanent residents. According to the Ministry of Justice, the applicant should be an upstanding character, "leading a life of a good citizen without any criminal record or bad behaviors and without neglecting public duties." Applicants should also be able to support themselves financially, with "sufficient resources or skills to make an independent living."

Applicants should have clean records. Even a driving ticket can harm the chances of success, says Tokyo Lifeline director and Japan Times columnist Ken Joseph Jr.

There is no strict requirement, legal or otherwise, on the amount of time someone should have spent in Japan in order to be eligible for permanent residency. As a general rule, however, applicants are expected to have spent about 10 years in Japan if single, and at least 3 years if married to a Japanese.

There is flexibility in this, however, depending on factors like the applicant's field of employment and "contribution to Japan in the fields of diplomacy, social activities, economy and culture," which could mean just about anything. In these cases, five years is considered an acceptable amount of time to have lived in Japan before becoming eligible.

In fact, a significant part of the process involves the applicant demonstrating that he or she has or is capable of making some manner of contribution to Japan. The Ministry of Justice this year shed some light on the hitherto shadowy application process, outlining in March some of the criteria, including honors awarded, and positions and achievements noted, that can help toward a successful application. These exalted criteria shouldn't deter hopeful applicants, of course. Other more manageable contributions considered appropriate are periods of service at a foreign embassy in Japan, longish-term employment at listed Japanese companies or others of similar size, and skilled workers or engineers who have lent their expertise to Japanese industry.

In the field of teaching, the ministry specifies that applicants should have held the position of "full-time teacher or equivalent-to-fulltime professor, assistant professor or lecturer working for a Japanese university or any equivalent academic institution as defined under the School Education Law of Japan."

The ministry has also, for the first time, revealed some cases involving both successful and unsuccessful applicants. One case involved a foreign sportsman, who "participated in World Cup (sic) and served as a sport coach during his career as a sport player. The immigration control authority finds it his contribution to advancing Japan's sports." The applicant had been in Japan for 7 years and 7 months. Another applicant, a full-time lecturer at a Japanese university for over three years was granted permanent residency after 8 years in Japan. Permanent residency is just that, though it can be revoked under certain circumstances. While permanent residents need not ever apply for a visa again, they must, like regular foreign residents, get re-entry permits before they leave the country.

If a permanent resident plans to leave Japan for an extended period of time, then he or she must ensure that they return within the period stated on their re-entry permit or they can lose their status.

However, a permanent resident -- or any foreign resident for that matter -- who has left Japan with a re-entry permit and can't return before the end of the permit's period of validity can apply at the nearest Japanese Embassy for an extension. However, in these cases a good excuse is expected (the Justice Ministry gives the examples of illness, travel interruption or continuation of studies). In these cases, the permit can be extended for up to one year.

Once somebody has decided to apply for permanent residency, the application process is relatively simple. Applicants apply through their local immigration bureau. While the application documents -- which resemble those for visa and re-entry permit permission -- must be filled out in Japanese, there is no test of Japanese ability, nor is there an interview of any kind.

However, the applicant should be prepared to provide tax documents outlining employment, pay and deductions over the previous 3 years. Applicants will also need to provide documents supplied by a guarantor, like an employer, detailing salary, tax and other financial information, as well as detail aforementioned contributions to Japan and write an explanation on why they are applying for PR status.

Someone applying for permanent residency needs a three-year visa that will remain valid throughout the process, which can take several months. The cost of the application -- 8,000 yen -- is only paid if the application is successful.

For those with less time, or more cash on their hands, the entire process can be handled by an immigration lawyer. Lawyers handle and file all the paperwork and make trips to the immigration bureau on your behalf. According to Bernhard Flasar, a consultant at the Nakai Immigration Service in Tokyo, many of those who choose to take the lawyer route are corporate clients.

The fee for the service is usually only paid if an application is successful, though depending on the situation, some cash might need to be paid up front.