Update your gaijin card after renewing your visa!!

[halfnip]

[kusai Jijii]

Its gotta be a new thing. Im A PR now, but several years ago I was on a spouse visa, and before that a working visa. Never has my wife's name on my Fucked Gaijin Card.

[GomiGirl]

My company is on my gaijin card as I am on a normal working visa. But if the guy was "sponsored" ie supported by the wife as a dependant to get the visa before they married, this may be the reason she is on there.

[FG Lurker]

I have no idea what the "householder" thing actually means, but it doesn't have to be your wife/husband just because she/he is Japanese and you're not. It's always been me on mine, before marriage, after marriage, after changing to a spouse visa, and now with PR.

[ttjereth]

I am in the exact same boat. Although she is listed on my card... We didn't go in to ask for her to be added, yet when I went in there with my Visa papers, they added her on it. Dunno what the details on it are, but it must have been done due to the marriage, visa. Has you wife changed her name to your surname on her koseki and registered under your name when submitting the nyuseki after you got married? It's not a big deal, but I am just trying to figure out why she's listed on my card..

My wife changed to my surname the same day we registered our marriage, but she isn't listed on my card.

Where is your wife listed, somewhere on the front or written in on the back? From my time working in a city office in the boondocks and my own experiences registering, updating and renewing it seems that what ends up written on the card tends to be whatever that particular employee thinks should be written on there.

I just had mine updated in april or may too, so I don't think it's a new thing.

When I originally got married the people at the ward office tried to tell me that I should put my wife as the "head of household" but I didn't go for it.

One possible difference is that although I am on a spouse visa, my wife is not my guarantor (I don't have one).

[American Oyaji]

Yeah, when I got married, I was in the service. I actually got my Japanese driver's license before I got my gaijin card.

When I got married, my wife was not on my card at all.

[halfnip]

My wife changed to my surname the same day we registered our marriage, but she isn't listed on my card.

Where is your wife listed, somewhere on the front or written in on the back? From my time working in a city office in the boondocks and my own experiences registering, updating and renewing it seems that what ends up written on the card tends to be whatever that particular employee thinks should be written on there.

I just had mine updated in april or may too, so I don't think it's a new thing.

When I originally got married the people at the ward office tried to tell me that I should put my wife as the "head of household" but I didn't go for it.

One possible difference is that although I am on a spouse visa, my wife is not my guarantor (I don't have one).

She's listed on the back.......

[ttjereth]

She's listed on the back.......

You're half Japanese as well right? I have a friend who's a 3rd generation nikkei and between us we have noticed there are a few "unofficial" differences in how things are handled for those foreigners with Japanese blood and those without as well.

But since it's on the back, I'd pretty much strike it up to because the person at the city/ward office that day thought it should be on there.

[Greji]

You're half Japanese as well right? I have a friend who's a 3rd generation nikkei and between us we have noticed there are a few "unofficial" differences in how things are handled for those foreigners with Japanese blood and those without as well.

But since it's on the back, I'd pretty much strike it up to because the person at the city/ward office that day thought it should be on there.

It may not be unofficial, as nissei and sansei may well be listed on an original family koseki requiring some alternate type of processing to some degree.

Remember a certain President of a certain SA country, who because he was listed on the family koseki slipped right into Japan just ahead of the lynch mob and was able to re-establish (re-??) his citizenship. The procedures are in fact different for many countries, even the US if you are descended from citizens of that country.

[halfnip]

You're half Japanese as well right? I have a friend who's a 3rd generation nikkei and between us we have noticed there are a few "unofficial" differences in how things are handled for those foreigners with Japanese blood and those without as well.

But since it's on the back, I'd pretty much strike it up to because the person at the city/ward office that day thought it should be on there.

All of this talk made me go in to the ward office yesterday to have my FG card updated, although it TOTALLY slipped my mind to ask why the wifey was listed on the back. The people at the Minato office in Onarimon are actually pretty nice, but I hate being there for some reason, so I just squirted out of there after things were taken care of.

But the wife says that she's listed on there because she is the one supporting my Visa. Who knows.

[ttjereth]

All of this talk made me go in to the ward office yesterday to have my FG card updated, although it TOTALLY slipped my mind to ask why the wifey was listed on the back. The people at the Minato office in Onarimon are actually pretty nice, but I hate being there for some reason, so I just squirted out of there after things were taken care of.

But the wife says that she's listed on there because she is the one supporting my Visa. Who knows.

Well, not really anything to worry about I imagine. Unless you get divorced and then remarried to another women, then it might (unlikely) lead to some awkwardness

[sublight]

One day if sublight gives up the skirt-wearing he can become the head of household and then his wife's name won't be on his gaijin card anymore.

I'll give up wearing a skirt when the oyajis on the train stop sticking their hands up it.

[GomiGirl]

Not sure if this has been posted yet

Immigration reforms spell Big Brother, JFBA warns
Source Japan Times on-line
Thursday, March 26, 2009

By MINORU MATSUTANI
Staff writer

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations and nonprofit organizations voiced concern Wednesday that bills to revise immigration laws will violate the human rights of foreign residents.

The bills were submitted to the Diet earlier this month and will be deliberated on soon.

Critics of the bills also said punishments for violators of the revised laws, including a fine of up to \200,000 for those not carrying the new "zairyu" (residence) card that will replace the current alien registration cards, are too harsh.

The bills propose consolidating the management of foreign residents' data under the Justice Ministry, replacing the current system in which local governments take charge of foreign resident registration, while the ministry handles immigration control.

"Overall, the revision greatly lacks consideration of foreigners' privacy. The level of consideration is so much lower than that for Japanese," Mitsuru Namba, a lawyer and member of the JFBA's human rights protection committee, told reporters in Tokyo.

Social Democratic Party chief Mizuho Fukushima, who was at the briefing, is ready to oppose the government in the House of Councilors. "The bills suggest monitoring of foreigners will be strengthened. Management of information will lead to surveillance of foreigners," she said.

Namba and Nobuyuki Sato of the Research-Action Institute for the Koreans in Japan urged lawmakers to amend the bills so the state can't use the zairyu card code number as a "master key" to track every detail of foreigners' lives.

"Such a thing would be unacceptable to Japanese, and (the government) must explain why it is necessary for foreigners," Sato said.

The government claims the proposed revision, which calls for abolishing alien registration cards and issuing zairyu cards in their place, will enable municipalities to ensure they provide legally residing foreigners with all social benefits, including health insurance.

Currently, if foreign residents move and fail to report their new address, it is difficult for municipalities to confirm their whereabouts.

The government argues the revision is intended to motivate foreigners to report their status properly so they receive a full range of social benefits.

However, Upper House member Tetsuji Nakamura of the Democratic Party of Japan, who was also at the news conference, believes the opposite may occur. "So many foreigners will go underground. I am afraid that those with no proper residence status will be invisible," he said.

Currently, even those overstaying their visa can update their alien registration card by visiting the foreign registration section of their local government.

Toru Nishimura, an activist opposed to the resident registration network, argued that local governments do a better job at ensuring foreign residents receive social benefits than the Justice Ministry will.

"Local governments are making their utmost efforts to see invisible people" who are not registered, he said.

The bills will also introduce fines for those who do not carry a zairyu card and fail to report changes to their information, including address, place of employment, school and marital status.

Namba also said foreigners will have to go to local immigration offices to be issued with or to update zairyu, instead of visiting the more accessible municipal offices.

The bills are expected to face mounting calls for amendment in the opposition-controlled Upper House.

"The bills are full of problems. We will listen to everybody's opinions and correct what needs to be corrected," said Nobuo Matsuno, another DPJ Upper House lawmaker.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Namba also said foreigners will have to go to local immigration offices to be issued with or to update zairyu, instead of visiting the more accessible municipal offices.

[Greji]

Not sure if this has been posted yet

Immigration reforms spell Big Brother, JFBA warns
Source Japan Times on-line
Thursday, March 26, 2009

Essentially, it appears to me that they are just changing the name of the card that we must carry or face arrest.....
'Yawn'

[Samurai_Jerk]

Essentially, it appears to me that they are just changing the name of the card that we must carry or face arrest.....
'Yawn'

Having to visit immigration for an updater everytime is a fucking pain in the ass. The easy thing to do would be to turn the gaijin toroku counter at each city hall into a zairyu toroku counter and make sure there's system to ensure that local officials send all info to the MOJ.

Edit:

Even better would be to let us do it by mail since there's really no reason to update an address or job in person.

[FG Lurker]

I don't really give a shit about what they call the card, and my job and residence are not likely to change anytime soon. PR doesn't need to be updated.

The PITA though is having to go to immigration (packed full of people, often with noisy brats in tow) to renew it rather than go to the local ward office (nearby and nearly empty).

[omae mona]

I don't really give a shit about what they call the card, and my job and residence are not likely to change anytime soon. PR doesn't need to be updated.

The PITA though is having to go to immigration (packed full of people, often with noisy brats in tow) to renew it rather than go to the local ward office (nearby and nearly empty).

FGL expressed my thoughts perfectly. In fact, I think the new venue is going to guarantee that gaijin cards are less up-to-date than under the old system. When I move, I have to visit the local ward office anyway for a slew of reasons, so a quick trip over the gaijin card window is easy and painless. But under the new system, I'll need to take an extra half-day off to trudge all the way out to Shinagawa and stand in line for a few hours.

I fear that I might "accidentally" forget to update my information next time, until I happen to be close to the immigration center at a convenient time. Since they are eliminating the need to get re-entry permits, I was looking very forward to never going back there again. So much for that dream.

[james]

Since they are eliminating the need to get re-entry permits, I was looking very forward to never going back there again. So much for that dream.

i hadn't heard of this, or missed the thread or something - is there an article / thread you could point me to where this is mentioned?

not having to worry about the re-entry permit would be nice but i agree about privacy concerns and other problems under the proposed bill.

The government argues the revision is intended to motivate foreigners to report their status properly so they [s]receive[/s] can pay [s]for a full range of social benefits[/s] into the nenkin ponzi scheme and others.

i think their proofreaders are slipping

[GomiGirl]

Heading to Shinagawa is kinda lame. They say that even overstayers can update the card but given that you update your card right next to the detention centre smells like fishing expedition.

[Coligny]

FGL expressed my thoughts perfectly. In fact, I think the new venue is going to guarantee that gaijin cards are less up-to-date than under the old system. When I move, I have to visit the local ward office anyway for a slew of reasons, so a quick trip over the gaijin card window is easy and painless. But under the new system, I'll need to take an extra half-day off to trudge all the way out to Shinagawa and stand in line for a few hours.

I fear that I might "accidentally" forget to update my information next time, until I happen to be close to the immigration center at a convenient time. Since they are eliminating the need to get re-entry permits, I was looking very forward to never going back there again. So much for that dream.

Also:
Local ward: every city or 'ku'
Immigration: I'm lucky that I have a sorta kinda annex in the harbor beside the recycled iron dumpster and cargo ship loading dock just before the Mercobenz arrival import parking/storage. But it's not the case for every village to have one.

[American Oyaji]

Also:
Local ward: every city or 'ku'
Immigration: I'm lucky that I have a sorta kinda annex in the harbor beside the recycled iron dumpster and cargo ship loading dock just before the Mercobenz arrival import parking/storage. But it's not the case for every village to have one.

Same goes for Hachinohe. Immigration is near the docks, kinda out of the way and it's a small office, but it's never longer than a 5 minute wait.

[james]

[FG Lurker]

Same thread has a link to a scan of my gaijin card if any PR holders want to print it out and take it in with them. The ward office was going to put my employer and passport number etc on my card until I told them it wasn't needed for PR holders. A sample might speed the discussion along a bit:

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?p=193613#post193613

[sublight]

Were the new zairyu card rules ever passed by the Diet? The DPJ was opposed to them, if I remember correctly.