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Permanent Resident Visa Application from highly skilled personnel

In order to apply for a Permanent Resident visa, in principle, you must have resided in Japan for at least 10 years, of which you must have resided in Japan for at least 5 years with a work or status qualification.
However, if you meet certain conditions, you may be able to apply for a Permanent Resident visa in as little as one year.
On this page, we will explain the Permanent Resident visa application from highly skilled personnel, which is one of the cases where the length of stay is relaxed.

1. What is a highly skilled personnel?

Highly skilled personnel, is a status of residence that can only be obtained by those who have a certain number of points or more as a result of calculating with the prescribed point calculation table.
It can be rephrased as a visa that can only be obtained by excellent people among those who have a Working visa.

Highly skilled personnel have many advantages, one of which is the relaxation of conditions for applying for a Permanent Resident visa.
Therefore, it can be said that it is a system that those who aim to apply for a Permanent Resident visa in Japan should be aware of.

2. Basic conditions for obtaining a Permanent Resident visa

In principle, the following three requirements must be met in order to obtain a Permanent Residence visa.

① Good Conduct Requirements
Complying with the law and living a life that is not criticized by society as a resident in daily life

② Independent Livelihood Requirements
Those who do not become a burden on the public in their daily lives, and who are expected to lead a stable life in the future in view of their assets or skills, etc.

③ National Interest Conformity Requirements
Your permanent resident of the person is deemed to be in the interests of Japan.

A. As a general rule, you must have stayed in Japan continuously for more than 10 years.
* Within this period, it is necessary to stay in Japan for at least 5 years with a work qualification (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, etc.) or residence qualification (Spouse visa, etc.).
B. Not being fined or imprisoned.
C. Fulfilling public obligations.
* In addition to paying taxes, public pensions and public medical insurance, it is required to properly fulfill the obligations such as notifications stipulated by the Immigration Control Act.
D. With regard to the status of residence currently held, stay in Japan with the longest period of stay stipulated by the Immigration Control Act.
*For the time being, a person with a period of stay of “3 years” will be treated as “staying in Japan with the longest period of stay.”
E. There is no risk of being harmful from the viewpoint of public health.

>> Click here for a detailed explanation of Permanent Resident Visa Requirements

3. Special provision for 10-year stay in principle

In order to obtain a permanent residence visa, as a general rule, you must have resided in Japan for at least 10 years, of which at least 5 years must have been in work or residence qualification.
However, it is a long road for those who aim to obtain a Permanent Resident visa.

On the other hand, regarding the “10-year stay in principle”, some exceptions have been recognized, and the requirements for the length of stay have been relaxed.

The following are typical examples of special exceptions for 10-year stays in principle.

(1) In the case of the spouse of a Japanese national, Permanent Resident or Special Permanent Resident, the actual marriage has continued for 3 years or more.
And have stayed in Japan continuously for more than 1 year.
* In the case of the child, etc., they must have been staying in Japan continuously for at least 1 year.
(2) Have resided in Japan continuously for more than 5 years with the status of residence of “Long Term Resident”.
(3) In the case of a person who has been recognized as a refugee, he or she must have resided in Japan continuously for at least 5 years after being recognized.
(4) Those who are recognized to have contributed to Japan in the fields of diplomacy, society, economy, culture, etc., and have resided in Japan for at least 5 years.
(5) Reside in Japan for a certain period of time as a highly skilled personnel.

Of these, the special exception explained in this column is “(5) Residence in Japan for a certain period of time as a highly skilled personnel”.

In this case, the requirements for the length of stay will be greatly relaxed, and it is possible to apply in as little as 1 year.

From the next chapter, we will explain in detail the conditions for obtaining a Permanent Resident visa from highly skilled personnel.

4. Conditions for acquiring a Permanent Residence visa for highly skilled personnel

4-1. Satisfy 70 points or more in the points of highly skilled personnel.

First, in order to be recognized as a highly skilled personnel, it is necessary to meet a certain number of points in the “Highly Skilled Professional Point System” established by the Immigration Bureau.

Specifically, a person’s highly skilled personnel points will be calculated by totaling the points for predetermined items such as academic background, work history, and annual income.
A score of 70 or higher is required to be recognized as a highly skilled personnel.

>>Click here for the conditions for obtaining a Highly Skilled Professional

And regarding the relaxation of Permanent Residence requirements, the degree of relaxation will change as follows, depending on whether the points are 70 or more or 80 or more.

70 points or more: Reduced from 10 years to 3 years
80 points or more: Reduced from 10 years to 1 year

As a point of caution, if you have 70 points or more, you need to have 70 points or more at both the “time of application” and “3 years ago”, and if you have 80 points or more , It means that it is necessary to have 80 points or more at both “at the time of application” and “at the time of 1 year ago”.
In other words, it does not mean that you can apply when you qualify as a highly skilled personnel.

It should be noted that, since the point sufficiency at both points is judged by “point” and “point”, it is not necessary to satisfy the points throughout the period of 1 year or 3 years.

4-2. Can be used even if you have a visa other than “Highly Skilled Professional”

As mentioned above, highly skilled personnel will be allowed to relax the length of stay when applying for a Permanent Resident visa.

Then, what if you don’t have a Highly Skilled Professional visa, but you have 70 or more points?
It would be concerned about whether the relaxation of the length of stay will be approved in the same way.

In conclusion, even for those who do not have a Highly Skilled Professional visa, if they reach the above-mentioned points by calculating the points for highly skilled personnel, the length of stay requirement will be relaxed in the same way as for Highly Skilled Professional visa holders.

In other words, for example, even if your current status of residence is “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, as long as you meet the points, you can receive the requirement relaxation without switching to a Highly Skilled Professional visa.

Therefore, highly skilled personnel with 80 points or more in the Highly Skilled Professional Point Calculation will be able to apply for a Permanent Resident visa even if they have a different type of visa with a minimum of 1 year of residence history.

5. Q&A for Permanent Resident Visa Application for highly skilled personnel

Below is a summary of frequently asked questions for highly skilled personnel when applying for a Permanent Resident visa.

Q1. Is it possible to relax the length of stay requirement only after obtaining a Highly Skilled
Professional visa?

A. It is not required to obtain a Highly Skilled Professional visa.
For example, even if you currently have an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, if you reach a certain number of points based on the calculation of points for Highly-skilled personnel, the requirements for the length of stay will be relaxed.

Q2. As a result of calculating the points based on the Highly Skilled Professional Point Calculation Table, there were 70 points 3 years before the application date and at the time of application. However, 1 year before the application date, the score was 65.
In this case, is it not possible to relax the length of stay requirement?

A. If you have a score of 70 or more both “3 years before” and “at the time of application” from the date of application, the requirements for the length of stay will be relaxed.
Therefore, it is not necessary to maintain a score of 70 or higher for 3 years.
As in this case, even if the score temporarily decreased during the 3 years, if the score of 70 or more is satisfied “3 years ago” and “at the time of application”, the relaxation of the requirement for the length of stay will be allowed.

Q3. As a result of calculating points using the Highly Skilled Professional Point Calculation Table, there were 80 points at the time of application and 1 year before the application date. My current visa grants me a period of stay of 1 year, but is it possible to apply for a Permanent Resident visa?

A. You cannot apply for a Permanent Resident visa at this time because you do not meet the requirements for applying for a Permanent Resident visa.
Certainly, if you have 80 points or more, the requirements for the length of stay will be relaxed, and you will be able to apply for a Permanent Resident visa with a stay of 1 year or more in Japan.
However, the requirement for applying for a Permanent Resident visa, “The applicant must stay in Japan with the longest possible period of stay. (Requirement ③ D above)” is not met.
Therefore, it is recommended that you wait until the period of stay of “3 years” or “5 years” is granted, or change to a Highly Skilled Professional visa.(One of the preferential treatment for Highly Skilled Professional visas is that the period of stay is uniformly granted for 5 years, so you will always receive a 5-year visa at the time of approval.)

Q4. If I have stayed in Japan continuously for more than 1 year as a highly skilled personnel with a score of 80 or higher and received permission for a Permanent Resident visa, will my spouse and children also be granted a Permanent Resident visa at the same time?

A. Permanent residence permits with a minimum period of stay of 1 year are only granted to highly skilled personnel.
Spouses and children are not eligible for preferential treatment for the length of stay of highly skilled personnel.
However, as explained in the 10-year special exception (1), there are separate exceptions for spouses and children.

Q5. I currently have a Highly Skilled Professional visa, but is there any merit in obtaining a Permanent Resident visa?

A. Yes.
Although there are similarities between Highly Skilled Professional visa and Permanent Resident visa, there are also major differences.
That is, in the case of a Highly Skilled Professional visa, there are restrictions on work activities.
In the case of a Highly Skilled Professional visa, it does not mean that you can do any kind of work, and you can only engage in work activities within the scope permitted by the Immigration Control Act.
In addition, if you are residing on a Highly Skilled Professional visa and change your place of employment, you will also need to complete procedures to change your Highly Skilled Professional visa.
On the other hand, in the case of a Permanent Resident visa, there are no restrictions on the scope of work activities.
Therefore, it is possible to engage in occupations that are not permitted on the Highly Skilled Professional visa.
It is also possible to start your own business, making it much easier to procure business funds when starting a business.
This is because a Permanent Resident visa provides more stability in residence than a visa for Highly Skilled Professional visa, which improves creditworthiness in bank transactions.
However, in the case of Highly Skilled Professional visa, as mentioned above, there are preferential treatment such as permission for multiple residence activities, so it is important to correctly understand the advantages and disadvantages compared to Permanent Resident visas.

Q6. If I obtain a Permanent Resident visa, will I be able to bring my parents over?

A. Even if you get a Permanent Resident visa, you cannot bring your parent over.
In this regard, in the case of a Highly Skilled Professional visa, if certain conditions are met, it is possible to bring a parent or domestic worker.
If you want to invite your parent, there is room to consider a Highly Skilled Professional visa.

>>Click here for the requirements for the Designated Activities (elderly support visa)

6. Summary of Permanent Resident Visa Application for highly skilled personnel

Even if you have not lived in Japan for 10 years or more, if you have a certain number of points on the Highly Skilled Professional Point Calculation Table, you may already meet the requirements for applying for a Permanent Resident visa.

Please use this column as an opportunity to calculate your Highly Skilled Professional Point.
In particular, there are many cases where people who have graduated from a Japanese university and passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test N1 have reached 70 points or more.

However, there are many items in the Highly Skilled Professional Point Calculation Table, and it is difficult to calculate your own points accurately.
It is also important to meet the score, but it is also important to identify when the score is met.

We can interview you about your situation and determine whether you have a certain number of points or more at the necessary time free of charge.
At the same time, we will also check whether you meet the requirements for a Permanent Resident visa application, and propose the best Permanent Resident visa application plan for you.

If you are seriously thinking about getting Permanent Residency, please feel free to contact us, Daiichi Sogo Office.

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