Visa Q&A December 7, 1999

VISA Q and A on FM COCOLO 76.5 MHz
The difference between Permanent and Long Term Residency
On Aired Data: December 7, 1999

Summary of the On Aired Program

The difference between Long Term Residency and Permanent Residency

Permanent Residency

Advantages

1. No need for renewals

2. No restrictions on your activities

(you can work wherever you like, for any amount of salary; you can start a business with no restrictions concerning the number of employees; etc.)

3. Unless you break the law, or you are deported, your Permanent Residency will not be taken away

4. You will be able to receive bank loans for homes

Etc.

To apply for the Permanent Residency, if you are currently under the spouse visa you would need to have lived continuously in Japan for more than 5 years, and if you are under the working visa you would need to have continuously lived in Japan for more than 10 years. If you graduated from a University in Japan, you can count the 4 years on your student visa in the 10 years.

Another factor is that you must be a holder of the longest term on your current status, which would probably be 3 years.

Whichever way, the most important condition is that you have been continuously living in Japan, and you have fit in very well to the Japanese society.

Long Term Residency

Compared to the Permanent Residency:

1. Renewals are required

2. There are special conditions as to who can apply:

a. Japanese descents

b. Spouse of Japanese descents

c. Indochina refugees

d. A parent of a child who has Japanese citizenship, and is looking after the child

e. Those who are authorized to reside in Japan with designation of period of stay by the Minister of Justice in the consideration of special circumstances

The above are the basic conditions one must clear to apply for Long Term Residency. But as you can see on item e., in a way the reasons as to what type of person will be approved is vague, because the Minister of Justice is able to approve one’s stay for “special circumstances”. So for instance if a person would like to stay in Japan, but his/her case does not fall under any of the other status of resident, there may be a chance in applying for the Long Term Residency. Who knows, the Minister of Justice may approve the case under “special circumstances”.