Contents
What is permanent resident?
Permanent residence called “Eiju-sha” (永住者) is principally a foreigner who lives in Japan for over 10 years continuously and satisfy the following 3 conditions. (There is a special treatment that a person who has been married with Japanese for 3 years is granted permission of permanent resident visa )
3 conditions that define an alien to be a permanent resident
- Being a person of good conduct
- Having sufficient assets or skills to make an independent living
- Being accepted that your staying links to Japanese benefits
(However, a spouses or children of those who stay with the status of permanent residence is not necessary to fit the condition no.1 and 2 )
A person who meets the above 3 conditions can apply for permanent residency permission to the minister of Justice. If you obtain permission, you are officially granted a permanent visa from the department of Justice of Japan. Therefore, permanent resident who is permanent resident visa holder is exempted from updating a visa at Immigration Bureau.
In addition, permanent resident holder is called general permanent resident to discriminate from a special permanent resident.
Where you should go through its procedure
“Application for permanent permission ” need to be gone through at a local agency of Immigration Bureau which belongs to where you live in Japan and you are granted permission from the minister of Justice in the result of screening your application collated with the article 22-2 , Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
The following points is to be noted when application
- You need to complete application before expiry of the present status of residence
- Application permission processing period is 6 months
- You need to prepare, certificate photo, passport, residence status certificate and a document which clarifies your assets and earnings. (If you are issued permission to engage in activity, you need to submit it .)
- Application is free of charge but if your application is accepted, you are required to buy revenue-stamp costing you 8000 yen
| When you complete your application? | Before the day your current residence status is expired |
|---|---|
| Application permission processing period | 6 months |
| What you need | Passport, certificate photo, residence status certificate, a document that clarify your assets and earnings |
| Application fee | No charge for application but a granted charge will cost you 8000 yen when your application is accepted. |
What is special permanent
A person holding status of residence regulated in “the Special Exemption Law concerning the Immigration Control of Those Who Have Renounced Japanese Citizenship and Others under the Peace Treaty with Japan (Immigration Control Law）” enacted in 1991 is called special permanent resident
During WWⅡ, Koreans, Koreans living in Japan, Taiwanese recognized as Japanese nations under the Japanese occupation renounced a Japanese nationality after Japan returned Korean peninshla and Taiwan at the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1952.
Japanese government granted permission to descendants of those Korean living in Japan, Korean and Taiwanese in consideration of their permanent living in Japan.
This is the start of special permanent residence visa.
Where you should go through its procedure?
A person who is granted permission of application for special permanent residence certificate from the minister of Justice is called “special permanent resident”. Usually, you apply for general status of residence to a local agency of Immigration Bureau but in case of application for special permanent residence certificate, you apply it to a municipality agency which belongs to where you live in Japan.
The difference between special permanent resident and permanent resident
Basically, the law regulating both qualifications is different
A permanent resident is based on “the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act” and a special permanent resident is based on “the Special Exemption Law concerning the Immigration Control of Those Who Have Renounced Japanese Citizenship and Others under the Peace Treaty with Japan (Immigration Control Law）”
A permanent resident has review standards like 3 regulated conditions I explained above but in the case of special permanent resident, It is regulated that the spouses or children of those who stay with the status of residence are not necessary to meet 3 conditions in the immigration act.
In short, special permanent resident is guaranteed the right to keep staying Japan by law even if a qualified person doesn’t have sufficient skills of making living in Japan or have criminal history.
Moreover, a permanent resident is required to carry status of residece all the time but a special permanent resident has no requirement from law.