New Residency Management System for Foreign Nationals

thomas · 30 Dec 2011

Thought this would be interesting for those among us living in Japan. Sorry, if this has already been posted elsewhere.

Changes to the Immigration Control Act

The amended law stipulates the introduction of a new system of residence management including issuance of a Residence Card. It also contains new provisions such as the issuance of a Special Permanent Resident Certificate, revision of the training and technical internship programs, integration of the statuses of residence of "College Student" and "Pre-College Student", and establishment of the Immigration Detention Facilities Visiting Committee.

=> Changes to the Immigration Control Act！-New System of Residence Management-

The new residency management system

The aim of the new residency management system is to enable the Ministry of Justice to continuously keep information necessary for managing the residency of foreign nationals residing in Japan for the mid-to long-term with resident status, and ensure greater convenience for those foreign nationals.

The system will issue qualifying foreign nationals a resident card containing a portrait photo of the individual, basic personal information such as his/her name, his/her resident status and his/her currently allowed period of stay.

Moreover, because the new system will allow authorities to more accurately track resident status than with the previous system, it makes it possible to introduce measures that will improve the convenience of foreign nationals who legally reside in Japan, such as a maximum period of stay of five years instead of the previous three years, and a new reentry permit system that waives reentry permit formalities for foreign nationals who leave and reenter Japan within one year of the date of their original departure.

The current alien registration system will be abolished with the start of the new residency management system.

=> To all foreign nationals residing in Japan Beginning on Monday, July 9, 2012, Start of a new residency management system!

The New Immigration Card

Mike Cash · 30 Dec 2011

So they're giving the Alien Registration Card a new name and waiving the Re-entry Permit for absences from Japan less than one year? That's all I can gather from this.

Davey · 30 Dec 2011

I'm so glad that it doesn't say alien anymore

thomas · 30 Dec 2011

Waiving the re-entry visa was long overdue. Reminded me of former communist countries or Middle Eastern autocracies. Apart from that, the maximum period of stay under the spouse and the specialist visa has been extended to 5 years (and 6 month as shortest period [??]), student visa to 4 years and 3 months.

Mike Cash · 31 Dec 2011

Call me a cynic, but I bet the purpose of extending the periods is merely an attempt to cut back on the workload for Immigration. It may result in less hassle for visa holders, but I doubt our convenience was the impetus for any reforms.

So they change it from 外国人登録証明書 to 在留カード....big deal. It's the same damned thing by a different name.

thomas · 21 Jan 2012

I've just perused the "Revocation of resident status" section and found the following passage:

In line with the introduction of the new residency management system, the following grounds have been established for revocation of resident status, deportation and penalties. Regarding the penalty on promoting illegal work prescribed in Article 73-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, if an employer does not know by negligence that the employed person works illegally, the employer will be punished.

You are residing as a spouse with "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" or "Spouse of Child of Permanent Resident" status, but you have failed to engage in activities as a spouse for six months or more without a justifiable reason. *

* In case a foreign resident is in the process of arbitration with his/her spouse over the custody of his/her child or having a divorce case holding his/her Japanese spouse culpable, the foreign resident is deemed to have "justifiable reasons," even though the activities of such a resident as the status of spouse are not approved. Also, even if a foreign resident in Japan does not act as a spouse for six months or longer, the resident may be permitted to change his/her resident status to another one if he/she has any reason, such as taking care of and raising his/her biological child who has Japanese nationality.

=> To all foreign nationals residing in Japanﾂ Beginning on Monday, July 9, 2012,ﾂ Start of a new residency management system!

I have read the fine print, but what TBH is "failure to engage in spousal activities" ? I am certain it's not what I think it is.

Anchann · 21 Jan 2012

Mike Cash said:
Call me a cynic, but I bet the purpose of extending the periods is merely an attempt to cut back on the workload for Immigration. It may result in less hassle for visa holders, but I doubt our convenience was the impetus for any reforms.

And that's bad because...?

cookie85 · 21 Jan 2012

Hi,
I applied for permanent residency in July 2011 but still have no news. Current visa is Child of Japanese National, expiring in June 2012 (re-entry permit expires at the same time).
The thing is, I need to leave for Canada at the end of March due to family reasons and don't know when I can come back. If I don't get the PR before my departure, I'll just give up.
But... if it does come in March, I'll get a stamp on my passport but won't be able to get the new card. What should I do in this case?
Also, a friend of mine explained to me that Permanent Residents need to come to Japan every year in order not to lose their status. Is this true?
This page talks about the resident card and a "special re-entry permit set at 5 years" , but I don't understand whether it applies to PRs.
To all foreign nationals residing in Japanﾂ Beginning on Monday, July 9, 2012,ﾂ Start of a new residency management system!ﾂﾂ｜ﾂ Point 3 The re-entry permit system will be changed/ Point 4 The alien registration system will be abolished
I appreciate your advice!

Mike Cash · 22 Jan 2012

Anchann said:
And that's bad because...?

I must have missed the part where I said or implied it's bad. Could you point it out for me, please?

Anchann · 22 Jan 2012

Mike Cash said:
I must have missed the part where I said or implied it's bad. Could you point it out for me, please?

I got the impression that your tone made it sound bad. Apologies if I was mistaken.

Glenski · 22 Jan 2012

cookie85 said:
Also, a friend of mine explained to me that Permanent Residents need to come to Japan every year in order not to lose their status. Is this true?

Currently, no. Currently, anyone (visa holder or PR holder) with a reentry permit can stay outside Japan as long as the permit states. It is tied to the visa expiration, or in the case of PR holders it is 3 years.

So, if you have a 3-year visa and leave the day after you get it, you can stay out 3 years. (Bizarre example, I know, but bear with me.) If you have that same visa and leave after being here a year, you can stay out 2 years. Get it?

Now, on the new system, you don't need the reentry permit if you plan to stay away a year or less. Just don't go over that time, or you risk losing your visa or PR status!

Oh, and about actually getting PR, immigration will typically tell you it takes 3-6 months, but everyone's case is different. You've been waiting since July, so I'd politely phone them up and ask about the status. Won't hurt. Sometimes paperwork gets lost or misplaced. What is more important is that once it arrives, they send you a postcard, and you have a limited time (2 weeks, I think) to pick it up or lose it. Keep that in mind.

Mike Cash · 22 Jan 2012

Since they relaxed their formerly strict stance and started handing out PR like party favors, some of the Immigration offices have been swamped with applications. I was also told it would take only a very few months and it ended up being about a year and a half. It does seem to vary by region. You're in Tokyo, so you're going to be on the long end of things.

cookie85 · 22 Jan 2012

Glenski said:
Currently, no. Currently, anyone (visa holder or PR holder) with a reentry permit can stay outside Japan as long as the permit states. It is tied to the visa expiration, or in the case of PR holders it is 3 years.
So, if you have a 3-year visa and leave the day after you get it, you can stay out 3 years. (Bizarre example, I know, but bear with me.) If you have that same visa and leave after being here a year, you can stay out 2 years. Get it?
Now, on the new system, you don't need the reentry permit if you plan to stay away a year or less. Just don't go over that time, or you risk losing your visa or PR status!
Oh, and about actually getting PR, immigration will typically tell you it takes 3-6 months, but everyone's case is different. You've been waiting since July, so I'd politely phone them up and ask about the status. Won't hurt. Sometimes paperwork gets lost or misplaced. What is more important is that once it arrives, they send you a postcard, and you have a limited time (2 weeks, I think) to pick it up or lose it. Keep that in mind.

Hi Glenski,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your reply! Actually when I applied they told me it would take 6 months to 1 year. I'll phone them this week in order to ask about the status.

So a couple more questions just to confirm (sorry to bother again): if I leave in March with my PR visa on my passport, I need to come within one year. After that, let's say I come back in August 2012 to get the new residency card, stay 2-3 weeks and leave again to live in Canada... I'll also need to get the Re-entry permit before leaving, which would be valid for 5 years, is this correct?

---------- Post added at 05:18 ---------- Previous post was at 05:16 ----------

Mike Cash said:
Since they relaxed their formerly strict stance and started handing out PR like party favors, some of the Immigration offices have been swamped with applications. I was also told it would take only a very few months and it ended up being about a year and a half. It does seem to vary by region. You're in Tokyo, so you're going to be on the long end of things.

Mike,
Thanks for your input as well. I'll wait and see what happens... I have no choice anyway.

Glenski · 22 Jan 2012

cookie85 said:
Hi Glenski,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your reply! Actually when I applied they told me it would take 6 months to 1 year. I'll phone them this week in order to ask about the status.

They told me it would take 3-6 months, but up here in Hokkaido it took less than 3 months.

So a couple more questions just to confirm (sorry to bother again): if I leave in March with my PR visa on my passport,

PR is not a visa. Get that straight. It is called a status of residence.

if I leave in March with my PR visa on my passport, I need to come within one year.

Do you mean that if you leave Japan as a PR holder...? Or leave as your current SOR (Child of Japanese National)? In either case, you should still leave with a reentry permit. Those changes to immigration don't take place until July, so leaving in March will mean they have not started yet. Get the reentry permit. The single-use permit is only 3000 yen anyway.

You should also watch the clock on your current SOR. If you have not received notification about PR by 1-2 months before your SOR expires, apply to renew it.

After that, let's say I come back in August 2012 to get the new residency card,

Oh, so your family matter in Canada will probably run from March to August? Uh, by all means be sure you have your SOR worked out before you leave Japan, and that includes having a reentry permit before you go!

let's say I come back in August 2012 to get the new residency card, stay 2-3 weeks and leave again to live in Canada.

"Live in Canada"????? What does this mean? You are planning to leave forever? Please be clear here.

I don't have time to answer your other question, but I think the stuff I just gave you might make that point moot anyway. Re-read the new regulations and just remember that they don't start until July.

cookie85 · 22 Jan 2012

Glenski,
Thanks again for your answer, and sorry for making things so confusing.

This is the summary of my situation:
- Current status of residence: Child of Jp National, expiring in June 2012
- Applied for PR status: July 2011, still pending
- Leaving Japan: last week of March, cannot be changed
- Expected stay in Canada: 5 years, but maybe longer, that's why I said "live" there (I won't describe the family situation, it's too complex and unrelated to this thread)

I cannot renew my current status in March because they won't allow that. I've asked at the immigration office the last time I applied. It's 2 months prior to the current status' expiry and they do not accept the renewal application before 2 months.

So my conclusion is that if PR is not granted before March, I'll just give everything up (even surrender my ARC) and just leave. Shouganai. Before I come back to Japan in the future I'll apply for the "Child of Jp National" status again.

And if PR status is granted before my departure, I'll get a 3-year re-entry permit and get frowned at Narita when I come back within 3 years (just to keep the PR) without the new registration card. Another shouganai (sigh)

Anyway, thanks for your time.

Grandpa Frank · 7 Mar 2012

Push to top.....

for another member to read.

Uncle Frank

Sepponite · 7 Mar 2012

Uncle Frank said:
for another member to read.
Uncle Frank

Thanks Uncle Frank.

There are a few questions that are a bit ambiguous in this pamphlet I got from the immigration dept.

On page three, it says "The new residency management system will be applied to all foreign nationals residing legally in Japan for the mid- to long-term with resident status... (blah blah blah) and moreover, foreign nationals who do not come under any of the following 1 through to 6".

What is confusing is that as permanent resident, I actually reside here legally. Not a visa, but an actual status of residence. So who are these "mid-" residents?

The 6 that this does not apply to are those on tourist visas to stay for less than 3 months, temporary visitors, diplomats, special permanent residents, and persons with no resident status (I assume this means illegals)...

What in bloody blue blazes is a special permanent resident? If my regular old permanent resident thingamajig makes me special, then I wouldn't need to get this. But I'm pretty damn sure I'll have to.

but... if I have to get one, on page 5 it says "The period of stay will be extended to a maximum of 5 years".

From permanent resident to 5 years is not what I'd call an extension.

So what is the deal here? After 5 years I'll have to apply for another visa?

FrustratedDave · 28 May 2012

Sepponite said:
What is confusing is that as permanent resident, I actually reside here legally. Not a visa, but an actual status of residence. So who are these "mid-" residents?

I would like to know that as well.

Sepponite said:
The 6 that this does not apply to are those on tourist visas to stay for less than 3 months, temporary visitors, diplomats, special permanent residents, and persons with no resident status (I assume this means illegals)...
What in bloody blue blazes is a special permanent resident? If my regular old permanent resident thingamajig makes me special, then I wouldn't need to get this. But I'm pretty damn sure I'll have to.
but... if I have to get one, on page 5 it says "The period of stay will be extended to a maximum of 5 years".
From permanent resident to 5 years is not what I'd call an extension.
So what is the deal here? After 5 years I'll have to apply for another visa?

ﾃｧ窶ｰﾂｹﾃ･ﾋ?･ﾃｦﾂｰﾂｸﾃ､ﾂｽﾂ湘ｨ竄ｬ窶ｦ - Wikipedia

Am I mistaken, but can permanent residents get their own ﾂ住窶督ｯ窶｢[ now?

xboxhanks · 30 May 2012

I'm so glad that it doesn't say alien anymore

theBrokenMonkey · 5 Sep 2013

I am sorry to ask a rather stupid question, but I do not want to screw this up, and since I do screw up things now and then that fear is fairly reasonable.

If i go out of Japan for a week, on a spouse visa, I do not need any permit of any kind?
I just go and come back. Right?

thomas · 5 Sep 2013

Trips abroad lasting for less than a year do not require a re-entry visa under the new law introduced last year.

theBrokenMonkey · 6 Sep 2013

thomas said:
Trips abroad lasting for less than a year do not require a re-entry visa under the new law introduced last year.

Thank you! I might be able to do this without screwing something up then. =)

Glenski · 7 Sep 2013

True, a formal paid recently permit is not needed for you. However, be aware that you will be asked to tick a box on your way out that says "special reentry", and that you DO want to do. No cost, though. Lovely confusing terminology.

theBrokenMonkey · 7 Sep 2013

Glenski said:
True, a formal paid recently permit is not needed for you. However, be aware that you will be asked to tick a box on your way out that says "special reentry", and that you DO want to do. No cost, though. Lovely confusing terminology.

I will check that box.

Pretty sure I saw that on a piece of paper on the homepage of J-immigration. Do they hand out that paper at the airport or do I have to get it before going there?

New Residency Management System for Foreign Nationals

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