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Spouse visa vs. PR

KyushuWoozy

Sempai
Donor
13 Dec 2015
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Hi,

In another thread discussing how to apply for spouse visa (which I will be doing soon) it was advised to transition as soon as possible from spouse visa to PR (permanent residence).

However I have found out the following negative tax implications (for my situation at least) about becoming PR sooner than I have to:

An expatriate resident taxpayer, who has no Japanese nationality and has lived in Japan for 60 months or less in the past 10 years, is classified as a non-permanent resident taxpayer. These individuals are subject to Japanese income taxes on income sourced in Japan plus any portion of non-Japan sourced income that is paid in and/or remitted to Japan. The expatriate resident taxpayer becomes a permanent resident after the 60 months of residency in Japan.

A permanent resident taxpayer is subject to Japanese income taxes on his or her worldwide income.

Because I would be negatively affected regarding tax payments if I transition to PR sooner than I have to, may I know what are the advantages of becoming PA so I can make an informed decision, thanks
 
Not having to renew every few years.
Peace of mind that comes with knowing you are allowed to stay in Japan regardless of your work or marriage situation.
Advantageous when applying for home or other bank loans.

There may be others.
 
Not having to renew every few years.
Specifically, you have to renew a spousal visa every 3 years, but you renew PR status every 7.

Advantageous when applying for home or other bank loans.
Yes, but I've also seen some spousal visa holders get them anyway. It's case by case, but I agree that it is more advantageous to have PR.

Another point, sad though it may be, is that if your spouse dies, you lose spousal visa status and have to apply for PR or work visa.

One down side of PR is that (I think) you can't get back the lump sum from pension payments if you decide to give up PR, unlike when you leave with a spousal visa and give it up.

Since you are only applying for spousal visa soon, another question arises. How long have you been in Japan -- break it down as single vs married status? If you've been here less than 10 years and have not yet gotten married, you are very unlikely to receive PR.
 
Specifically, you have to renew a spousal visa every 3 years, but you renew PR status every 7.

Small correction: a spouse visa can now be for 0.5, 1, 3, or 5 years. Which one you get is decided by the powers that be.
 
Jimmy Seal,
What is the source of that? I have a feeling you're mistaken and that those numbers apply only to work visas, but I'd like to see your source first.
 
Jimmy Seal,
What is the source of that? I have a feeling you're mistaken and that those numbers apply only to work visas, but I'd like to see your source first.

Ministry of Justice

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Same for spouses of people with Permanent Residency.
 
Since you are only applying for spousal visa soon, another question arises. How long have you been in Japan -- break it down as single vs married status? If you've been here less than 10 years and have not yet gotten married, you are very unlikely to receive PR.

I lived in Japan for 5 years about 15 years ago as a bachelor. I've lived out of Japan since then but have been married to my Japanese spouse for 13 years. I'll be relocating back to Japan in a few months time.

It seems from what I've read in this thread so far that Spouse Visa works better for me. Noted I'll have the hassle of having to apply more often than PR but that's not a deal-breaker for me. Noted that PR gives me more options if anything happens to my wife or my marriage - but in that case I don't think I'd be sticking around Japan anyway. And I definitely don't want to pay more taxes than I have to.

Thanks for all your inputs.
 
It's your choice, of course, but consider this for a spousal visa:
if the spouse dies or divorces you, you need a work visa or PR.
If either of those happen and you have PR already, nothing happens.
 
Noted, thanks. However my wife is the only connection I have to Japan so if either of those two things happened I couldn't see myself sticking around much longer.
 
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