Teaching at home

[charliefarlie]

It is almost twenty years ago that I returned to the UK. Time has flown. I have a resident's visa which allows me to return to Japan. I used to teach English at home and arrange weekend parties (for example roof-top beer gardens) with all the different students. This allowed them to make a lot of new friends and many still continue these friendships.

I wonder what the situation is in Japan at present, should I wish to restart what I was doing. Has Covid changed the way that Japanese socialize and would there be a nervousness regarding home tuition ?

 

[mdchachi]

It is almost twenty years ago that I returned to the UK. Time has flown. I have a resident's visa which allows me to return to Japan. I used to teach English at home and arrange weekend parties (for example roof-top beer gardens) with all the different students. This allowed them to make a lot of new friends and many still continue these friendships.

I wonder what the situation is in Japan at present, should I wish to restart what I was doing. Has Covid changed the way that Japanese socialize and would there be a nervousness regarding home tuition ?

I'm guessing not much has changed. People may wear masks more but they are still going out and living their lives, especially young people.

 

[Majestic]

I have a resident's visa which allows me to return to Japan.

Sorry to be the visa police (as often happens in situations like this) but I think you may find that your residence permit from 20 years ago is no longer valid. I don't think there is any visa or landing permit that would allow you to be away from Japan, and then return to live in Japan 20 years later. I think the maximum is 5 years, and even then you have to obtain some special permission.

 

[musicisgood]

What's the expiration date on your resident card?

 

[charliefarlie]

Actually, I have made regular visits to Japan (although not for the last three years) and have a registered address. Have always kept everything up-to-date. Am I mistaken in the belief that the permanent residency is for life?

 

[Majestic]

You're paying resident taxes and pension and health and all that?
You have kept your resident card up to date?
If so, you are good to go.

 

[johnnyG]

I think you can maintain PR indefinitely, immigrations could--but never does--ask about returning to live in japan (I think that is technically supposed to be one's intention, but something unexpected, like caring for aging parents, would be difficult to predict.)

Separately, I think you can maintain PR but also break tax residency here, as many j-citizens do. Eg, one of our kids moved to the US this year (not permanent, 2-5yrs). Since they left after Jan 1st they're on the hook for residual residence tax, tho that will stop next cycle, and I think pension and health care have stopped already. They'll probably file a national tax return in early 2023for income early this year (jan/feb), but then all of these things will be done until they return.

 

[Majestic]

I hate these discussions because the guy explaining the rules ends up sounding like a finger-wagging Karen, and the guy on the other end is ALWAYS able to say, "I know a guy who gamed the system for years and still got away with it without any consequences ".

Anyway, since I'm the one who brought all this up;

Immigration asks you, every time you leave, how long you intend to be outside of Japan (via the orange re-entry cards). These cards are for people who intend to return within a year. So Immigration checks this once when you leave, and they check it once again when you return. I don't know what you use if you intend to be away for longer than a year. But anyway, it isn't the orange cards.

If the OP is gone for over three years...well, good luck to the OP.

For sure Japanese citizens can leave and then be relieved of tax obligations while they live overseas. But the whole point of the residence rules for foreigners is that Japan actually assumes you to reside in Japan. The permanent resident visa isn't for people who at one time lived in Japan, but then left yet still would like the option to live in Japan at some point in the future. When you leave Japan with the intent to reside somewhere else, you aren't a resident of Japan anymore. And if you leave Japan while you are undecided about your future, Japan is saying to you, "figure it out within the year".

"But what if *insert unusual circumstance* happens while you are outside of Japan?"
"Surely you can't be expected to follow the rules when *unusual circumstance* happens."

The MOJ already answers some of this in #149, #152, and #161 on their site. The short version is: you've got a year to sort out your affairs. Figure it out within the year.

Answer (Q92～Q207） | 出入国在留管理庁

www.moj.go.jp

 

[johnnyG]

If you go to immigrations, you can buy a re-entry permit that is valid for up to five (5) years of being away. The one year is just something granted free and automatically as you depart.

Yes, the idea of residence, the R in PR, is there, but when they freely allow being away for five years, following what this small class of people do is probably not a priority.

Big edit:

One former colleague who had left japan, living in pac NW, returning yearly and maintaining PR, was even allowed extra time, well outside the usual year limit due to corona. Special case, and at the time there were others 'caught' in a similar bind--unable to return within the one year limit. Immigrations accommodated that, and others, too. He and many others are on a five year now.

Also, apart from now (relatively recently) checking/asking for your pension payment record, and record of NHI payments, along with tax forms, for a PR application (and it's applicant that gathers/provides these), to my knowledge immigrations does not communicate directly with the NTA or pension/health services (and vice versa). Taxes are gonna be due, of course, and health premiums depend on those numbers, but foreigners on work/spousal statuses who do not pay pension is a bigger group than might be expected.

My preference would be that for all visa renewals proof of taxes paid, pension, and NHI should be required. IMO, anybody that gets/will be getting a three or five year term on a working, skilled professional, or spouse visa, should have to submit the same paperwork as for PR. And missed payments should be something that puts a person on the one year renewal cycle until they get their act together.