Benefits of user registration
The benefits of using the online residence application system according to the Online Residence Procedures Startup Guide – for staff of affiliated organizations, etc. – are as follows:
- There is no need to go to a regional immigration bureau.
- Applications can be made from the comfort of your home or office, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- There is no charge for using the system.
- If your institution falls under Category 3, the documents to be submitted at the time of application may be significantly simplified like Category 2.
- You can also receive your residence card by mail.
Even if you register as a user of the online residence application system, there is no problem in entrusting the application itself to us, administrative scriveners. Especially from the viewpoint of #4 above, there is a point in just registering as a user.
4 above refers to a preferential treatment system in which, for employment-related visas such as “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services,” “Skilled Work,” and “Inter-company Transfer,” host organizations are classified into categories 1 to 4 based on their size and credibility, and the higher the category, the more exempt you are from submitting documents.
Category 3 companies are those that have submitted statutory summary sheets, such as withholding slips for their employees’ salary income, to the tax office and whose withholding tax for the previous fiscal year was less than 10 million yen.
User registration steps
In order to be recognized as an online residence application user, you must go through two steps: being approved as an application intermediary, and then being recognized as an online residence application user.
Notification as an application agent
The following documents need to be submitted to the Immigration Bureau.
- List of documents to be submitted and confirmation sheet for application for application agency
- Application for application agency
- A photograph of the person seeking approval
- Resume and employment certificate of the person seeking approval
- Documents proving that you have knowledge of immigration and residence procedures(*)
- Certificate of registration
- Copy of identity verification document
- Reply envelope
*If you submit a certificate of attendance (completion) of a training session on immigration control administration, in principle it must be issued within the last three years.
Online Residence Application User Registration
The following documents need to be submitted to the Immigration Bureau.
- Required Documents Checklist (New User Application)
- Application form for using the online residence application system
- Copy of identity verification document
- Copy of application agent certificate(*)
- Certificate of employment
- Oath
- A copy of the statutory total table, such as the withholding slip of the employee’s salary income for the previous year
- Certificate of registration
- A copy of the most recent financial statement
- A copy of the real estate registry, lease agreement, and other documents that clarify the existence of business facilities, as well as documents that clarify the scale and content of the business (if the organization to which you belong has a foreign national with a “Business Manager” status of residence)
*If you do not submit a copy of the certificate, you will need to provide a document proving that you have the necessary knowledge (a certificate of attendance (completion) of a training session on immigration administration, etc.).
A crucial benefit that is not widely known
In addition to what I mentioned at the beginning, there are actually two crucial benefits to registering as a user of the online residence application system.
This means that if a Category 3 company is approved to register as a user of the online residence application system and becomes Category 2, the period of stay granted to applicants will be more favorable and the review period will be shorter.
The former has a particularly large advantage. When applying for a residence permit renewal, if you are in category 3 or below you will be given a three-year period of stay, but if you are in category 2 or above you may be given a five-year period.
This is very important because it directly relates to the requirements for applying for permanent residence (the maximum period of stay granted at the time of application) if the applicant wishes to become a permanent resident in the future.
We strongly encourage companies in category 3 to register as users of the online residence application system.