Announcement by the Immigration Services Agency
On April 4, 2025, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan made the following announcement:
Currently, due to the reform of the sending system by the Ministry of Labour of Myanmar and the effects of the earthquake disaster that occurred in central Myanmar, there are delays in the issuance of Overseas Working Identity Cards (OWIC) issued by the Ministry of Labour of Myanmar. Therefore, for the time being, if you hold a valid visa that has been issued after going through the prescribed visa application procedures at the Embassy of Japan in Myanmar, the validity period of your Certificate of Eligibility for employment (including the “family stay” related to said status of residence) will be extended from 3 months to 6 months.
What is a Certificate of Eligibility?
Foreign nationals who wish to stay for 90 days or more (mid- to long-term stay) will be granted one of the statuses of residence when they land in Japan. In order to ensure that this landing permission is granted smoothly, a “Certificate of Eligibility” is issued in advance to certify that the person meets the requirements to be granted one of the statuses of residence.
A “Certificate of Eligibility” is issued after going through the procedure of applying for a Certificate of Eligibility. It must be presented at two occasions: when applying for a visa at a Japanese diplomatic mission overseas, and when undergoing immigration inspection upon entering the country, after which point its role is completed.
Bilateral Arrangements on Specified Skilled Workers
For foreigners seeking mid- to long-term residence, the steps to entering the country after receiving a Certificate of Eligibility are simple: visa issuance > entry. However, there are additional procedures that must be completed depending on the country and status of residence.
A typical example is the procedure for bilateral agreements for the status of residence “Specified Skilled Worker.” For example, in Myanmar, you cannot leave the country unless you obtain an overseas work permit issued by the Ministry of Labor.(In Myanmar, even if you have a residence status other than “specified skilled worker”, you must present an overseas work permit when leaving the country; however, the procedure is simplified for those with residence status other than “specified skilled worker”.)
Expiry date of Certificate of Eligibility
The validity period of the Certificate of Eligibility is three months. The announcement at the beginning is that due to the disaster in Myanmar, it is expected that it will take time to issue overseas work permits, so the validity period will be extended to six months for Myanmar nationals.
As you can see from this, the validity period of the Certificate of Eligibility is not until the time of presentation for “visa issuance”, but until the time of presentation at immigration inspection.