When a foreigner requests us to act as an intermediary for their application for a Certificate of Eligibility, it can be difficult to convey the concept of an “agent.”
In the case of applying for a Certificate of Eligibility, the applicant, a foreigner, is still overseas, and it is difficult for the applicant to submit the application himself/herself. (It is not possible to apply directly from overseas.) For this reason, who can act as a representative for each status of residence is determined as follows, mainly from the accepting organization in Japan.
Immigration Control Act Enforcement Regulations Appended Table 4
| Status of residence | agent |
| Diplomacy | (1) Employees of diplomatic missions, consular offices, etc. whose members are the person or members of the family who belong to the same household as the person. (ii) Family members who will belong to the same household as the person. |
| Official | (1) An employee of a foreign government or international organization stationed in Japan where the person or a member of his or her family who will belong to the same household is engaged in public service. (ii) Family members who will belong to the same household as the person. |
| Professor | Employees of the Japanese institution to which the applicant will be affiliated and provide education |
| Art | An employee of a Japanese institution that has a contract with the person or to which the person will be affiliated and engaged in artistic activities. |
| Religious Activities | Employees of the branch of the foreign religious organization sending the person or other related religious organizations in Japan |
| Reporting | Employees of the Japanese resident organization of a foreign news organization that has signed a contract with the person or the Japanese organization to which the person will be affiliated and will carry out journalistic activities. |
| Highly skilled professional | (1) When attempting to carry out the activities listed in item 1 (a) or (b) of the lower column of the column for highly skilled professionals in Table 1, Part 2 of the Act: An employee of a Japanese organization that has a contract with the person (ii) If the person intends to engage in the activities listed in Item 1 C of the lower column of the column for Highly Skilled Professionals in Table 1, Part 2 of the Act: An employee of the Japanese business office of the business that the person manages or engages in management. |
| Management and Administration | (1) Employees of the Japanese business office of the business that the person himself operates or engages in management. (ii) In the case of establishing a new business office in Japan for a business that the principal manages or engages in management, the person who has been entrusted with the establishment of the business office in Japan |
| Legal/accounting services | An employee of a Japanese institution with which the person has entered into a contract, or an employee of an institution to which the person will be affiliated to perform legal and accounting services. |
| Medical care | Employees of the Japanese medical institution with which the person has signed a contract or the Japanese medical institution to which the person will be affiliated and will perform medical services. |
| Research | (1) An employee of a Japanese institution that has entered into a contract with the person. (ii) Employees of the business office in Japan to which the person is transferred. |
| Education | Employees of the Japanese institution to which the applicant will be affiliated and provide education |
| Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services | An employee of a Japanese institution that has a contract with the person |
| Intra-company transfer | Employees of the business office in Japan to which the person is transferred |
| Nursing care | An employee of a Japanese institution that has a contract with the person |
| Entertainment | Employees of the entertainment contract organization (if there is no performance contract agency, the Japanese organization that invites the person) or the Japanese organization to which the person will be affiliated and engaged in entertainment activities. |
| Skills | An employee of a Japanese institution that has a contract with the person |
| Specified Skilled Worker | An employee of a Japanese organization who has concluded a specific skill employment contract with the person |
| Technical Intern Training | (1) When attempting to carry out the activities listed in item 1 (a), item 2 (a), or item 3 (a) in the lower column of the technical intern training section of Table 1, Part 2 of the Act: Employees of an independent enterprise type training implementer (2) When attempting to carry out activities listed in item 1 (b), item 2 (b), or item 3 (b) in the lower column of the technical intern training section of Table 1, Part 2 of the Act: Employees of the supervising organization |
| Cultural activities | (i) Employees of the Japanese institution to which the person will be affiliated and engaged in academic or artistic activities. (ii) Experts who guide the person (iii) Relatives of the person residing in Japan. |
| Student | (i) Employees of Japanese institutions where the applicant receives education. (ii) If the person engages in activities that fall under Item 1 (a) or (b) in the bottom column of the Study Abroad section of the Standards Ministerial Ordinance, the following persons: A. Employees of institutions that provide scholarships to the applicant or other institutions that pay the applicant’s tuition or accommodation expenses. B. A person who pays the student’s tuition or accommodation expenses. C. Relatives of the person residing in Japan (iii)If the person engages in activities that fall under Item 1 C in the lower column of the Study Abroad section of the Standards Ministerial Ordinance, the following persons: A. Employees of the institution that developed the student exchange plan if the student is an exchange student. B. If the person is in a high school (including the upper half of a secondary education school), a junior high school (including the upper half of a compulsory education school and the first half of a secondary education school), a junior high school of a special needs school, or an elementary school (including a compulsory education school) ) or a relative of the person residing in Japan if the applicant intends to receive education at the elementary school section of a special needs school. |
| Training | Employees of the accepting organization |
| Family stay | (1) A person who will support the person in Japan or a relative of the person who resides in Japan. (ii) A person who is acting as an agent for an application for issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility for a person who supports the person concerned. |
| Designated activities | An employee of the organization to which the person belongs and engages in activities designated by the Minister of Justice, a person who employs the person, or a person specified by the Minister of Justice in a public notice in accordance with the activities designated by the Minister of Justice. |
| Spouse of a Japanese national | Relatives of the person residing in Japan |
| Spouse of permanent resident, etc. | Relatives of the person residing in Japan |
| Long-term resident | Relatives of the person residing in Japan |
“DAIRI” and “TORITSUGI” are different
On the other hand, we, “Gyoseishoshi” and lawyers, can prepare and submit application forms upon request from the applicant or the agent listed above. This is a system called the “application intermediary system“. When applying, in principle, the applicant or his/her representative must appear at the regional immigration bureau, but if the application is submitted by a person who has been notified in advance as an intermediary, an exception to appearing in person may be granted.
This is just a matter of “mediation(TORITSUGI)” and is different from “representation.(DAIRI)”
It’s even more complicated in English
Both “DAIRI” and “TORITSUGI” can be expressed as “Agent” in English. The English text of the applicable items on the application form are as followings;
“DAIRI”: Authorized Representative
“TORITSUGI”: Agent or other authorized person
Since it is difficult to convey the information as it is, I sometimes explain the “DAIRI” as “Agent typically a person in accepting organization/function” and the “TORITSUGI” as “Submitter, typically immigration lawyer.”