While America debates building a wall, Japan is making it easier to obtain residency. New laws loosening the restrictions went into effect in March 2017. The main purpose is to attract highly skilled foreign professionals. Between Japan’s declining population and lack of workers with advanced skills, the Immigration Bureau of Japan decided to make it easier for foreigners to get in.
The official Immigration Bureau’s website lists three main categories for the types of foreign professionals they’re looking for: advanced academic research, advanced technical skills in the sciences, and advanced business management skills. Don’t have a doctorate or master’s in one of these areas? Don’t worry. It’s easier for you to get in too, just to a lesser degree. Basically the rules have been loosened for everyone but the more advanced the degree you have, the easier it gets.
So how fast can you actually get in? It’s all based on points. Qualify for enough points and you’ll get fast tracked to residency. They want you. They’ll make things as easy as possible. For example, if you have a PhD, that’s 30 points right away. A master’s degree gets you 20. They also prefer young guns. Under 29 years old? 15 points. Between 35-39? a measly 5 points. Over 40 like me? You get zip for age points. But there are other ways to qualify for points too, such as Japanese language ability, research achievements, work related qualifications etc. Their website has a downloadable form to make calculating your points easy. 70 points gets you the golden ticket. Simply submit your point form with the documents to prove your points (proof of your degree etc.) and you’ll be granted anywhere from a 5-year period of stay to an indefinite period of stay.
Don’t qualify for 70 points? Neither do I. But the new laws also make it easier for us non-advanced degree holding commoners. It just takes a little longer; there’s no automatic green light.
In the past, to get permanent residency you needed to live in Japan for at least five years but in most cases ten years. The new laws eased the restrictions down to three years in many cases. Maintaining a job, paying your taxes, and having a Japanese spouse are all big helps. In my case, I had been living in Japan for 10 years and had a Japanese wife for over five years when I applied. That got me permanent residency under the old system. What took me ten years, you can now do in three. And if you have an advanced degree, you can do it in one year or less.
Robert R. Gray 