New Law Reorganizes Residence Statuses

Effective April 1, 2015, a new law will reorganize residence statuses, which should streamline foreign nationals’ stays in Japan. 

 

Key changes include the establishment of a new residence status for foreign nationals with advanced and specialized skills who were previously granted the Designated Activities residence status. Such foreign nationals will be eligible to apply for permanent residence after five years instead of the usual ten years, and their spouses will be able to work in Japan on a "Spouse" residence status without having to apply for a work residence status, among other benefits. 

 

The law also changes the Investor/Business Manager residence status to Business Manager. This eliminates the need for foreign nationals to be connected to foreign investment to manage and operate Japanese-owned companies. The Engineer and Specialist in Humanities/International Services residence statuses will be consolidated into one category. This should make it easier for foreign nationals to change job duties without changing status, although the authorities have not officially confirmed such an effect. Additional details of the reorganization will be available closer to the implementation date. 

 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected] .