This article is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails. Read the Japanese original（日本語版を読む）
No standard of the kind "you will be denied unless your income is at least a certain amount" has been published. As a practical guide, a household income of about 3.8 million to 4 million yen (380万〜400万円) is said to be the figure. But what is looked at is whether you can live stably without relying on public assistance. Even if your income does not reach the guide figure, there may be room to make up for it with assets or with support from relatives.
An enquiry about whether it is all right to go ahead with an application for 「日本人の配偶者等」 while worried about income or type of employment.
No numerical standard has been published. A household income of about 3.8 million to 4 million yen (380万〜400万円) is said to be the practical guide.
No clear numerical standard has been published as a screening criterion, of the kind "you will be denied unless your annual income is at least a certain amount".
As a practical guide, a household income of about 3.8 million to 4 million yen (380万〜400万円) is said to be one line for a married couple to live on in Japan. It is only a guide, though.
What is looked at is not the number by itself. It is the substance: whether you can live independently in Japan, stably and continuously, without receiving public assistance such as welfare (生活保護). Living costs have been rising, especially in the cities, so it is checked closely whether you can pay rent and food costs on a limited income.
The basis for screening is the Japanese spouse's certificate of taxation (課税証明書) and certificate of tax payment (納税証明書) for resident tax. If the total income shown there is low, it is more likely that the ability to make a living will be seen as doubtful.
The main point is to show, with documents, your present stability and how it will continue in future, rather than past figures.
The 課税証明書 is issued on the basis of the previous year's income. So if you had a period out of work last year, or if the pay at your previous job was low, the figure will be low. Ask the company you have just joined to issue an employment contract and a certificate of expected salary (給与見込証明書), and attach copies of your pay slips for the last few months, to show that your monthly income is now enough.
Even if your sales are high, claiming a lot of expenses can make the income (profit) field on the 課税証明書 very low. Screening looks at "income", not "sales". Submit copies of your filed final tax return (確定申告書の控え, such as Form B or the blue-return financial statements) and explain the breakdown of your expenses. Along with this, show that the business is sound and has funds, using outsourcing contracts with your main clients, your expected sales from here on, and copies of your bank passbooks.
You are not denied for the sole reason that you are not a permanent employee. Submit documents that show the length of your work history, how long you have worked at your current placement, and how many times your contract has been renewed, so as to convey that your employment is stable. Even if your income is on the low side, a long record at your current workplace, such as at least 5 years, is strong material.
If the person who is the pillar of the household income is out of work because of injury or illness, caring for a family member, or leaving a job for personal reasons, applying as things stand is more likely to end in a denial. Please prepare by combining the methods in the next section.
Combine 3 things: an additional guarantee from a relative, proof of assets, and the foreign spouse's plans to work.
Set out expected income and expected spending month by month, and show in numbers how much is left each month.
For a couple who are worried about income, a household budget plan is strong material. It is a document for showing, in numbers, that you can live in the black each month without relying on public assistance.
If you have positive living conditions like the following, be sure to include them.
Set these out as a table of expected income and expected spending for 1 month (rent, utilities, food, communications and so on), and attach to your 理由書 (written explanation) a realistic plan showing how much is left each month.
Please avoid it. A plan with no substance, or a false statement, works against you into the future.
Even if you are anxious, please avoid making your income look bigger, or writing a plan with no substance in your documents. If a falsehood comes to light, there is a risk that obtaining a status of residence will become difficult into the future.
Take your current situation as it is. Explaining, with objective evidence, "why my income is what it is now" and "how I will make our life stable from here" is the shorter road to permission.
It has not been published. As a practical guide, a household income of about 3.8 million to 4 million yen (380万〜400万円) is said to be the figure, but it is only a guide. What is looked at is the substance: whether you can live stably and continuously without relying on public assistance.
No. Even as an agency worker, a fixed-term contract employee or a part-time worker, you show that your employment is stable by submitting documents that show the length of your work history, how long you have worked, and how many times your contract has been renewed.
Explain the breakdown of your expenses with copies of your filed final tax return, and show that the business is sound and has funds with outsourcing contracts with your main clients, your expected sales from here on, and copies of your bank passbooks. Screening looks at income, not sales.
Applying as things stand is more likely to end in a denial. Please combine methods such as asking a relative in Japan to become an additional 身元保証人, showing assets such as savings or real estate, and showing the foreign spouse's plans to work.
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This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.