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）
What counts is not only how much you earn but how stable it is, so supporting material such as the history of your savings and evidence of help from relatives matters. Rather than trying to hide a difficult financial position, the key to success is said to be disclosing the cause and your present efforts honestly, and backing this up with a clear argument.
A case for people with unstable income who want to apply for a 定住者 visa and need to know how to prove the ability to make a living.
Not only how much you earn now, but whether it will continue into the future.
The Regional Immigration Services Bureau looks not only at your income at the time of the application, but at whether that income will continue into the future — that is, at its stability. No clear standard for annual income is published, but for a person living alone an annual income of around 3 million yen is often said to be the guide, and the hurdle rises with the number of dependants. Even where income was high for a time, changing jobs repeatedly, or a long spell in insecure work, brings the risk of being seen as unstable. Where there is a long period without work in the past few years, for reasons other than illness or raising children, questions arise about your financial independence. You then need to show with objective material how you drew on your savings during that period and how you tried to find work, and to prove strongly that you are now in stable employment.
A certificate of bank balance and copies of your passbook, evidence of help from relatives, and a spotless record of meeting public obligations.
The stability of your housing, and submitting an overall plan for how you will live, are said to help.
Owning your home, or having a long-term tenancy agreement, is strong proof that you have a settled base of life in Japan. If you live as a family, it is said to be best to have housing of a size that suits the size of your household. For applicants on a low or unstable income, one useful step is said to be submitting a written plan for how you will live: how you manage your household budget on your income, how much help you will receive and for how long, and your plans for building your career.
Screening for the 定住者 visa leaves a lot of room for judgement based on your individual circumstances. Rather than trying to hide a difficult financial position, the key to success is to disclose the cause and your present efforts honestly, and to back this up with well-argued documents prepared with a specialist.
It is not, by itself, enough for an immediate denial. You do need to show that period and your efforts to find work with objective material, and to prove strongly that you are stable now.
It can. You prove it by attaching a statement of the reasons for their help or a 身元保証書, together with that person's own certificate of income and certificate of bank balance.
They are. Copies of a passbook showing that you built up savings steadily over a long period are said to be useful proof that you plan your finances.
Tell us your situation and we will answer it directly. Available in Japanese and English.
Get a free consultationThis article provides general information. Immigration rules change, and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Please check the Immigration Services Agency website or consult a qualified specialist.
This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.