I'm planning to apply for permanent residence in Japan and I was wondering if anybody else has already done this.

[zeroshiki]

I read that naturalization on the other hand is 90% or so and the hypothesis for that on the turning japanese site is that the bad applications get weeded out in the initial interview stage for naturalization whereas no such thing exists for PR. Basically this is a long winded way of saying that if you have all your documents in order and are not clearly unqualified, the chances of getting PR should be higher than 50%. They're strict but they're not THAT strict.

[RetireJapan]

I read that naturalization on the other hand is 90% or so and the hypothesis for that on the turning japanese site is that the bad applications get weeded out in the initial interview stage for naturalization whereas no such thing exists for PR. Basically this is a long winded way of saying that if you have all your documents in order and are not clearly unqualified, the chances of getting PR should be higher than 50%. They're strict but they're not THAT strict.

I was rejected the first time I applied for PR because I was given the wrong information by... the immigration office! They told me I could apply, I applied, and the application was rejected immediately.

Got the head of the office to apologise personally for wasting my time

[Gareth]

I was rejected first time round. When I first applied, there was some ambiguity about whether living here for ten years meant ten years in total or ten years consecutively. The word “consecutively” is a bit easier to find now! The immigration official at the time wasn’t sure but suggested I apply and see what happens. Got rejected about 3-4 months later by letter. When I hit ten years consecutively, I applied just a few days later and then hit the jackpot.

[Block]

Thanks for the information all.

[AreTheyTheLemmings?]

How do you guys remember any of this stuff?! All I can recall is that when I went to renew my spouse-of-Japanese-national visa, the lady at immigration said "You should apply for PR at the same time," so I did. I have no idea if they asked for extra paperwork or how long it took for the postcard to arrive. I'm amazed at your excellent recall abilities.

[captainspoke]

How do you guys remember any of this stuff?! All I can recall is that when I went to renew my spouse-of-Japanese-national visa, the lady at immigration said "You should apply for PR at the same time," so I did. I have no idea if they asked for extra paperwork or how long it took for the postcard to arrive. I'm amazed at your excellent recall abilities.

I looked at my card, and if I'm reading it right I've had PR since 2002. I don't remember much, but as I recall it wasn't hard--in contrast to when I switched from work to marriage status and they wanted all sorts of wedding paraphernalia.

[TokyoBoglehead]

How do you guys remember any of this stuff?! All I can recall is that when I went to renew my spouse-of-Japanese-national visa, the lady at immigration said "You should apply for PR at the same time," so I did. I have no idea if they asked for extra paperwork or how long it took for the postcard to arrive. I'm amazed at your excellent recall abilities.

I looked at my card, and if I'm reading it right I've had PR since 2002. I don't remember much, but as I recall it wasn't hard--in contrast to when I switched from work to marriage status and they wanted all sorts of wedding paraphernalia.

Things have indeed changed quite a lot in those 20 years. It is a bit of a process nowadays, with tighter scrutiny.

[Roger Van Zant]

Hello.

I'm planning to apply for permanent residence and I was wondering if anybody else has already done this. I have a spouse of Japanese national residence status now.

I've researched it, so , I know what is necessary. But I still have some questions.

Was it easy to get all of the necessary paperwork?

Were you asked for any extra paperwork, etc?

How long did it take?

Thank you.

It was easy to get all of the paperwork. No need for a lawyer.
It took me six weeks from submitting the application to getting my PR.

[TokyoBoglehead]

Hello.

I'm planning to apply for permanent residence and I was wondering if anybody else has already done this. I have a spouse of Japanese national residence status now.

I've researched it, so , I know what is necessary. But I still have some questions.

Was it easy to get all of the necessary paperwork?

Were you asked for any extra paperwork, etc?

How long did it take?

Thank you.

It was easy to get all of the paperwork. No need for a lawyer.
It took me six weeks from submitting the application to getting my PR.

When and Where would give this post more context.

The current MINUMUM time in Tokyo via Shinagawa as of 2023 is:

Official Estimate: 4 months

Unofficial lawyer / scrivener Estimate: 6-8 months*

*Usually far more accurate.

[kuma]

My case:

Sapporo
2020
Spouse -> PR
4 months (?)

Some additional points:

* (in my location and in 2020 I was told that) on application, they do an on-the-spot screening to check whether all required documents are present, and if anything is missing, you receive a slip of paper detailing the item(s) and ordinarily have 2 weeks to mail them in. I was told that submitting an incomplete set of documents at the first contact would not prejudice the application. I actually made use of this because I was waiting on a document but had a window of opportunity to apply during my summer holiday, and no recourse to annual leave.

* after about 3 months of waiting, I was asked for additional info regarding my freelance earnings. I viewed this as a sign they were considering my application.

* when the acceptance postcard came (well, the one telling me to bring a revenue stamp!) and stated a 2-week window to pick up the card, I phoned to see if I could extend this deadline and pick up in my winter holiday (I was not close to 'visa' expiry). This was fine. Since the card gets printed and your status changes on the day you pick up the new card, I thought this 'extension' was good both for short term (I didn't consume annual leave) and medium term (zairyu card renewal now due in winter hol season).