Examination of status of residence taking too long
- 今田喜信
- Apr 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 7
After applying to the Immigration Bureau, I often receive inquiries such as "Has permission not been granted yet?" and requests to "ask the Immigration Bureau when the review will be completed." During the period until the Immigration Bureau issues permission, foreigners will continue to be in an unstable position, and I am well aware that it will affect the personnel planning of companies, but in conclusion, there is no choice but to wait.
There are two ways to ask the immigration bureau when the application process will be completed.
The first way is to call. However, in the case of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, 99.9 times out of 100 times you call, you won't get through. It's a similar situation at the Chiba branch office.
As I cannot keep calling all day, I am unable to accept requests to make telephone inquiries to the Immigration Bureau.
If you would like to call yourself, I'll let you know the phone number of the screening department and the application reception number.
The second way is to go to the immigration bureau and ask questions at the counter. At the Tokyo immigration bureau, you can wait for your turn for about 1 to 1.5 hours before you can ask questions to the examiner. At the Chiba branch office, the waiting time is about 30 minutes to 1 hour. I think the examiner who receives the question will go back to the back room from the counter and look into it, but in the end, they will always reply, "Please wait a while as we are currently reviewing your case."
If you wish, I can visit the immigration bureau and inquire directly about the status of your application, but this will cost 15,000 yen since it will require travel expenses and about half a day of time.
If you would like to go to the immigration bureau yourself and ask directly, you will need the examination department and application receipt number, so please let me know if you do not know them.
If there is another reason for our organization to visit the Immigration Bureau, I can also ask about the status of the screening, and in this case we will not charge you a fee. (However, this frequency will be about once every two months.)
Let me explain a little about how the Immigration Bureau conducts the examination.
After submitting your application to the Immigration Bureau and receiving a reception number, a person with the role of "allocation officer" will assign your application to one of the following cases: A, B, C, D.
Case A: Approval (issue)
Case B: Careful examination
Case C: Clearly not permitted
Case D: Additional documents required
If you are assigned to Case A, you will have to wait for the decision of the person with decision-making authority. Of course, there is a possibility that the person with decision-making authority will return the application and change it to Case B, but if not, Case A will have the shortest review period.
If additional documents are submitted for a Case D, it will be classified as either A, B, or C. However, if additional documents are required again, it will be classified as a Case D.
In what cases will the application be classified as an Case A? According to the immigration bureau's examination guidelines, only the following information is disclosed for applications for employment-related residence status, and the decision is made within about 10 days.(I don't think the Tokyo Immigration Bureau will make a decision in 10 days though...)
・ The company you will be working for has not had any refusals in the past three years, or is a listed company or a large company of a similar size
・ Cases related to Highly Skilled Professional No.1
These are just some of the many requirements, and other requirements are not disclosed. However, from experience, I think that most employment at small and medium-sized enterprises can be considered as Case B.
So, what is being examined for a Case B? For example, in the case of "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services," the following are examined.
- Whether the applicant or company has violated any laws or regulations
- Whether the employment relationship or contract is in a stable condition and can be continued
- Whether the work content corresponds to on-site work
- Whether the educational or work history requirements are met, and whether the supporting documents are correct
- If changing from studying abroad, whether there are any violations of attendance records or activities outside the scope of the status of residence
- If there are family members staying in the country, the behavior of the family members and whether there are any violations of laws or regulations
The Immigration Bureau publishes its actual application period, which can be checked at this URL.
However, this seems to be nothing more than a document for self-defense. This is the national average, and in the case of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, it must take at least three times as long.
Here are some reasons why the review process may take so long:
The review of online applications from all over the country is concentrated in one location, causing congestion.
In the first place, everything in Japan is concentrated in Tokyo, and Tokyo also receives a huge number of applications for residence status, meaning immigration bureaus are unable to keep up with the processing capacity.
There are some reasons why a careful examination is required.
Since the deadline for completing immigration review is two months after the end of the period of stay (i.e. the special period), applications for changes and certificates of eligibility are being put off when there is still ample time left in the period of stay.
In addition, the Immigration Bureau posted the same information on its website on October 16, 2024.
To summarize:
We will not respond to inquiries regarding the status of individual reviews.
Please wait until you receive a notification from the immigration office that your application has been processed.
If this were a private company, they would take measures such as streamlining operations and replenishing resources to prevent customers from leaving, but in government offices, the principle of competition does not apply, so there is nothing that can be done.
Unfortunately, it looks like you'll just have to wait until the review is complete.
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