# Permanent residency



## FredHT

Hi,

I am on HSP visa and understand that after 1 or 3 years it is possible to request a permanent residency visa. 

I was wondering, how long does it takes after submitting the request, to get approval/refusal?
Any idea of success rate?

Thanks!


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## larabell

Three years seems short unless you're married to a Japanese National. There is no written rule regarding when you can apply but the common rule-of-thumb seems to be 10 years continuous residence under a working visa (with a shorter period for someone with a Japanese spouse). The attorney that my company was using to handle my working visas said they usually apply right after the third 3-year visa is approved... but that was 20 years ago so things have likely changed since then.

From everything I've heard before, including my own personal experience, the approval process takes six months. It's hard to give a meaningful guess about the success rate in your case because I don't know of anyone who has applied for PR without having lived in Japan for at least 10 years.


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## myrrh

Links to the new PR guidelines are included in this thread here:

https://www.expatforum.com/expats/j...-google-page-ranking-visa-new-guidelines.html

As mentioned therein, I got PR in under three years. 

Good luck!


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## myrrh

I should add, in response to your further questions, that I don't think anybody here can give you definitive answers (beyond a Google search, which you can do as well). The guidelines under which you plan to apply have only recently been enacted. I don't know anybody who has gone through the process recently, and I doubt anybody here will have more than a single anecdote to offer. 

How about you report back on the results of your application when you get them?


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## JamesInJapan

Yeah please do report back!
I've been here for 10 years now and not even considered PR.
I have this mental image of a test full of Kanji and me going "Nope!"
(I am not married to a Japanese person)


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## Steven27

myrrh said:


> Links to the new PR guidelines are included in this thread here:
> 
> 
> 
> As mentioned therein, I got PR in under three years.
> 
> Good luck!


Hi,

I was living in Japan for 2.5 years and hold a HSP visa for more than one year (with more than 80 points). So I was eligible to obtain a PR after one year of holding a HSP visa. However, I was moving to Australia and thought that a PR is not that important.

But now, I am moving back to Japan soon next year (love it more than Australia - sorry), and definitely will apply again for a HSP visa. Do you know I can inquire for a PR (since I was eligible) or it still requires that I have to be there again one more year?

Many thanks in advance!


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## donpaulo

I can add what I have learned over the years.

So there really isn't a "rule" when it comes to granting PR. Its going to depend on things like the prefecture and city you reside in, the state of your employment/contract and a number of other things.

Beware that PR means you have to do a number of other things necessary for living here. For example you will eventually going to need a "Mynumber" ID just to name one.

The hurdle is greater because with PR you can sponsor others, so the Japanese government gives closer scrutiny to it.

Here are 3 typical examples
Mr A married a Japanese national. No kids. Got two 1 year visas, a 3 year visa then PR.
Mr B married a Japanese national, has 2 kids. Got one 1 year visa, two 3 year visas, then PR.
Mr C married a Japanese national, has 2 kids. Got a series of 1 year visas, and now renews his 3 year one. He never applied for PR.

Mr A has his own school, does some consulting & outside contract work.
Mr B & C work in the university system. They are not contract employees and are full time professors.

You would think Mr C should get PR right ? He thinks it isn't necessary.

Mr B waited LONGER than Mr A did and he has kids !

no rhyme or reason to it.

Ultimately we should be thankful. Only a couple of decades ago, they used 6 month visas so you had to go the visa office twice a year. No thanks mate 

best of luck


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## Steven27

donpaulo said:


> I can add what I have learned over the years.
> 
> So there really isn't a "rule" when it comes to granting PR. Its going to depend on things like the prefecture and city you reside in, the state of your employment/contract and a number of other things.
> 
> Beware that PR means you have to do a number of other things necessary for living here. For example you will eventually going to need a "Mynumber" ID just to name one.
> 
> The hurdle is greater because with PR you can sponsor others, so the Japanese government gives closer scrutiny to it.
> 
> Here are 3 typical examples
> Mr A married a Japanese national. No kids. Got two 1 year visas, a 3 year visa then PR.
> Mr B married a Japanese national, has 2 kids. Got one 1 year visa, two 3 year visas, then PR.
> Mr C married a Japanese national, has 2 kids. Got a series of 1 year visas, and now renews his 3 year one. He never applied for PR.
> 
> Mr A has his own school, does some consulting & outside contract work.
> Mr B & C work in the university system. They are not contract employees and are full time professors.
> 
> You would think Mr C should get PR right ? He thinks it isn't necessary.
> 
> Mr B waited LONGER than Mr A did and he has kids !
> 
> no rhyme or reason to it.
> 
> Ultimately we should be thankful. Only a couple of decades ago, they used 6 month visas so you had to go the visa office twice a year. No thanks mate
> 
> best of luck


Thank you very much for your sharing information!^^^


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## Comemall

*Fast residency*



FredHT said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am on HSP visa and understand that after 1 or 3 years it is possible to request a permanent residency visa.
> 
> I was wondering, how long does it takes after submitting the request, to get approval/refusal?
> Any idea of success rate?
> 
> Thanks!


If you have a relative there even a friend that same of your Surname, that will be easy.


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## rs.khan1997

*Are Affidavits accepted during visa processing??*

Hi, In May I will be applying for work visa and I am keeping all the necessary documents ready for it but recently I found that one of my documents has an initial in the name while other documents don't have any. 
Name in other documents: RASOOL KHAN
Name in one particular doc: M RASOOL KHAN
I have "one and the same person affidavit (Affidavit of discrepancy)" to prove that the document is mine and original. So, I want to know whether affidavits like this are accepted or not?
Thank you.


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