Visa extension application: does applying personally or having my Japanese company apply have any effect (e.g. years granted)?

I am a permanent kaishain/seishain. Last time my Japanese company applied on my behalf through via their lawyers, I only received 1 year.

It will soon be time to renew, and I wonder if I should instead apply on my own to increase my chances at a longer period.

Japanese would not be a problem.

Thank you.

10 comments
  1. Nobody here would know. But, if that was your first application, you just started a job there, then 1 year is not unusual. If you’re still working for same place, have a decent salary, etc, then it’s possible the extension might be for 3 or more years. Again, that’s up to immigration and no I don’t think applying personally or through a company would make any difference.

  2. The criteria depends on the quality of your educational background, work experience, achievements, and criminal record. Applying on your own means that you have one less company that will vouch for your stay. It’s better to just let the company handle it, saving you the hassle. As others here would point it out, it’s also pretty random anyway.

  3. Most likely does not matter. Speaking only from anecdotal evidence, it seems like a combination of the company size (or perceived stability), contract, your country of citizenship and possibly salary plays a role, but also random as many point out.

    Seishain for a well-established large company, with applicant from a high income country is likely to give you the longest term imo. If you are from a poorer country on a one-year contract for a small startup, the opposite.

    To me, it seems based on how risky they perceive your employment and residence seems, in general. The riskier it is, the sooner they want to reconfirm it by a new renewal application.

  4. It doesn’t matter if it’s your HR or you going to the immigration office.
    However I think the size/importance of your company matters a lot.
    I got twice 1 year with my previous company.
    Then I switched job in a big Japanese company (3000+ employees) and got 5 years right away. My salary is actually lower than previously as I don’t have the managerial position anymore!
    Same for other colleagues, basically everyone joining gets 5 years right away.
    Some have HR go for them because they don’t speak Japanese, and some like myself go alone.

  5. As far as I can tell, completely random.

    Belgian friend of mine had been here for a while, married to Japanese national, stable job, fluent Japanese, etc. Kept getting 1-year visas ever since he arrived. We both suspect cause he’s got brown skin.

    White Australian friend of mine working at Nova got 5, quit after 2 years or so, became somewhat of a shut-in for 2 years not paying any of his taxes, health insurance and pension, and still got another 5 years after landing a new job. Still hasn’t paid back any of his taxes, etc. either, because he gets anxiety from not being able to know a word of Japanese.

    Korean friend working reception at a hotel prepped her application like a pro and managed to get 5 years.

    Taking Korean friend as example — since she’s legit doing everything right in life — I prepped my last application going completely overboard on every single possible thing they could ask for. Seishain at one of the biggest IP companies in the world, taxes and all that being covered without any problem, proficient Japanese, high salary, but still got 3 years.

    Not complaining though, but just to show it all seems pretty subjective.

  6. Really depends on some factors but many people says luck matters the most.

    For permanent position ( my gf applied by herself and got 5 years, many of her coworkers also got 5 years).

    For me I got 1 year only as software engineer. My other SWE friends managed to get 5 years despite being on contract position, so I guess I have shitty luck.

  7. Anecdotal evidence so take from it what you will. When I turned in my documents, a staff member asked me directly how many years I wanted and I said 5 and that’s what I got. I have regional and national karate titles here and I made sure to include them with my documents because at worst, they could say that they don’t need it but at best, achievements, etc help your case when you don’t have surefire things like a family to take care of or a really good job. Like I said in the beginning, I got a 5 year extension.

  8. My friend and I came to Japan at same time, worked in same company and quit at the same time. His visa was applied by his new company and he gets 5 years.
    I go to different company and applied by myself and get 5 years too. So i think it doesn’t matter who apply is, but the salary, nenkin, tax, hoken, criminal record affect the visa duration.

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