As per the point based preferential route to permanent residency in Japan, I believe one is eligible to apply for a PR assuming they’re able to prove they have at least 70 points for the last 3 years. In regards to this, I have a few questions
1. Does the income include stock options that would vest in the future? For eg: Does receiving stock option worth 2 million in 2020 that’d vest in 2023 count as income for the year 2020?
2. Assuming I’d like to apply today, how would I prove the income for the last 3 years?
For eg: It’s May 2023 now, 3 years ago would be May 2020. Would monthly payslips from May 2020 to
May 2023 suffice?
My problem is that if tax certificates are required, they would only ever show the income for the calendar year starting from January 2020 to January 2021 (in my understanding).
This is quite different from my annual income from May 2020 to May 2021 and could make a difference in terms of getting those 70 points.
3. Has anyone gone this route for pr? How did you go about applying? Would you recommend going through the process with a lawyer or a law firm?
2 comments
Are you with the same employer since May 2020? If yes then you can ask your employer to write a letter that lists your OTE income on May 2020 and now. This is how I proved my income, although in my case I only needed to prove my income at the time I applied and one year prior. If you have changed job then paylips and may be a copy of your offer letter should be enough as well. From my experience, immigration is reasonable and understands that people can switch to higher paying jobs in the middle of the year.
As for RSU, you should call your immigration office to check. But I’m fairly certain that stock should be counted as income on your vesting date, not grant date, as unvested stock can be forfeited. When I applied I didn’t count my unvested stock either, but I didn’t check too closely, because I didn’t need that extra income to put me over the threshold.
>Does the income include stock options that would vest in the future? For eg: Does receiving stock option worth 2 million in 2020 that’d vest in 2023 count as income for the year 2020?
No, it is your salary not investment income. Bonuses would count equity grants would not.
>Assuming I’d like to apply today, how would I prove the income for the last 3 years?
You have to submit your contract and taxes. That would prove salary.