I’ve been working in Japan since November 2019.
I have always had residency on paper, however, I went back to my home country to work remotely for a little less than a year (most of 2021).
I was thinking of applying for citizenship here in November 2024 since that would mean five years of residency completed; however, would they count my time abroad (even though I maintained a residence on paper, with taxes etc paid) as absence and reset the timer?
Could I apply in 2024, is my question?
6 comments
My memory is that there’s a rule that you can’t have been out of the country for more than half the year for any of the five years to qualify.
If you’ve been out for like 3 months on one trip, or half a year on different trips, that might reset things.
There’s no specific rule though, and it was designed to be vague, so best to just call and ask. The case worker may or may not consider that a reset.
If you went back for a long time you probably reset the timer. But it’s best to go and ask
Does anyone know if the three years on a working visa need to be consecutive?
I did work visa(2 years), student visa(2years), and am doing the last year on a working visa. Wonder if I’d still be eligible.
Never left the country during that time.
Immigration may be more lenient than usual for 2021/2022 due to COVID
It’s 10 years consecutive, not 5 for PR everyone. Naturalization is 5 years.