Hi! I have just come back to Japan under a 1 year, renewable, SSW1 visa (I was previously here under a WH Visa from 2022 to 2023), and my employer asked me to open a Mizuho bank account for payments.
From what I've gathered from other posts, there's this rule that your visa needs to be for longer than 6 months but it's oftentimes translated into banks not opening bank accounts for foreign residents until 6 months have passed since they arrived in Japan.
It seems that depending on the branch or clerk you can be more or less lucky (I've seen people commenting that they got their account in their 4 month here).
So my main question is, is there a way that I can make my application for a Mizuho bank account more likely to be accepted?
Internet applicantion vs. in branch application?
I was thinking of applying for a credit and/or debit card at the same time, but those are even more likely to be rejected I think. Should I just try ONLY for the bank account and cash card?
The HR people are gonna consult with payroll if there's a possibility to pay me on my JP Bank account (open since 2022), in case I get rejected. But if that's not possible either, are there any other banks where I might have better chances?
Thank you in advance for any insight on this matter!
EDIT: My company confirmed that they can make payments to JP Bank untill I can open a Mizuho account!
As some of you commented, they can't force me to open an account in a bank of their choosing just to save on fees (thank you for letting me know), but since I do need a credit card I applied for everything and waiting to see what happens! If they accept me I'll finally have a credit card and will be able to access some services I previously couldn't (times car share, chocozap and whatnot), and my employer will be happy. And if they reject me I still get paid in my JP bank account and I'm free to apply for a credit card elsewhere.
(I do know that account and credit card applications are actually different applications even if I send them together)
by No-Return9278