Many foreign companies transfer or hire people from their home country or other countries (considered in Japan as “foreigners”) to Japan as managers, specialists, etc. but, in order for foreigners to work in Japan, they need a so-called “work visa” (with work statuses such as “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, “Intra-company Transfer”, “Business/Administration”, and “Highly Skilled Professional”). In Japan, the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (the “Immigration Act”) stipulates that, if a foreigner wishes to land in Japan with a residence status other than “Short Stay”, the Minister of Justice shall, upon application, examine in advance whether the landing conditions relating to the residence status are met and, if so, may issue a certificate to that effect. In Japan, this residence status (or recognition certificate) is customarily referred to as a “work visa”, but the application procedure for this work visa is not as systematic as in the US, for example, and the Minister of Justice’s examination criteria are not publicly available, so obtaining a certificate of eligibility quickly and smoothly requires not only knowledge of the law but also a wealth of practical experience.
In this respect, we have established a partnership system not only with lawyers but also with certified legal specialists in administrative procedures and public consultants on social and labor insurance who are familiar with immigration practice, and provide services to facilitate and support foreign managers, professionals, etc. in applying for certificates of eligibility so that they can work in Japan without problems.
In recent years, due to the trend towards internationalization, an increasing number of Japanese companies are also actively recruiting foreign workers. We of course also provide services to Japanese companies in obtaining work visas for the foreign nationals they employ, acting as an intermediary for various applications for residence in Japan, and assisting with foreign labor management.
In addition to the above, we also handle a wide range of legal issues relating to foreigners, from status-based residence status, such as “Permanent Resident” and “Spouse or Child of Japanese National”, to work relating to the Nationality Act, such as dual nationality and naturalization, and criminal cases where appropriate action is important from a corporate compliance perspective.
Provided support for obtaining status of residence for expatriates from U.S., German, and Swedish companies, as well as various other consultations related to the Immigration Control Act.
