On July 9th 2012 Japan's new Immigration System will go live, and people need to be aware of what that means to them. Here is an in depth interview I gave on June 20th where I sum up the important points. Please have a look and contact me if you have any questions.
For your convenience, I have copied in the text of my previous blog post on this subject, which includes a brief description, links to official Japanese government source materials (mostly in English), and answer some frequently asked questions.
(Begin Copied Text)
For your convenience, I have copied in the text of my previous blog post on this subject, which includes a brief description, links to official Japanese government source materials (mostly in English), and answer some frequently asked questions.
(Begin Copied Text)
As many are aware, July 9th 2012 will see the introduction of a new Immigration System in Japan.
There are two main ways the structure is
changing:
1.
The Alien Registration System is ending and will be
replaced by a residency management system, under the authority of the Immigration Bureau of the Justice Ministry. A “Residence Card” will
be issued, replacing the current Alien Registration Card
2.
Foreigners will now be registered locally on a "Residence Record" or juminhyo,
the same system used by Japanese nationals, which is under the authority of the
Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.
Due
to the complexity of any system like this it is probably best to directly read
the two ministry’s explanations about how these systems are changing:
Changes to Residence Card System
www.immi-moj.go.jp/newimmiact_1/ (Japanese)
Changes to the Residence
Record (juminhyo)
System
Some Highlights That May
Be Of Interest To You;
1.
The
Alien Registration Card (gaikojin
torokusho) will be replaced by a new
"Residence Card.”
containing an IC chip. The card will include
residence status, period of stay, as well as name, address, birthdate, etc.,
The IC chip will contain all or part of the information printed on the card, and
is to prevent the cards from being forged or altered.
2.
The maximum visa term available
will be extended from 3 years to 5 years for most visa categories.
3.
A
"Re-Entry Permit" will no longer be
required for trips out of Japan less than 12-months in length.
Some Frequently Asked
Questions;
I
am in Japan now and I have an Alien Registration (“gaijin”) Card. By when do I have to change my card?
You have up to 3 years from July 9th to change your card.
The Alien Registration Card will be equivalent to the new residence card during the 3-year transition period. The
Residence Card will be issued when you renew your visa, need to change your
status, or when your Alien Card expires. If you have Permanent Residency status
you will need to obtain the Residence card by July 8th 2015.
I
am coming to Japan after the change on
July 9th.
Where will I get my card and what is the process?
If you are coming to Japan on a visa
with a status of residence that is longer than 3 months, you will receive your Residence Card at the airport in Tokyo (Narita
and Haneda), Nagoya (Centrair) or Osaka (Kansai Airport). The card should take an
additional 2-3 minutes to prepare as part of the other
administrative procedures on arrival.
The card issued on arrival at the
above airports will not
have your address printed on it. Within 14 days you must go to your local government office to complete the "Residence Record” (juminhyo)
details. This puts you on the local register of people, and has links to your
health insurances, pension, etc. Your address will also be added to the back
of your Residence Card.
What
if I don't enter Japan through Narita,
Haneda, Nagoya, or Kansai Airports?
A
Residence Card will not be
issued at the airport.
Your passport will be stamped indicating that the card will be mailed to you at
a later date. After you complete the "Residence
Record” (juminhyo)
details at
the local government office (within 14 days), the Regional
Immigration Office will mail your card to you. It will take about 2-3 weeks to receive the card.
Do
I need to submit photos for my card?
If you are coming to Japan for the
first time on a mid-
to long-term
visa (ie. not a 90-day visa), you will have already sent
photos with your visa application. These photos will be scanned and
used on your residence card. Therefore, there is no need to supply a photo at
the airport, as it will already be in the Immigration Bureau system.
When
you renew
your visa, you
will need to
provide a photograph
as part of your renewal application. This photo
will be scanned and used on your card.
Can
I change my Alien Registration Card to my Residence Card at one of the four main airports?
No, this is not possible. This may change in the future, but as of now, only newly entering mid-
to long-
term residents will receive their Residence
Card at the airport.
Can
I make changes to my Alien Registration Card without getting a new Residence card?
From July 9th, you can change the
address on your Alien Card. Any other changes
must be made at the Immigration Bureau and your Alien Card
will then be changed to a Residence Card.
Do
I have to report in person about changes in my employer?
No, you don't need to report in person
for this, as your employer will no longer be listed on your Residence Card. However, if your visa is based on
your employment, you will
need to submit a form to the Immigration Bureau by post, to notify them of the
change.
The
new Residence Card does not show my passport number. Do I need to report
changes in this?
No,
the passport number, along with date of issue of the passport, your place of
birth, residence in your home country, and a few other things will all be
missing from the Residence Record and Residence Card.
In fact, under this new system, the Residence Card
will show your Status of Residence and period of stay, items that were included
in the visa stamp in your passport. The only time any of this information will
be entered in your passport is on your initial entry to Japan. On renewing a
visa, the information will only be entered on your Residence Card. Each
time you renew your "visa (status of
residence)" you will be issued with a new Residence Card.
* It is going to be
quite important, therefore, that you always have your Residence Card
with you when you are travelling in and out of Japan. Your visa status can
be verified only if you have your Residence Card with you.
The
new Residence Card contains an IC Chip. What information will be on the IC
Chip?
Under Japanese Law, they are only
allowed to record on the IC Chip the information that is already on the card. There will be no additional private information on the IC Chip.
What
is the point of the IC Chip on the card?
The IC Chip will enable authorities
and 3rd parties to verify that the information written on the card is actually
correct. i.e., this is to protect residence cards from being forged or altered.
Who
will be able to read the information on the IC Chip?
This
hasn’t been announced yet. One can safely assume that Immigration offices,
police, and the like would have them. Japanese driver’s licenses throughout the
country are being updated with IC chips. In the case of the licenses, it is
possible to see the information on the chip using “readers” at the License
Centers. One can imagine that banks and
perhaps mobile phone providers will initially be the type of places who will
buy the "readers" in order to verify information on the cards.
What
is the biggest time-saver of this new system for me?
The biggest time-saver for new arrivals to Japan is that you won't need to make an extra trip to
Immigration to get a re-entry permit. As long as
you are going to be coming back to Japan within 12 months, you will be exempt
from needing a re-entry permit.
I heard that permanent residents will
have special considerations. Are you aware of what these are?
For permanent residents the Residence Card will be valid
for 7 years. You will need to go to the Immigration Office every 7 years to get
renewed. For any other resident, the “Residence Card” will be valid for the
length of your status of residence (the maximum length of a visa will be
extended from 3 years to 5 years).
I read “everything
other than change of address and job requires a visit to Immigration.” What are some examples of things that will
require a visit to immigration?
The
most common reason would be to renew your visa (status of residence) or when
your child turns 16, which will automatically see you getting a new Residence
Card. The next most common will probably be if the card is lost, stolen,
damaged or defaced. And then there are other cases such as when your status of
residence changes (mostly happens when renewing your visa any way, but could
change if you are no longer a “student” or if you get divorced from a Japanese
and are on a spouse visa), if you change your name, if you change your sex
(could be an issue for some parts of Shinjuku I suppose) or your nationality
changes.
So
how does one get off the old Alien Registration card and get on to the new IC
card? A visit to Immigration? How many times? Once to register and once to pick
up?
Yes, you need to take a trip to the Immigration Bureau to
get your new card. It should be issued there on the spot, unless of course you
are renewing your visa, in which case it would be done once your new status of
residence is given. On the spot issuance is supposedly only to take a few
minutes, although you will need to complete an application form and submit your
photo to be scanned, so I imagine it will be like the time it takes to get your
re-entry permit now. However, it is not recommended that you try changing to
the resident card in the first few months from July 9th, as
congestion is expected, and initially you might need 2 trips.
Won’t the expired
visas in the passport be confusing when trying to prove that you are indeed a
resident in Japan?
I believe that Japan will be notifying all
the countries of the world and the airlines about the changes. The best
solution here is to carry your Residence Card with you at all times, even when
overseas, as this will be the only form of identification of your status in
Japan (aside from any old passport stamps). So, present your Residence Card with your
passport in any situation where it is necessary to prove residency!
What
happens with children and their residence cards?
Children
will be issued with a Residence Card, but no photo will be placed on the card.
Children up to the age of 16 have no legal requirement to keep the card on
their person, as per the child alien registration card from before. From
the day of their 16th birthday, children need to receive a new
residence card with the photo, and will need to keep the card on their person
like the rest of us.
Passport
numbers are recorded on the alien registration card. Will they be on the
resident card too?
Up until
this point, passport numbers have been recorded on the AR card. The passport
number is not placed on the new Residence Card and there is no need to notify
changes in your passport number if you get a new one. The Residence Record
(juminhyo) also does not require your passport number, so the only place where
your passport number will be recorded now is when you come in and out of the
airport, and perhaps on the applications for your visa and visa renewals. This
is a change in favor of everyone, as there is no longer anything to do when
your passport changes.
How
long will it take to get your Residence Card at the Immigration Bureau?
We have confirmed
that this is likely to be similar to the time it takes to get your Re-Entry
Permit- they will issue on the spot on the same day. However, they are not
confident to commit to any guarantees of how long things will take initially,
as like any new system they are not quite sure how long things will actually
take, and what problems they will come across. The Immigration Bureau sincerely
recommends that, if possible, to refrain from changing your card immediately,
as if there is a rush on the Immigration Centers, they are not sure that they
will be able to handle the influx. Best recommendation would be to “stay away
for a while”!! But, eventually, it should be a very straight-forward process.
If you are renewing your visa, you would receive a new Residence Card once the
new visa has been approved (obviously this won’t be the same day).
How
will other countries / airports know about this change?
The
Immigration Bureau has indicated they will be doing this as thoroughly as possible.
However, no matter how well they do it, and how well they explain things to the
airlines, there is going to be obvious confusion initially at every airport
that boards a person to Japan. The best and only advice therefore will be,
without fail, always take your Passport and Residence Card with you to the
airport, and treat them as a pair when you are travelling.
Should you have any further questions about the new system, please don't hesitate to send me an email; steve_burson@morethanrelo.com.
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