When you get used to life in Japan, you may wish to bring your family from overseas to join you. In this case, you would bring them under a Dependent (Family) Stay visa. You may bring your spouse and your dependent children. Even if your children have reached 18 years of age, you may bring them, if they are financially dependent on you.
How do you proceed to bring your family to Japan? You will need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility for a Dependent (Family) Stay visa at a regional Immigration Bureau that is in the area of your residence.
After the issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility for a Dependent Stay visa, your family can go to the Japanese Embassy or a Japanese Consulate in your home country and get the visa issued. After this procedure, your family becomes eligible to enter Japan.
Please note that the Dependent (Family) Stay visa itself does not permit your family member to work in Japan. They may work casually or part-time, provided they apply for and obtain a Permit for Other Activities from the Immigration Bureau of Japan. Once the approval is issued, they can work up to 28 hours per week.
An exception is that, if you are approved as a Highly Skilled Foreign Professional by the Immigration Bureau of Japan, your spouse, who may be a foreign national, can work full time.
Note that in any case, the work should not be in adult entertainment businesses and a new application has to be made if your family member wants to change their workplace.
The Dependent (Family) Stay visa applies to your spouse or your child/children that are financially dependent on you.
If you want to bring your parents from your home country to Japan to live with you, you need to apply for a Specific Activities visa. A first step is to call your parents to Japan with a Temporary visa. You will then need to apply for a Change of Status of Residence. The criteria for bringing in your parents to live with you are stringent, but if you are approved as a Highly Skilled Foreign Professional by the Immigration Bureau of Japan, you are more likely to succeed.
The usual procedure of applying for a Certificate of Approval of Status of Resident does not cover this situation of you wanting to bring your parents to Japan.
The criteria to obtain this Specific Activities visa, are as follows: your parent(s) are financially dependent on you, your parent(s) do not have any close relatives in your home country, and are aged 70 or more. There are some exceptions for the age criteria such as health problems, for example, cancer, that would require treatment in Japan.
We handle visas comprehensively whether they are work visa, Dependent (family) Stay visa, Specific Activities visa, and others. If you are eager to bring your family to Japan, contact us.
Please make sure that they apply for a Permit for Other Activity, if your family members are going to work part time or casual under a Dependent (Family) Stay visa .