Intra-company transferee

“I have a foreigner who is transferring from a subsidiary overseas to the head office in Japan for 3 years, what will his residence status be?”

“I have an employee I want to transfer from the head office overseas to the Japanese branch office, but he does not have a bachelor’s degree, can he get a residential status?”

…

If those questions above look similar to what you are thinking, have you considered moving to Japan via an Intra-company Transferee visa?

Today, we will talk about the Intra-company transferee visa!

What is the Intra-company Transferee Visa

Simply put, an intra-company transfer visa is a visa for employees of multinational companies to come to Japan to work and live.

1. ① From the head office of a foreign company located overseas to a subsidiary, branch, or representative office in Japan
2. ② From an overseas subsidiary or branch to the head office in Japan
3. ③From overseas to an affiliated company in Japan (an affiliated company is required to have a capital relationship between the companies)

This visa is available for foreigners who will be transferred, assigned, or posted to Japan to engage in work that falls under the category of “Engineering/Humanity/International Services Visa,” such as IT engineers and trading services.

*Unskilled workers, such as workers at overseas factories, cannot obtain a visa for intra-company transfers.

What are the requirements for the visa

In what circumstances can one obtain an intra-company transfer visa?

1. ☑ You must have been working at the overseas head office, branch, or affiliated company of the Japanese company (including the representative office of an overseas company) that is inviting you to Japan for at least one year.　※
2. ☑ Work that fits the “Engineering/Humanity/International Services Visa”.
3. 　(Examples of work: IT engineer, mechanical or civil engineering architectural designer, accounting work, marketing work, trade work, interpreter/translator, language school teacher, etc.)
4. ☑ Entering into a contract with a company (either a Japanese corporation or an overseas corporation, or both)
5. ☑Transferring from abroad for a set period of time
6. ☑Can prove the relevance based on the capital relationship between the overseas company and the Japanese company.
7. ☑The company must be in good business condition
8. ☑The salary level must be the same as that of Japanese nationals.
9. ☑The applicant must not have a criminal record or have any other bad behavior.

The most recent one year of work experience includes the period during which the applicant was in Japan on an “intra-company transfer. For example, if you worked in the same job in a foreign country for one year, then worked in Japan for one year as an intra-company transfer, and then worked in a foreign country for six months, you will be included in the requirement of “intra-company transfer” status of residence for more than one year of continuous work.

Pros and Cons of the Intra-company Transferee Visa (compared to an Engineering/Humanity/International Services Visa)

The work activities that can be engaged in with the Intra-company Transferee Visa are the same as those with the Engineering/Humanity/International Services Visa, but there are some advantages and disadvantages compared to the Engineering/Humanity/International Services Visa as follows.

Disadvantages　

① Intra-company transferees cannot renew their status of residence, etc., if they change jobs.

As the name suggests, the intra-company transfer visa is for foreigners who are transferred or assigned to work in Japan at the Japanese branch or affiliate company of the multinational company for which they are working.

Therefore, the holder of this visa cannot find a job at another company unless he/she switches to a new visa.

On the other hand, the holder of an Engineering/Humanity/International Services visa can continue his/her status of residence if he/she notifies the Immigration Bureau within 14 days of separation from employment.

However, it is necessary to find a new job within 3 months of separation from employment with the job description approved for “Engineering/Humanity/International Services.

② The period of stay is limited to the period of transfer/assignment.

With an intra-company transfer visa, since the period of transfer/assignment is determined in advance, the maximum period of stay is limited to the period during which the transfer is scheduled to take place.

As with the Engineering/Humanity/International Services visa, the period of stay is determined after a comprehensive examination by the Immigration Bureau, depending on the length of the contract, the size and stability of the company, etc. to which the applicant is assigned, etc. However, with the Engineering/Humanity/International Services visa, if the applicant is engaged in the relevant work within the period of stay, the visa can be renewed indefinitely. 

The difference is that the period of stay is only permitted within the period of assignment, transfer, etc.

Please be assured that even in the case of intra-company transfers, it is possible to renew the period of stay if the period of transfer is extended.

③ Documents that clarify the capital relationship between the overseas company and the Japanese company must be submitted.

For example, the list of investors, articles of incorporation, documents that can prove transactions with the Japanese company, an explanation of how the company was established, a balance sheet and profit and loss statement, etc.

For multinational companies, etc., proving this capital relationship may require an enormous amount of documents, which may increase the time and effort required, such as making it more complicated to collect the documents.

With the Engineering/Humanity/International Services visa, it is sufficient to submit the documents for the category of the company in which the foreign company will work in Japan.

④ If an overseas company pays salaries, the documents required for renewal of the status of residence will also be more complicated.

If the salary is paid by an overseas company, the applicant needs to take measures such as tax deductions to avoid double taxation, and the documents and their translations from the overseas side are required as proof of income and official tax certificates, etc., which are necessary for the renewal of status of residence.

Advantages

① “University degree or more than 10 years of work experience” required for the Engineering/Humanity/International Services visa is not needed.

　In contrast, the Intra-company Transferee Visa can be obtained even if the applicant does not have a university degree, as long as he/she meets the other requirements mentioned above (such as at least one year of work experience in the field of Engineering/Humanity/International Services at the company he/she belongs to abroad, etc.). The visa is issued on the condition that the applicant meets the other requirements mentioned above.

　Therefore, this visa is useful for cases such as “I want an employee hired overseas to play an active role in Japan, although his/her academic background and work experience are not sufficient.”

② The employee can be transferred and obtain a status of residence/visa while maintaining salary payment overseas (*Salary amount must be equal to or higher than that of a Japanese national).

③Even if working at a representative office (not registered as a corporation in Japan), a visa can be obtained.

　*However, since a representative office can only conduct market research, market surveys, publicity and advertising, purchasing, business negotiations with suppliers, etc., and cannot engage in sales activities that generate revenue, the visa application documents must also be carefully handled.

Summary

In this article, we have introduced the intra-company transfer visa.

The intra-company transfer visa is a special visa that can be applied for even if you do not have a university degree or other academic background.

Even if you cannot apply for an intra-company transfer visa, you may be able to come to Japan on an “Engineering/Humanity/International Services” visa in some cases.

If you are considering coming to Japan on an intra-company transfer visa, please feel free to contact us for a free consultation. We will propose the best overall method based on the advantages and disadvantages of intra-company transfers and the characteristics of the company and the person working in Japan!

We are Yanagi group, which have offices in Osaka (Abeno and Tennoji), and our affiliated offices in Tokyo (Shibuya and Ebisu) are also available for an on-site consultation. We have handled many applications for permanent residence permits, naturalization permits, work visas, college student visas, management visas, etc., as well as visa renewal procedures related to the status of residence with the Immigration Bureau (Immigration Bureau) as a one-stop service. Our experienced administrative scriveners are also available to help you with any problems you may have.

We also have staff members who can speak each of the native languages and can assist you in obtaining a visa.

※If you wish to be consulted in Nepali or Bengali, please inform us in advance via our website or social media, and the translator will contact you ahead of time.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your status of residence or visa, even if they are trivial.

Toll-free number: 0120-138-552

For English speakers: 080-9346-2991

For Chinese speakers: 090-8456-6196

For Korean speakers: 090-8448-2133

For Vietnamese speakers: 080-5510-2593