Permanent Resident Visa
What are the criteria and responsibilities of a guarantor for permanent residence?
- 2024.05.13
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A "guarantor" is required for permanent resident applications. The term "guarantor" may sound a bit negative to some, but in fact, a guarantor for permanent residence applications is not legally binding! In this article, we would like to explain what a guarantor is, the conditions for becoming a guarantor, and the responsibilities that a guarantor assumes.
What is a guarantor?
A guarantor is a document that must be submitted when applying for a permanent residence permit, which includes the following information.
“I, the undersigned, hereby guarantee that I will provide the above-mentioned person with the necessary support to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations of Japan and proper performance of official duties during his/her stay in Japan. “
In other words, a guarantor is a person who guarantees that the foreign national applying for permanent residence will provide the necessary support to ensure that he/she complies with Japanese laws and regulations and fulfills his/her official obligations while living in Japan.
Conditions for becoming a guarantor
What kind of person can be a guarantor?
Only Japanese nationals or permanent residents can be guarantors.
Therefore, no matter how long you have been in Japan or how financially capable you are, if you are not Japanese or a permanent resident, you cannot be a guarantor.
In addition, the following conditions must also be met.
→Must have a stable income.
→Must comply with all applicable taxes.
Therefore, if you are a Japanese national or permanent resident and have a stable income, there should be no problem.
In addition, the Immigration and Residence Management Agency’s official website for permanent residence permit applications states, “Normally, a spouse is required to act as a guarantor. Therefore, if your spouse (or relative) meets the above conditions, he/she can be your guarantor.
For more information, please refer to this page:
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/zairyu_eijyu01.html
However, please note that in recent years, there have been companies that have made money by acting as guarantors for permanent residence applications.
If your guarantor is a guarantor for more than one person, such as one of those contractors, your application for permanent residence may be denied for this reason.
A permanent resident is “a person who has a strong relationship with Japanese society and is recognized as a member of Japanese society,” which means that he/she is likely to have interaction and connections with people who can act as his/her guarantor. If the guarantor has no connections with Japanese nationals or permanent residents and pays a contractor to act as his/her guarantor, it will be difficult for the guarantor to be recognized as a permanent resident. 3.
Guarantor’s responsibility
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, guarantors are not legally enforceable.
The official website of the Immigration and Naturalization Service states
Even if the guarantor does not fulfill the guarantees, the authorities will only instruct the guarantor to fulfill his/her promises, but in such a case, the guarantor will be deemed to have failed to fulfill his/her responsibilities as a guarantor. However, in such cases, the guarantor will be deemed to have failed to fulfill his/her responsibility as a guarantor and will be deemed to be unqualified to act as a guarantor in subsequent applications for entry and stay in Japan, thereby losing social credibility.
(Excerpt from Q52 at https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/guide/kanri_qa.html)
Simply put, the guarantor’s responsibility is a moral one, and even if the guarantee causes some problems, he/she will not be held responsible for them, but he/she will lose social credibility and will not be able to be a guarantor again.
Summary
This article has explained the “guarantor” required for the application for permanent residence.
For those thinking about permanent residence, you have probably thought about who to appoint as your guarantor at least once.
However, when hearing the word “guarantor,” some people may shy away from it. Still, by explaining properly that “there is no legal compulsion and it is only a moral responsibility,” the person asked to do so may find it easier to accept the job.
If you have any questions about your application for permanent residence, please feel free to contact us, even if it is a trivial matter.
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.
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Editor of this article
![Ryota Yanagimoto](https://immigration-lawyer.co.jp/wp-content/themes/wp/assets/images/supervisor1.webp)
- Ryota Yanagimoto
- Administrative Scrivener/Judicial Scrivener
At the age of 24, he passed the national examinations for judicial scrivener, administrative scrivener, and wage service manager at the same time.
While working as a full-time lecturer at a major prep school, he independently opened a legal office related to judicial scriveners and administrative scriveners,
and he has experience as a judicial scrivener and an administrative scrivener for more than 15 years so far.
He has been actively contributing to various industries such as publicly listed companies, real estate companies, financial institutions, elderly care services, and professional organizations by conducting seminars, lectures, and talks.
And now he has a record of over 60 presentations so far.
Furthermore, as the president of a Japanese language school announced by the Ministry of Justice and Acts, and an advisor to a real estate company (capable of handling foreign clients),
he has been involved in various aspects of industries related to foreigners.
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