Regulation for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act

A foreign national who seeks to apply for the permission set forth in Article 19, paragraph (2) of the Act (hereinafter referred to as "permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted") must appear at a regional immigration services bureau and submit a copy of the written application pursuant to the Appended Form No. 28, a copy of the document clarifying the specific activities pertaining to the application, and a copy of any other reference material.

When filing the application set forth in the preceding paragraph, the foreign national must present the documents listed in the following items. In this case, a person who is unable to present their passport or certificate of status of residence must submit a copy of the document stating the reason therefor:

passport and residence card in the case of a mid- to long-term resident; and

passport or certificate of status of residence in the case of a person other than mid-to long-term residents.

Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), a foreign national is not required to appear at a regional immigration services bureau if the director of the regional immigration services bureau finds the nonappearance reasonable. In this case, a person listed in the following items who has been requested by the foreign national is to submit the written application, etc. provided for in paragraph (1) and carry out the procedures provided for in the preceding paragraph on behalf of the foreign national staying in Japan:

an employee of any of the organizations or associations set forth in the following sub-items (a) through (e) (hereinafter referred to as "receiving organization, etc." in item (iii), and in Article 59-4, paragraph (2), item (i), sub-item (a) and Article 64, paragraph (5), item (iii)) whom the director of the regional immigration services bureau finds appropriate (except for the case set forth in the following item or item (iii)):

an organization which a foreign national manages or seeks to manage;

an organization which employs or seeks to employ foreign nationals;

an organization at which foreign nationals receive or seek to receive training or education;

an organization specified as equivalent to those set forth in sub-items (a) through (d) by the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency through public notice.

a person who is the staff member of the organization of affiliation of specified skilled worker or staff member of the registered support organization and has been considered appropriate by the director of the regional immigration services bureau, if the foreign national prescribed in paragraph (1) is a person residing with the status of residence of "Specified Skilled Worker" intending to conduct the activities listed in item (i) of the right-hand column of "Specified Skilled Worker" in the Appended Table I-2 of the Act;

an employee of an accepting organization etc. or an organization managed by or employing a foreign national supporting the foreign national concerned (including an organization which that foreign national seeks to manage or which seeks to employ the foreign national) whom the director of a regional immigration services bureau finds appropriate, when the foreign national prescribed in paragraph (1) is a person who has the status of residence of "Dependent" to carry out daily activities supported by a foreign national staying in Japan or a person who has the status of residence for "Designated Activities" for which the relevant activities are specially designated;

a staff member of a public interest corporation found appropriate by the director of the regional immigration services bureau

an attorney-at-law or administrative scrivener who has notified the director of the regional immigration services bureau exercising jurisdiction over the area where the bar association or the administrative scrivener's association to which the attorney or the administrative scrivener belongs is located through the association; and

a legal representative of the foreign national.

Permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted is to be given by the issuance of a permit to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted pursuant to the Appended Form No. 29 or by affixing the seal of verification pursuant to the Appended Form No. 29-2 to the passport or certificate of status of residence. In this case, if the permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted is for a mid- to long-term resident, the particulars listed in Article 19-4, paragraph (1), item (vi) of the Act and Article 19-6, paragraph (5), item (i) are to be stated in the residence card and recorded pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (14) of the same Article.

The specific activities for which permission is to be newly granted with conditions imposed pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, paragraph (2) of the Act are to be pursuant to any of the following items:

activities to manage a business involving income or activities for which the foreign national receives a remuneration (excluding entertainment and amusement business provided for in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Businesses (Act No. 122 of 1948), the store-based business specializing in entertainment of a sexual nature provided for in paragraph (6) of that Article, or the business that are conducted in specified entertainment restaurants provided for in paragraph (11) of the same Article, or non-store based business specializing in entertainment of a sexual nature provided for in paragraph (7) of the same Article, the video-based service specializing in entertainment of a sexual nature provided for in paragraph (8) of the same Article, the store-based dating services provided for in paragraph (9) of the same Article or the non-store based dating services provided for in paragraph (10) of the same Article; for those persons residing with the status of residence of "Student", limited to those carried out during the foreign national's enrollment at an educational institution) for less than 28 hours in one week (for a person residing with the status of residence of "Student", less than eight hours a day during the long-term vacation period specified in the school regulations of the educational institution which the foreign national is enrolled in); and

activities listed in the right-hand column of the "Instructor" section, the "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" section and the "Skilled Labor" section of the Appended Table I (2) of the Act for less than 28 hours a week which the person residing with the status of residence of "Instructor", "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" and "Skilled Labor" (limited to a person who has entered into a contract on employment with a local government in Japan or an equivalent entity (hereinafter referred to as "local government, etc.") and in the case of a person residing with the status of residence of "Skilled Labor", limited to those engaged in work requiring the skills pertaining to instruction of sports) (excluding those engaged in activities with the current status of residence, limited to those engaged in work based on a contract on employment with the local government, etc. or those engaged in work based on a contract relating to employment with a local public entity, etc. other than the local government, etc. (limited to those permitted by the local government, etc. which is the other party to a contract pertaining to the status of residence currently held with regard to the content of the contract) and limited to work requiring skills pertaining to instruction of sports in the case of the activities listed in the right-hand column of the "Skilled Labor"section).

beyond what is provided for in the preceding items, the activities individually designated by the director of the regional immigration services bureau by specifying the name, location, business details and other particulars of the public or private organization in Japan where the activities pertaining to the permission to engage inan activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted are to be carried out.

If the permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted has been revoked pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, paragraph (3) of the Act, the person is to be notified to that effect through the written notice of revocation of the permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted pursuant to the Appended Form No. 29-3, and the person is to return the permit to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted in their possession, or the seal of verification of the permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted affixed to the passport or certificate of status of residence is to be deleted. In this case, if the revocation of the permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted is for a mid- to long-term resident, the entry in the residence card pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (4) (including the record pursuant to the provisions of Article 19-6, paragraph (14)) is to be deleted.

If a foreign national who has filed the application set forth in Article 6, paragraph (1) of the Act and for whom decision has been made on the status of residence pursuant to the provisions of Article 9, paragraph (3) of the Act (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (9) and Article 11, paragraph (5) of the Act) and who is listed in the following items is to later file an application for permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted (except when filing an application after a period of stay of three months has been decided), the person is to file the application by submitting a copy of the written application specified in each item, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article.

the person for whom a decision on the status of residence of "Student" has been made:a written application pursuant to the Appended Form No. 29-4.

the person for whom a decision on the status of residence of "Instructor", "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" or "Skilled Labor" (limited to those who have entered into an employment contract with a local government, etc. and have been issued a certificate of eligibility, in the case of a person for whom a decision has been made for the status of residence of "Skilled Labor", limited to those engaged in work requiring the skills pertaining to the instruction of sports):a written application pursuant to the Appended Form No. 29-4-2.

If the director of a regional immigration services bureau who has received the application set forth in the preceding paragraph finds it necessary, the director may request the foreign national to submit materials that may be used as a reference for the application.

The provisions of paragraph (3) of the preceding Article do not apply to the application set forth in paragraph (1).

The specific activities for which permission is to be newly granted with conditions imposed pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, paragraph (2) of the Act for the application set forth in paragraph (1) are to be pursuant to paragraph (5), item (i) of the preceding Article in case the person falls under paragraph (1), item (i), and are to be pursuant to paragraph (5), item (ii) of the same Article in case the person falls under paragraph (1), item (ii).

Remuneration for lectures not conducted on a regular basis, temporary remuneration in daily life, and other remuneration prescribed in Article 19, paragraph (1), item (i) of the Act is to be pursuant to the following items:

rewards, prize money, and other remuneration for the following activities not conducted on a regular basis;

lectures, lessons, discussions, and other similar activities;

advice, appraisal, and other similar activities;

creation of novels, theses, paintings, photographs, programs, and other works;

participation in events, appearance in movies or broadcast, programs, and other similar activities;

rewards and other remunerations for engaging in daily housework of a relative, friend, or acquaintance of the foreign national upon the request of those persons (except for those conducted on a regular basis); and

remunerations for activities to assist education or research carried out by a foreign national who is receiving education at a university or technical college (limited to the fourth year, fifth year and advanced course) (excluding a person who receives exclusively Japanese language education (meaning the Japanese language education prescribed in Article 1 of the Act on the Accreditation, etc. of Japanese Language Educational Institutions to Ensure the Proper and Reliable Provision of Japanese Language Education (Act No. 41 of 2023); the same applies hereinafter)) and is residing with the status of residence of "Student", based on a contract with the university or technical college.

A foreign national who seeks to apply for issuance of the certificate pursuant to the provisions of Article 19-2, paragraph (1) of the Act (hereinafter referred to as "certificate of authorization for employment") must appear at a regional immigration services bureau and submit a copy of written application pursuant to the Appended Form No. 29-5.

When filing the application set forth in the preceding paragraph, the person must present the following documents. In this case, a person who has been issued with a permit to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, paragraph (4) must present that permit to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted:

passport and residence card in the case of a mid- to long-term resident;

special permanent resident certificate in the case of a special permanent resident; and

passport or certificate of status of residence in the case of a person other than mid- to long-term residents or special permanent residents.

The provisions of Article 19, paragraph (3) apply mutatis mutandis to the application set forth in paragraph (1). In this case, the term "paragraph (1)" in paragraph (3) of the same Article is deemed to be replaced with "Article 19-4, paragraph (1)" and the term "preceding paragraph" is deemed to be replaced with "Article 19-4, paragraph (2)." respectively.

The format of the certificate of authorization for employment is to follow that of the Appended Form No. 29-6.

The persons prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order pursuant to the provisions of Article 19-3, item (iv) of the Act are as follows:

a person who has received the decision of the status of residence of "Designated Activities" and whose activities have been specially designated as a staff member of the Japanese office of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association or as a family member thereof who belongs to the same household; and

a person who has received the decision of the status of residence of "Designated Activities" and whose activities have been specially designated as a staff member of the Permanent General Mission of Palestine in Japan or as a family member thereof who belongs to the same household.

a person who has received the decision of the status of residence of "Designated Activities" and whose activities have been specially designated as activities, based on an employment contract with a corporation established in accordance with the laws and regulations of a foreign country or any other foreign organization, of engaging in Japan in work at a business office of the organization located in a foreign country by using information and communications technology, or activities of providing services for a fee or selling, etc. goods, etc. to a person located in a foreign country by using information and communications technology (excluding those that cannot be provided or sold, etc. without entering Japan); and

a person who has received the decision of the status of residence of "Designated Activities" and whose activities have been specially designated as daily activities as a spouse or child supported by a person prescribed in the preceding item.