Permission to engage in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted

Permission to engage in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted is a permission needed to perform paid activities or activities to operate a business that generates income not currently included in a foreign national's status of residence.
Those with a status of residence (students and people with permission to work) in Appendix 1 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (hereinafter "Immigration Control Act") are eligible.
Those with a status of residence ("Permanent Resident" and "Long-Term Resident") in Appendix 2 of the Immigration Control Act are not eligible for permission to engage in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted because they do not have restrictions on their work activities.
The requirements for permission to engage in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted are as follows.

(Procedural basis: Immigration Control Act, Article 19, Paragraph 2)

If all of the following requirements are met, permission to engage in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted will be granted.
(1) Engaging in the activity of the application will not interfere with the activity pertaining to the status of residence that the applicant currently holds.
(2) The applicant must be engaged in activities related to their current status of residence.
(3) Activities related to the application must fall within the activities in the status of residence text of Table 1 or 2 of Appendix 1 of the Immigration Control Act.
(Note) This requirement is not required for the unspecified permission described in section 2 (1) below.
(4) The activity for which the application is made does not fall into any of the following categories:

1. Activities found to be in violation of laws and/or regulations (whether criminal or civil)
2. Activities carried out in a place of business where an adult industry business or a storefront adult industry business is operated, or activities carried out by engaging in a non-storefront adult industry business, a video-based adult industry business, a storefront or non-storefront telephone escort agency business

(5) The foreign national has not received or been notified of the issuance of a detention order or opinion hearing notification
(6) The foreign national does not exhibit bad behavior
(7) For those performing activities on a status of residence based on a contract with a public or private Japanese organization, this organization agrees to the foreign national engaging in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted

The permission to engage in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted is split into two types.
It is possible to receive both types of permission. However, if someone who possesses one permission attempts to newly acquire another permission, they will only be granted this permission if it is determined that it would not hinder the activities related to their current status of residence based on the current permission they have received.

(1) Unspecified permission

If applying to perform activities to operate a business that receives income or paid activities for up to 28 hours a week, the foreign national will receive unspecified permission if they fulfill all the conditions, excluding (3) in 1 above. It is expected they will work as a temporary part-time worker.
Examples of people who are eligible for permission:

• Those with a "Student" status of residence
• Those with a "Dependent" status of residence
• Those with a "Designated Activities" status of residence whose daily activities are dependent on the activities of a foreign national, such as a spouse, child, or equivalent person
• Those with the "Designated Activities" status of residence for the purpose of continuing their search for a job or residing in Japan until formally entering a company after receiving a job offer
• For those with an "Instructor," "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services," or "Skilled Labor" (limited to sport instructors) status of residence, those who perform activities through an employment contract with a local government

(2) Permission to engage in a specified activity

In principle, the requirements in 1 above (general principles) must be met.
When those who apply for permission outside of the scope of (1) above, or who possess permission to work, perform activities fitting other work permission, they are permitted to perform these activities on an individual basis once the name, business, and other required aspects are determined.
Examples of people who are eligible for permission:

• Student engages in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted that exceed 28 hours a week as an internship with the objective of acquiring work experience
• Someone with the "Professor" status of residence working at a university works as a language instructor at a private company (performing activities equivalent to "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" status of residence)
• Someone performs activities as a one-person business owner or other activities for which it is objectively difficult to confirm the working hours

Submit the application and required documents to the Regional Immigration Services Bureau with jurisdiction over the applicant's place of residence

* For info about the application form, see here - PDF Excel

* Required documents vary depending on the applicant's status of residence and the type of permission. Please also refer to the links below for each status of residence.

Status of residence

• Those with a "Student" status of residence
• Those with a "Dependent" status of residence
• Those with a "Designated Activities" status of residence who perform daily activities as dependents, such as a spouse, child, or equivalent person
• Those with the "Designated Activities" status of residence for the purpose of continued job search or residence in Japan until formally entering a company after receiving a job offer

* Click here to find out about the Regional Immigration Services Bureau that has jurisdiction over your place of residence