Jump to content

Permanent residency - the cons


Recommended Posts

I have permanent residance status, have done for a few years now, but I do not pay tax other than what I earn in Japan.

 

I think whether you are permanent residance or not makes no differance, you still have to pay tax on any income earned above the minimum threshold regardless of country of residance and regardless of status, as far as I am aware????

 

If you are earning money between two countries then depending on the countries you may or may not have to pay tax for both of them or you may be able to just pay tax for one, best to check with the embassy or tax office for both countries to be safe!!

 

I would say get a permanent residance status if you plan to live in Japan for a long or permanent time, because it never expires, never needs to be renewed and allows you to own and run your business legally. Plus whether you are out of work or not will not effect your status either. It is the closest you can be to Japanese, without changing your nationality.

 

Also easier to get a pension too, and will certainly give you advantages when looking for work, as you will be favoured over someone with a lower status of visa.

 

I am very glad I have a permanent residance status, especially as I plan to live here indefinately!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah Rob, I guessed that.. I was guessing that she is up for 10 years.

You don't have to wait that long.

I got mine after around 4-5 years.

In MJ's situation, I think you would have no worries..

 

Only thing they could improve with a permo is to get rid of the need to have a re entry visa.. That's just a crock,, when you have a permo..Basically makes it a non permo. (My re-entry will expire in 2 years, when I have to decide to go and re new or to just surrender it)

Link to post
Share on other sites
Originally Posted By: Indo
Yeah Rob, I guessed that.. I was guessing that she is up for 10 years.
You don't have to wait that long.
I got mine after around 4-5 years.
In MJ's situation, I think you would have no worries..

Only thing they could improve with a permo is to get rid of the need to have a re entry visa.. That's just a crock,, when you have a permo..Basically makes it a non permo. (My re-entry will expire in 2 years, when I have to decide to go and re new or to just surrender it)



I am married to Japanese so got my permanent after 5 years, but for most who are not married to native Japanese, it usually takes longer, as much as ten years unless you are lucky! That is the case for some of my friends anyway.
Link to post
Share on other sites
Originally Posted By: scouser
What happens if you don't renew that? You still keep your permanant (but need to get a re-entry when you need it)?


Yes I believe so, as a permanent visa can't expire, only the re-entry. But I think if you leave the country with an expired re-entry, when you come back you will loose your visa status and end up back on a tourist, is what I was told by immigration the last time I asked! So essential to renew it, if it has expired and you wish to leave the country and return.

Best to just renew it just before it expires, much easier and no hassle or worries about forgetting to renew it!
Link to post
Share on other sites

That having to get a re-entry for permenant visa holders really is a pain. Is there any other reason than getting that cash from us?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nope not that I can see, I also wonder why we need to get re-entry permission when we have a permanent visa. I think like you said only reason is they want to get money from us, plus gives them something to do I guess!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I couldnt understand why you need it even with a regular work visa. a visa is a visa, surely.

 

You dont need a reentry permit by the way, at least with a spouse visa you can come and go but you will lose your gaijin card each time. Its cheaper to do that way if you don't mind the hassle or you dont fly regularly. Also, I actually got out of 1 year of city tax by being out of the country on Jan 1 with no gaijin card, so sometimes the idiotic beurocracy can work in you favor.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The basic rule is you have to have been 10 years on a working visa or 5 years on a spouse one. Sometimes if you have made a "special contribution" to Japan you can qualify earlier. I will be 10 years on a working one next year. I didn't change to a spouse visa when I got married.

 

(You need to be on the same type of visa for consecutive years to qualify - If you were nine years on a working one, then married and had 3 years on a spouse visa you would still need to wait until you had 5 years on the spouse visa)

 

As far as I can work out the advantages are those that snowdude cites, plus they will credit you with pension "years" from when you were 20 until you changed to a PR, meaning that you don't actually need to work the min of 25 years to be eligible to receive a gov pension when you retire. I don't think you can get mortgages without PR either. It lets you vote in local elections in some prefectures too.

(Also, if you have kids and ever ended up divorced & in a custody battle permanent residency would help your case. Not something I'm planning on but can't hurt to know!)

 

My info on the tax came from the HSBC offshore banking website. They say that visa holders are only taxed on income earned in Japan or on gifted/inherited property in Japan but that permanent residents are supposed to declare their worldwide income, gifts etc.

If you didn't declare it, there is no law at the mo that the offshore banks have to disclose that info to Japan but there are some laws in the pipeline in Europe so it might only be a matter of time and I wouldn't want to be hit with a huge tax bill just as I'm about to retire. I'm sure someone told me another disadvantage but I can't remember what it was.

 

Indo - does that mean you might be coming back to renew your multiple re-entry? Can you do it on holiday or would you need to come back to live for a while?

Link to post
Share on other sites

"If you were nine years on a working one, then married and had 3 years on a spouse visa you would still need to wait until you had 5 years on the spouse visa"

- typical madness. where is the logic in that?

 

"plus they will credit you with pension "years" from when you were 20 until you changed to a PR, meaning that you don't actually need to work the min of 25 years to be eligible to receive a gov pension when you retire."

- If so, that is massive and I would be stunned if it is true.

 

"Also, if you have kids and ever ended up divorced & in a custody battle permanent residency would help your case."

- I very much doubt that!!! Plenty of info on this on debito.org

Link to post
Share on other sites
Originally Posted By: bobby12

"plus they will credit you with pension "years" from when you were 20 until you changed to a PR, meaning that you don't actually need to work the min of 25 years to be eligible to receive a gov pension when you retire."
- If so, that is massive and I would be stunned if it is true.

I got the info from http://www.generalunion.org/
They don't credit you with money only with years. In order to qualify to receive a pension you have to have been paying into the scheme for a min of 25 years. But if for example you got PR at 35 years old and paid in until you were 45, they would consider you to have worked 25 years (age 20 - 45) and thus you would be eligible to receive a pension at 65, pro-rated based on the actual money you had paid in. If you didn't have permanent residency, in order to be eligible to receive the pension you would have to actually contribute for 25 years.

Originally Posted By: bobby12
"Also, if you have kids and ever ended up divorced & in a custody battle permanent residency would help your case."
- I very much doubt that!!! Plenty of info on this on debito.org

www.crnjapan.com is a much better site for this topic.
Link to post
Share on other sites
Originally Posted By: bobby12
I couldnt understand why you need it even with a regular work visa. a visa is a visa, surely.

You dont need a reentry permit by the way, at least with a spouse visa you can come and go but you will lose your gaijin card each time. Its cheaper to do that way if you don't mind the hassle or you dont fly regularly. Also, I actually got out of 1 year of city tax by being out of the country on Jan 1 with no gaijin card, so sometimes the idiotic beurocracy can work in you favor.



I don't know how that works! Sounds like you would be taking a pretty risky chance with some vigilante customs official not letting you in!
Link to post
Share on other sites
Originally Posted By: me jane

Indo - does that mean you might be coming back to renew your multiple re-entry? Can you do it on holiday or would you need to come back to live for a while?


I will visit within the next few years and I will probably keep renewing my re entry permit.
That way I can swing in, visit my favorite massage therapist, keep my dental options open and and...

If I give the PR up, I can get a JR rail pass! even my wife could as a PR here, but is it worth it giving that up for a train pass??? NFI!
Link to post
Share on other sites

"Sounds like you would be taking a pretty risky chance with some vigilante customs official not letting you in!"

 

- No it is totally legit. The first time it was by mistake (I didnt know reentry permit existed, I thought a visa is a visa) and they explained to me at the airport that anyway with a spouse visa you can just go in and out so long as I reapply for gaijin card each time. I then did that a few times before my company clocked it and made me get reentry permit instead of getting loads of half days off to go immigration.

Link to post
Share on other sites
×
×
  • Create New...