Main Reasons for Permanent Residence Application Rejection [Licensed Immigration Specialist]

Statistically, the approval rate for permanent residence applications has hovered around 50%, meaning roughly half of all applicants are rejected. There is always a reason behind a rejection. This article organizes the most common causes of rejection in practice by category and explains what to verify before applying.

Permanent Residence Approval Rates and the Reality of Rejection

According to Immigration Services Agency statistics, the approval rate for permanent residence applications has been running around 50% in recent years. This means that simply gathering the documents listed on the official website and submitting them is not enough to guarantee approval — and reflects the difficulty of the review.

Reason for Rejection ①: Income Falls Below the Threshold

For work visa applicants, it is important that income of at least 3 million yen per year (a practical benchmark for a single person with no dependents) is confirmed for each of the most recent 5 years through municipal tax certificates.

• If income falls significantly below 3 million yen even for just one year within the 5-year period, it tends to become a problem during the review
• For each dependent, approximately 700,000–800,000 yen in additional income is considered necessary (practical benchmark)
• Applying during a period of income instability — such as immediately after a job change or starting a business — should be avoided

Reason for Rejection ②: Late or Missed Tax, Pension, or Health Insurance Payments

The most common cause of rejection in permanent residence reviews is issues with fulfillment of public payment obligations.

The Immigration Services Agency's guidelines explicitly state: "Even if taxes (or premiums) have been paid at the time of application, if they were not paid within the original payment period, this will in principle be evaluated negatively."

The standard approach when there have been late or missed payments is to clear all arrears completely and then accumulate at least 2 years of on-time payment history before reapplying.

Reason for Rejection ③: Issues With Length of Stay or Days Outside Japan

Continuity of Stay Is Interrupted

Under the requirement of "10 or more continuous years of residence," continuity is critical. If you are outside Japan for more than 100 days in any single year, or for more than 3 months on a single trip, the continuity of your stay is at risk of being considered interrupted.

In this case, the count restarts from the date of re-entry. People who travel frequently for work or take extended trips home should review their departure records to confirm that continuity has been maintained.

Insufficient Management of Days Abroad

Continuity of stay is assessed based on "continuous residence" — not the total cumulative years. Multiple shorter trips that add up to more than 100 days per year can also put continuity into question.

Reason for Rejection ④: Traffic Violations and Criminal Penalties

Issues related to the Good Conduct requirement include traffic violations and criminal penalties.

Criminal Penalties (Fines and Imprisonment)

If you have received criminal penalties such as fines or imprisonment, permanent residence becomes very difficult to obtain. It is generally considered necessary to wait at least 5 years after the penalty — and up to around 10 years for serious offenses — before a favorable decision is possible.

Traffic Violations

Traffic violations are treated differently depending on the type of citation:

• Red citation (criminal penalty): equivalent to a fine; highly unfavorable. Waiting approximately 5 years after payment is generally considered necessary
• Blue citation (administrative penalty / traffic fine): not a criminal penalty, but multiple instances accumulate and affect the review
• Practical benchmark: up to 4 violations in the past 5 years, and up to 2 in the most recent 2 years, generally do not cause major problems

Reason for Rejection ⑤: Failure to File Required Notifications

The Immigration Control Act requires work visa holders who change or leave their job to submit a "Notification Concerning Affiliated Organization" within 14 days. A change of address must also be reported to the local municipal office.

Failing to file these notifications constitutes a legal violation and negatively affects the Good Conduct requirement. There are reports that missed notifications have been causing increased problems in reviews since the second half of 2025.

Reason for Rejection ⑥: Period of Stay Is Not at Its Maximum

At the time of applying for permanent residence, your current visa must be at its maximum permitted period of stay (generally 5 years).

Applying while holding only a 1-year or 3-year period of stay — even immediately after a renewal — may result in rejection for failure to meet this requirement. The basic practice is to renew your visa to a 5-year period before applying for permanent residence.

Reason for Rejection ⑦: Mismatch Between Visa Status and Job Duties

For holders of work visas such as Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services, the actual job duties being performed must fall within the permitted scope of the visa status.

If duties after a job change are not consistent with the visa status, this will be evaluated as a compliance issue. If there is any uncertainty, confirming in advance by applying for a Certificate of Authorized Employment is an effective approach.

What to Do After a Rejection

Receiving a rejection notice does not mean you should give up. However, reapplying requires taking the right steps.

1. Confirm the reason for rejection at the immigration office (through an in-person explanation or a formal information disclosure request)
2. Identify the cause of rejection and take corrective action
3. After accumulating evidence of improvement, reapply (depending on the issue, this may take 1 to 5 years)

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary: Key Checklist Before Applying

Before submitting a permanent residence application, we recommend confirming the following:

• Resident tax, pension, and health insurance: Have all payments been made on time throughout the review period?
• Income: Has income been maintained at approximately 3 million yen per year for the most recent 5 years (3 years for spouses, etc.)?
• Length of stay: Has the continuity of "continuous residence" been maintained? (Review departure records)
• Period of stay: Are you currently on a 5-year period of stay?
• Notification obligations: Were notifications properly filed when changing jobs or moving?
• Traffic violations: Are there any red citations or serious violations?
• Visa status and job duties: Do they match?

If you have any concerns on even one of these points, consider revising your application timing or consulting a licensed immigration specialist.

This article is based on the Immigration Services Agency of Japan's "Guidelines on Permanent Residence Permission (revised February 24, 2026)" and practical experience. Review standards vary depending on individual circumstances. Always verify the latest information on the Immigration Services Agency's official website.