Nikkei Visa
 

Anybody know what the requirements are to apply for this visa? Is it extendable? Can one use it as a basis to attain Japanese citizenship?

What I understand thus far is any person who is a direct decendant of a Japanese national can get this visa and residence permit.

Just heard about this and any info would be great.

It's been around for a long while. Japanese-Brazilians have been using it for some time now. To apply, you need the usual: passport, application, photo. I assume you are a Chinese national; you will also need to submit a copy of your Chinese Family Register and a questionaire that you need to pick up at the Japanese consulate.

It would be to your advantage to also obtain a Certificate of Eligibility, which needs to be done inside of Japan (lawyer or relative comes in handy here). For the Japanese ancestry visa, that means someone went to the Immigration Buearu and demonstrated that you are a Japanese descendant. The Immigration Buearu will issue a Certificate of Eligibility saying that they reviewed the evidence and found it satisfactory. With the certificate, your visa application will take a week. Without it, you are looking at months to a year.

Can you use Japanese ancestry as a basis for instant citizenship? In certain special circumstances, yes. Otherwise, you will need to go through the naturalization process. The Immigration Buearu is allowed to waive the residency and age requirement, but that is rare.

Direct Japanese descendants (as in Nikkei) are able to get the visa; sankei or adopted Japanese aren't. The English link at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs covering this visa is here.

Here is the list of required docs for the Certificate of Eligibility (in Japanese).

Technically speaking it falls under the "Long-term Residence" status or if they are the child of a Japanese national "Spouse of Child of a Japanese National" status. Officially speaking there is no "Nikkei Visa".

"Long-term Residence" is not to be confused with Permanent Residency which is another status. Those with a "Long-term residence" status is usually granted for three years, and can be renewed.

A research of the older MOFA website which was much better then the new one they have(the old one is cached via wayback machine) shows the following requirements for "Long-term Resident":

1. A copy of the family registration, the marriage certificate, the birth certificate and other documents certifying the status of the foreign national concerned.
2. Documents certifying that the person concerned can defray all the expenses incurred during the stay in Japan. In cases where the expenses incurred during the stay in Japan is defrayed by another person, documents certifying the income of the person who intends to defray all the expenses.
3. A letter of guarantee by the person living in Japan.

The requirements for "Spouse or Child of a Japanese National":
In cases where the person concerned is a child or an adopted child of Japanese national, the following materials are required.

1. A copy of the family registration of the Japanese national concerned, the birth certificate of the foreign national concerned, and other documents certifying the personal relationship between the parent and the child.
2. Documents certifying the profession and the income of the foreign national concerned or his or her father or mother.
3. A letter of guarantee by the Japanese national concerned or another person living in Japan.

Though from my understanding it's quite hard to get the status (long term resident based on Japanese ancestry). Though any official inquires should of course go through the Japanese Embassy/Consulate you plan on working with.

Thank you all for your responses.

My parents are Japanese (born in Japan) but are naturalized Canadians. I was born in Canada.

My wife is a Japanese National.

I guess I can go at this from two different ways. Through my spouse or through my parents heritage.

I realize Japan does not recognize dual citizenship and since my parents immigrated to Canada and lost their Japanese citizenship. They no longer have their Japanese passports. Does this have any impact on my status? All my extended family are Japanese and all currently live in Japan.

In theory, no. They are still of Japanese blood despite of change in nationality and therefore still allow for the "long-term resident" visa. In practice, it usually does make things a little more complicated, since you have gather some extra documentation that shows the Canadian naturalization and loss of Japanese nationality.

In your case, it would be easier to get the spousal visa. Not because it's easier to get, but you'll have less running around to gather fewer documents to submit for the Certificate of Eligibility and visa.

I have to say that getting a status of "Spouse of a Japanese National" would save yourself a lot of headaches and time in paperwork and processing.

To my knowledge there really is no advantage someone with a "Long-term resident" status has over someone with a "Spouse of a Japanese National" status when it comes to applying for work in Japan (both are nonrestrictive to my knowledge) or pretty much it doesn't really offer any other advantages.

Being married to a Japanese national already puts you on a faster track to Permanent Residency.

This is a very good point. Spouses normally need to only wait 3 years. Everyone else (including long-term resident) need to wait for 5 years.

Of course, this is "normally" and according to the rules; there have been cases when the MoJ waived the residency time rule, but this is rare. YMMV.

Were your parents both naturalized Canadians at the time you were born? If either of them was still a Japanese citizen then, did they report your birth to the embassy?

No they forgot me. Remembered my sister but forgot to when I was born.

That sucks.

As an expatriated child of a Japanese national, you are eligible to apply for naturalization the moment you are back in Japan; there is no minimum residency requirement (see here). If you want to go down this route, you should gather all the documentation you can find which proves your parents' identity (e.g. birth certificate), their citizenship at the time, etc. etc. You can start the process immediately but it will probably take 6 to 12 months and require a lot of documentation. There is an exhaustive story about one Anglo-American's experience with the process here.

But in the meantime, I would second the spouse visa idea. The only real downside is that you might have to answer an exhaustive questionnaire about your marriage for the Japanese authorities. Otherwise it is the next best thing to citizenship -- except that you can't vote, you have to carry an alien registration card with you everywhere and you'll have some annoying little administrative hassles here and there (e.g. buying re-entry permits in order to leave the country).

Finally got all my paperwork together.

Just before I submit the paperwork and get my visa, one question.

After I enter Japan and establish my residency, can I leave again? I will be working in China and commuting back and forth between Canada, China & Japan with other countries thrown into the mix on occasion.

I have been informed that once I am issued a visa, I must activate the visa within 6 months (by entering Japan and registering) but no where does it say I have to STAY in Japan.

Residents can come and go if they have valid documentation, including a re-entry permit. However, I think your tax situation might be unorthodox if you're not spending most of the year in Japan (because you're living and working in China, for example). If I were you, I'd seek professional advice.

Basically, when you land in Japan, you get a "landing permit" sticker in your passport which allows you to stay for a fixed duration, usually one year. The visa then becomes irrelevant. If you leave the country, the landing permit expires, meaning you need a new visa in order to come back -- UNLESS you have gone to the Immigration Bureau and obtained a re-entry permit, a separate sticker which costs a few thousand yen.

I second the idea to get tax advice if you are moving back and forth a lot.

Seek tax guidance in Canada and whereever you choose to reside! Canada has tax treaties with Japan ! If you are registered as resident in Japan you are responsible for paying local/pref./national taxes, also include the national health system. You might have to declare non-residency in Canada (which takes time) and more or less not be able to have bank accounts, credit cards, property, stock/bond, access to health care etc in Canada as you will no longer be resident there. If you decide to stay resident in Canada you will have to be in Canada 181 days of the year and pay taxes etc there. Tres PITA !