Visa： a document issued by a Japanese embassy or consulate that allows you to enter Japan.
Status of residence(Zairyu-Shikaku)： the legal permission that allows you to live and work in Japan after you arrive.
Even if you have a visa, you cannot work in Japan without the correct status of residence.

For a more detailed explanation, please see our full guide: “The Difference Between Visa and Status of Residence.”

A COE is an official document issued by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan for people who wish to enter Japan for mid- to long-term stays. If you have the COE, you can smoothly apply for your visa to enter Japan.
After the COE is issued, you apply for a visa at a Japanese embassy/consulate, then enter Japan and receive your residence card.

Processing time varies depending on the application type and status of residence, but standard cases usually take 1–3 months.
Complex cases may take longer.
We will advise you of the expected timeline based on your situation.

A Gyoseishoshi is a nationally licensed legal professional in Japan who prepares and submits documents to government agencies.
Those with “Certified Application Agent” status are authorized to submit immigration applications on behalf of clients.

Our office is staffed by Certified Application Agents (“申請取次行政書士”), who are authorized to submit applications to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan on your behalf.
We will:

• Identify the appropriate status of residence and application type
• Review your eligibility
• Prepare all required documents
• Submit the application
• Communicate with immigration authorities on your behalf

This helps reduce your preparation time, minimize the risk of refusal, and eliminate the burden of handling Japanese-language procedures.

Your first consultation is free of charge. Feel free to ask us anything.
From the second consultation onward, a fee of 5,500 yen per hour applies.
(However, if you formally hire us during your second consultation, that consultation fee will be included in the service fee.)

Consultations are available at our office meeting room or at your company’s office.
Online meetings are also available.
Since we may be out of the office due to appointments or fieldwork, please contact us in advance by phone (+81-90-3839-0390) or via the inquiry form.

Because we handle online applications, we can assist clients anywhere in Japan or around the world.
Document preparation is primarily conducted through data exchange, and meetings can be held online.
If you prefer an in-person meeting, we can arrange it—please contact us to discuss details.
(Please check this page regarding travel fees.)
Note: Some procedures cannot be submitted online.

Yes.
We support consultations in Japanese, English, and Filipino (Tagalog / Bisaya).
Our representative has overseas study and corporate management experience and can communicate in business-level English.
We also have Filipino staff who are native English and Filipino speakers, so you can communicate in whichever language is most comfortable.

Yes. We support all categories of status of residence for the following procedures:

• Certificate of Eligibility (COE) applications
• Change of Status applications
• Extension of Period of Stay applications

We also provide support for naturalization applications.

We respond within two hours to messages received between 8:00 and 20:00 Japan time.
After you confirm the application plan and estimate and sign the agreement, we aim to complete the application within one month.
For urgent cases, we offer an express service that can complete the application in as fast as one week (additional fee applies).

(Response time may vary depending on appointments or business trips.
The preparation period depends on your case details and how quickly required documents can be provided.)

Yes.
For previously denied (or non-issued) applications, we review your situation and past documents. When possible, we accompany you to immigration to confirm the reason for refusal.
After identifying the cause, we prepare a new plan and schedule designed to obtain approval. You may proceed once you are satisfied with the plan.

If an application we supported is denied, we will confirm the reason with immigration and determine whether resubmission is possible.
With your consent, we will reapply free of charge.
We will accompany you to confirm the refusal reason and maximize the chances of approval in the reapplication.
(Stamp fees and transportation costs are charged separately.
If your circumstances clearly indicate an extremely high chance of refusal, this guarantee may not apply.)

Fees vary depending on the application type, the category of status of residence, and your individual circumstances.
Please refer to our standard fee list on this page.

After signing the service agreement, 50% of the fee is charged when we begin preparing the documents, and the remaining 50% is charged upon application submission.
No additional fees will be charged after the application is submitted.

Yes.
You can pay by bank transfer or by credit card (VISA, Master, JCB, AMEX, DINERS).

Please tell us the job duties you expect the foreign employee to perform and their planned start date.
We will work with you to determine the appropriate status of residence and prepare a hiring (or overseas recruitment) schedule.
If needed, we can coordinate with overseas sending organizations or registered support organizations.
We will propose a schedule and action plan to ensure your HR plan stays on track.

Not necessarily.
If you are bringing a foreign employee from overseas (i.e., applying for a Certificate of Eligibility), a staff member of the hiring company or organization can act as the applicant’s proxy. For applications to change or extend a status of residence, the foreign national may submit the application by themselves.

If the staff member of a company employing a foreign national is registered with the Regional Immigration Services Bureau as an “Application Agent (申請取次者),” they may also submit applications on behalf of the applicant.

In other words, you are not required to hire an administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) or other professional to submit immigration applications.

However, immigration procedures can be time-consuming and unfamiliar. If you wish to reduce the risk of delays or denial due to missing documents or misunderstandings, consulting a professional can make the process smoother.
We also offer document review and advisory-only services, so please feel free to consult us even if you prefer to prepare the forms yourself.

Yes, we can.

We will confirm the current status of residence of your foreign employees and notify your staff when the renewal period approaches. We will also handle the renewal procedures on your behalf.

Our representative has experience managing a team of approximately 100 foreign staff overseas, so we can also provide advice on HR planning to help your foreign employees succeed in your organization.
You can think of this as outsourcing only the “foreign employee/immigration-related” portion of your HR and compliance tasks.

Please tell us the expected hiring (graduation) date, the job duties you plan to assign, and the student’s academic background.

We will check whether the planned job duties match a status of residence that can be granted, and whether the application schedule will be feasible.

Applications for graduates often coincide with Immigration’s busy season, which can delay processing. To avoid setbacks in your HR schedule, we will help you submit the application as early as possible.

A foreign spouse of a Japanese national can apply for the status of residence “Spouse or Child of Japanese National.”

To live together in Japan, the process generally requires the following steps:

1. Complete the marriage procedures in the foreign spouse’s home country or region.
2. Complete the marriage registration in Japan.
   (The order of Steps 1 and 2 does not matter. Many Japanese embassies/consulates overseas can also process marriage registration.)
3. Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for the “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” status.
4. After the COE is issued, apply for a visa at the Japanese embassy/consulate abroad.
5. The foreign spouse enters Japan and receives the status of residence “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” at the airport, then begins life in Japan.

While marriage registration will be approved as long as the documents are correct and legal requirements are met, obtaining the status of residence requires a separate screening process.
In addition, marriage procedures for international couples are more complex than for two Japanese nationals and cannot be completed simply by submitting a marriage notification to the ward/city office.

Completing all steps often takes six months to a year.
To avoid the situation of being married but unable to live together for a long time, we recommend preparing as early as possible.

In most cases, yes.

Although the COE application is, in principle, submitted by the applicant, the COE itself is required before the foreign spouse comes to Japan. Therefore, submission by a proxy in Japan is allowed.

For “Spouse or Child of Japanese National,” a close relative living in Japan (such as a parent or sibling of either spouse) can usually act as the applicant’s proxy.
In many of our cases, the Japanese spouse’s parents or siblings cooperate as the proxy.

The proxy must collect and prepare required documents on behalf of the applicant. However, if you request our services, we will prepare and obtain necessary documents, and the proxy only needs to provide signatures on certain forms.
If additional documents or communication with Immigration are required, we handle all of it, so your family members will not be burdened.

If you feel uncomfortable asking your parents or siblings for assistance, please feel free to consult us—we can support you to make the process smooth.

If you are already living in Japan and want to bring your spouse or children, you would generally apply for the “Dependent (家族滞在)” status of residence.

First, we will check whether your own current status of residence allows you to sponsor Dependents.
Next, we will review whether your household has sufficient stability—such as employment, income, and savings—to support family members in Japan. Based on this, we will assess whether an application is feasible and whether approval is likely.

If the Dependent status is difficult to obtain, we will explore alternatives, such as whether your spouse may qualify for a work-related status of residence and what requirements would need to be met.