Reasons for Business Manager Visa Application in Japan

December 13, 2019

Question:

In what kind of cases should we apply for a “Business Manager” visa?

Answer:

Foreign nationals apply for the “Business Manager” visa in the following cases:
(1) A foreign national will be establishing a subsidiary or a branch office in Japan and will become a representative or manager of that company/branch
(2) A foreign national is planning on leaving their current Japanese employer and establish their own company
(3) A foreign national residing overseas will establish a Japanese corporation with the support of a Japanese national
(4) A foreign national graduating from a Japanese university will establish their own company

Explanation:

Foreign nationals often apply for the “business manager” visa in the cases below:

Securing an office to become the company’s head office location

In this case, if the applicant has a solid management history in the parent company, then there should be no trouble in obtaining the “business manager” visa. However, depending on the applicant’s position and job description, they may be qualified for a different type of resident status, such as “Intra-company Transferee” or “Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, so it is recommended to be careful when it comes to applying for a certain type visa/resident status.

A foreign national is planning on leaving their current Japanese employer and establish their own company

This is often the reason for a foreign national to apply for the business manager visa resident status. The applicant must prepare documents about their work/employment history, how the money to be used for their investment was saved, and a reasonable business plan for their application.

A foreign national residing overseas will establish a Japanese corporation with the support of a Japanese national

Instances of this case have been increasing recently. Due to the difficulty of having to look for a Japanese national to collaborate with for the business, more foreign nationals in Japan are looking at changing their residency status to the business manager visa instead.

A foreign national graduating from a Japanese university will establish their own company

This is the case where a holder of the “student” visa applies for a “business manager” visa. Since the requirements for the business manager visa does not specify that the applicant must have graduated from tertiary-level education, it is possible for a high-school graduate to be issued a business manager visa. However, since a student is not expected to have the sufficient experience in working in a company, it is difficult to change one’s residence status directly from “student” to “business manager”.

Author

Yuko Mori