Procedures required for the stay of your family in Japan
You may undertake the procedures to enable your spouse and children to come and stay in Japan with you under the status of eligibility of «Dependents». (This eligibility is not granted to your father, mother, brothers and sisters, to whom only the “Short-Term” status (within three months) is granted.)
However, you are not allowed to bring your family to Japan within six months following the day of your arrival in Japan, as stipulated in the “Rules of JDS Fellows”. Additionally, some universities (e.g. Hititsubashi) enforce stricter rules on bringing in family than those of the JDS. In any event, you must follow all these rules. No exceptions will be made.
In our experience, some families brought into Japan by JDS Fellows were seriously burdened with the language barrier and different living environments. Bringing in your family is your own responsibility. Therefore, you should carefully consider whether or not it could constitute an impediment to your learning, your primary duty.
The procedures to obtain the status of eligibility as «Dependents» are as follows:
(1) Apply for the issuance of Certificate of Scholarship and Financial Statement with JICE (Refer to the “Rules of JDS Fellows”.)
(2) Submit the following documents to each regional Immigration Bureau or branch office for applying for the captioned visa status
1) “Application for Certification of Eligibility” (Application form is available at the immigration bureau)
2) Certificate of the JICE documents listed above (1)
3) Two (2) photos each of your spouse and/or child (4 cm x 3 cm in size, taken within the last six months preceding the day of application)
4) A self-addressed and (postal) stamped (430 yen) return envelope
JDS Handbook –Information for Living in Japan- Year 2006
5) Documents to prove family relationship
6) A copy of your passport
7) Certificate of enrollment issued by your university
8) Other necessary documents
* Additional documents other than the above may be required, depending on the applicant’s nationality. For further details, please enquire directly at any of the Information Centers of the Immigration Bureau listed in the back of this handbook before making an application.
(3) Send the “Certification of Eligibility” that you obtained at the immigration bureau to your spouse in your home country.
(4) Your spouse will subsequently submit the “Certification of Eligibility”, visa application form, and other necessary documents to the Japanese Embassy (or the Consulate-General) in your country for applying for visa issuance. As additional documents other than the above may be required depending on the applicant’s nationality, you should confirm with the embassy beforehand about such documents.
The procedures to obtain the Short-Term visa are as follows:
(1) Your family member submits the following documents to the Japanese Embassy (or the Consulate-General):
1) Application for visa issuance (Application form is available at the immigration bureau)
2) A round-trip air tickets to/from Japan or proof of purchase thereof
3) Passport(s) of your family member(s)
4) Proof of possession of sufficient funds to support their stay in Japan
* As documents effective for this proof vary depending on the applicant’s nationality, you should confirm with the Japanese Embassy in your home country or your local regional immigration bureau beforehand about such documents. If an official proof of income of the person who intends to bring in his/her family is required, you will need to apply for the issuance of Certificate of Scholarship and Financial Statement with JICE (Refer to the “Rules of JDS Fellows”), and to send such certificates thus obtained to your family in your home country.
5) Other necessary documents (which vary depending on your nationality. You should confirm with the Japanese embassy in your country beforehand about such documents.)
(2) In some cases the applicant may have to undergo an interview as the need arises. The visa is provided upon passing the examination including the interview.
Note: - All documents listed above must be issued within the last six months preceding the day of application.
- Documents written in any language other than the Japanese language must be translated into Japanese. Necessary arrangements and costs thereof shall be made and borne of your own account.
- In some instances, the Immigration Bureau or the Japanese embassy may not issue the Certification of Eligibility or the visa. At that time, you should check whether there was any incompleteness of documentation, and re-apply.
If a baby was born to you after reuniting with your spouse in Japan, you need to acquire the resident status eligibility, and to complete the alien registration procedure for the baby. You must complete all such procedures by yourself (Refer to the Information Centers of Immigration Bureau in the back of this handbook.). Otherwise, the Japan-born child is unable to leave Japan.
Furthermore, you must, like yourself, complete alien registration procedures for your family members who stay in Japan for three (3) months or longer (in the status of eligibility as «Dependents» in compliance with the law). You must keep in mind that failure to do so is subject to punishment.
