Is “certification reset” a panacea?
In the blog post “Is certification reset a panacea?“, we mentioned that when people who are already residing in Japan apply for permission to change their residence status (hereafter “change”) or apply for permission to renew their period of stay (hereafter “renewal”), their past residence status is strictly examined. However, this is not the case when applying for a Certificate of Eligibility (hereafter “certification”), so the rule is that people whose residence status is not good can leave the country and then apply for “certification”.
Though I mentioned in the article, I have encountered other situations that call into question this rule.
Re-entry(with another status of residence) of technical intern trainees to Japan
In Cases where change of residence status is not approved: Change from technical intern training 2, we introduced the story of a technical intern who, after completing his training, applied to change his residence status to “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, but was not approved.
After that, the person returned to his home country and is currently applying for “certification” again, but the immigration bureau has instructed him to explain about his activities after “returning to his country” in connection with this application.
The purpose of the Technical Intern Training Program is to give back knowledge and experience to one’s home country, so it is understandable that the Immigration Bureau is asking whether one is conducting work activities and job hunting activities in line with that purpose. (Although this purpose will soon be completely abolished in favor of development employment…)
However, as I mentioned at the beginning, I was surprised to learn that at the stage of certification, the situation after one’s “return to one’s home country,” or in other words, their “post-residency situation,” was examined.
Changes in immigration policy?
In addition, the government will tighten immigration inspections and measures against unpaid medical expenses and unpaid insurance premiums for foreigners (Jiji Press, June 6, 2025), which is summarized below.
On the 6th, the government revised its comprehensive response measures at the “Conference of Ministers Concerning the Acceptance and Coexistence of Foreign Talent,” proposing stricter entry and residence screening for unpaid medical and social insurance fees. Specifically, foreign tourists who have not paid medical fees in the past will be denied entry, and even mid- to long-term residents with a history of unpaid fees will be subject to stricter screening of their residence status. In addition, the government plans to not allow foreigners who have defaulted on their social insurance premiums to renew their residence status. The government’s aim with this is to prevent a recurrence of unpaid fees and ensure the proper operation of the system.
It says that “Even for mid- to long-term residents, if there is a history of non-payment, the examination of residence status will be stricter”. Which does it mean from the followings?
- When “change” or “renewal”, the payment status of insurance premiums will be checked
- When “certification”, the payment status of insurance premiums, which is part of the previous residence status, will be checked
#1 has already been implemented for some types of residence status. (For example, “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” checks the payment status of resident tax but not insurance premiums, while “Specified Skilled Worker” checks the payment status of insurance premiums.)
Given the context of the article, the second possibility is more likely, and in this sense, it seems that it is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on a “certification reset.”