Working Guide for Dependent Visas | Explaining Checkpoints When Hiring

Updated: July 2025, 9

When considering hiring talented foreign personnel with a family visa, you may be confused by the unique rules that differ from those for other residence statuses.

In this article, we will explain the basics of family visas and important points to note about permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence ...
It also compiles legal knowledge that hiring managers should know, including how the 28-hour week rule applies and the specific steps for promoting someone to a full-time position.

If you are a hiring manager who would like to review the basics of family visas, please use this as a reference.

What is a family stay visa?

First, we will explain the basic information about family visas in the following three sections.

This status of residence has a completely different purpose from a general work visa.

When considering hiring, employers should be sure to understand the characteristics and legal restrictions of family visas.

Family visa overview

A family visa is a status of residence that can be obtained by the family of a foreign national (dependent) residing legally in Japan in order to live together.

The fundamental purpose of this visa is to live with family members, not to work in Japan.
Therefore, when checking this status on a candidate's residence card, you must first understand that the stay is not primarily for the purpose of employment.

In order for those with a dependent visa to engage in income-generating activities, they must receive a special permit from the Immigration Bureau called "Permission to Engage in Activities Other Than Those Permitted Under the Status of Residence Previously Granted," which will be explained later.
Companies are also legally obligated to check whether this permission exists.

Eligible for family visa

Dependent visas are only available to spouses or children who are financially supported by foreign nationals residing in Japan under specific residence status.

In principle, adopted children and common-law spouses are not eligible for a family visa.
When applying for this visa, the following two points are the main items of review:

Proof of financial ability to support a stable life

The condition is that the supporter must have the financial base to support everyone, including the family member they bring over.
There is no clear standard, such as an annual income of XX yen or more, but factors such as the dependent's income situation, the stability of the employer, and the cost of living and rent in the area of ​​residence are taken into consideration comprehensively.

Proof of family relationship through official documents

It is also essential to legally prove your relationship to the family you wish to bring with you as your dependents.
If you are a spouse, you will need a marriage certificate issued by your home country's government, and if you are a child, you will need a birth certificate.

You cannot work full-time on a family visa

It is not legally possible to employ foreigners on a family visa as full-time employees or contract employees (e.g., 40 hours per week).
Even if you are employed for a short period of time as a part-timer or casual worker, the individual must apply in advance to the Regional Immigration Bureau and obtain permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence ...

Detailed employment conditions for dependent visas will be discussed later.

Types of permits required for employment on a family visa

There are two main types of permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence permitted by the status of residence currently held, which are required to employ someone with a dependent visa. The working conditions and work content differ for each type.

Recruiters need to understand the difference and make appropriate checks.

Comprehensive permit

A blanket permit is the most common type of permit required for those with a family visa to work part-time or as a temporary worker.

This applies to residence cards that have a stamp on the back that reads "Permission: In principle, up to 28 hours per week, excluding work in the entertainment industry, etc."

The summary of the general permit is as follows:

The key point of this permit is that working hours are limited to 28 hours per week. Within this limit, you are allowed to work in a wide range of occupations, excluding those related to the adult entertainment industry.

Individual permission

Individual permission is a special permission to engage in activities outside the scope of the status of residence permitted under the blanket permission, which is granted after an individual application and examination when engaging in activities that go beyond the scope of a general part-time job.

For example, this would apply if a company enters into a contract with someone on a family visa to work as a freelance interpreter or designer.

The outline of individual permits is as follows:

Specialized work such as the specific examples given above is considered to have a high commercial potential, and therefore requires individual permission.

The system works by requiring applicants to specifically state which company they will be working for and what type of work they will be doing, and permission is granted after individual review of each activity.

When hiring, you will need to have the individual presented with not only the permission stamp on the back of their residence card, but also the individually issued permission to engage in activities outside of their status of residence, and confirm the contents of that individual permission.

Points to note when hiring someone on a family visa

In order to protect your company's reputation and management, we will explain the specific rules that you should be aware of when hiring and the serious risks that arise if you violate them.

There are three main points to keep in mind:

The rules for permission to engage in activities outside of the scope of status of residence permitted are strict, so it is important that recruiters understand the rules thoroughly.

Work hours must be limited to 28 hours per week.

When employing people who have obtained permission to engage in activities outside of those permitted under the status of residence ...

The key points of this rule are as follows:

For example, if someone works 20 hours a week at another company, you can only employ them for up to 8 hours a week at your company.
If you neglect to check this, you may unintentionally become involved in illegal employment, so you need to be careful.

must not engage in prohibited activities

Permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence ...
In particular, working in establishments related to the adult entertainment industry is completely prohibited.

Specific examples of prohibited activities are as follows:

The important thing to note here is that this restriction applies regardless of job type.

For example, even if you are doing cleaning work in a pachinko parlor that does not directly involve serving customers, or washing dishes at a snack bar, working in a facility that is licensed for adult entertainment is a violation of the law.
Restaurant and service industry managers are urged to double-check whether their businesses are subject to licensing or notification for adult entertainment businesses.

If you are unsure about what to do, it is recommended that you do not proceed with the employment on your own, but rather consult with the local police station or a certified public scrivener, who is a legal expert.

Companies will also be penalized for illegal employment

If a person on a dependent visa is forced to work in violation of the conditions of their permit, the responsibility will extend not only to that person but also to the company that employed them.
This constitutes a crime known as aiding and abetting illegal employment, and can result in severe penalties.

The main cases in which the crime of encouraging illegal employment is established are as follows:

The penalties are very severe, including imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 3 million yen, and could have a serious impact on a company's reputation and subsequent recruitment activities.
Excuses such as "the person said it was okay" will generally not be accepted, so companies are required to take measures.

Procedures for promoting staff on family visas to full-time employees

There may be cases where you wish to promote a part-time or casual staff member on a family visa to a full-time position based on their abilities and personality.

We will explain the steps to achieve this and the role of companies.

Let's take a closer look at each one.

Apply for a "change of residence status" to a work visa

In order to hire a staff member on a family visa as a full-time employee, it is absolutely necessary for the individual to apply for permission to change their residence status and obtain the appropriate work visa.
The visa you choose to change to is an important factor that will affect your application preparation and requirements.

There are the following types of work visas:

For companies, the first step towards a smooth visa change is to determine whether they can meet the requirement of matching the job and background.

As a receiving company, we will provide the necessary cooperation for the application.

The application for change of residence status must be made by the individual, but the procedure cannot proceed without the cooperation of the accepting company in submitting the necessary documents.
This is because the screening process evaluates not only the individual's abilities, but also the business stability and continuity of the employing company.
Companies are required to submit objective documents that prove their business operations and financial status.

The next chapter will explain the documents that companies should prepare and the points to note when doing so.

What companies do when changing from a family visa to a work visa
[Required documents and points]

We will explain what the accepting company must do specifically when applying for a change of residence status, focusing on three key documents.

Let's take a closer look at each one.

Creating an employment contract

When applying to change to a work visa, the first thing a company should prepare is an "employment contract" or "notice of working conditions" to be signed with the employee.
The examiner will use this document to verify the expertise of the job and the appropriateness of the compensation.
The following are some points to check when drafting an employment contract:

When creating your document, please make sure that all of these points are covered and that there are no ambiguous expressions.

Prepare documents to prove the company's financial stability

Next, you need to provide objective evidence that the company has the financial base to continue to employ the foreign national on a stable basis.
This is an evaluation item to prevent situations where hired personnel quickly lose their jobs and end up in financial difficulty.

The documents you are required to submit will vary depending on the size of your business, but generally include the following:

If a company has just been established or is currently in the red, it may be necessary to prepare a business plan or a plan to improve income and expenditures for the future.
In addition, submitting a tax payment certificate showing that the company has no outstanding taxes can also be a useful document to demonstrate the reliability of the company.

Document the need for hiring

Although it is not mandatory to submit a letter of reasons for employment, it can affect the approval rate of your application.
This document is intended to explain to the examiner, in the company's own words, why it is necessary to hire this foreigner instead of a Japanese person.

Here are some tips to make your letter of reasons for employment more persuasive:

A convincing statement of reasons can serve as a document that reinforces the validity of your employment, something that cannot be conveyed by other documents alone.

Checklist to prevent legal violations regarding family visas

Based on what we have explained so far, we will propose a practical checklist to prevent violations of laws and regulations regarding family visas in your daily work.

By focusing on key points during and after hiring and formulating procedures, you can significantly reduce risks.

Check the original residence card

When hiring someone with a family visa, be sure to ask them to present an original residence card.
It is important to have the original, as checking only a copy may miss the risk of counterfeiting or expiration.

The checkpoints for your residence card are as follows:

This check should be made a mandatory part of your hiring process, and it is your company's legal obligation to check these things, so be sure to do so.

The system will manage work hours to ensure they do not exceed 28 hours per week.

The work limit of 28 hours per week for permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence permitted under the visa is a strict rule that is violated if exceeded even by one minute.
It is difficult to manage this time based on personal memory and intuition, so it is essential to introduce an objective system.

The following measures can be taken to manage working hours:

Management becomes particularly complicated when an individual works in multiple locations.
It is essential for companies to actively check on employees' employment status, such as by requiring them to regularly report their employment status at other companies.

Check the status of renewal of your residence status once a year

We recommend that you interview the dependent once a year about the status of renewal of their residence status.

Because a dependent visa is dependent on the primary supporter's work visa, if the supporter fails to renew their visa or loses their job, their residence status will also become invalid.
This is a risk that can occur even if the person's residence card is still some time away from expiring.

Manage the visa expiration dates of your foreign employees in a list and establish a system to check their intentions and status for renewal several months before the expiration date.
By checking early, you can prevent situations such as sudden expiration of qualifications and also help retain employees.

Summary

In this article, we have explained the basic rules, necessary permits, and specific points to note when hiring personnel with a family visa.

This status of residence differs significantly from other work visas due to its origins, and a correct understanding of the permission to engage in activities outside of those permitted under the status of residence ...

By preparing to accept these people, companies can protect themselves from the risk of unintentional violations of laws and regulations and make it easier to welcome talent from diverse backgrounds.

Armed with solid knowledge, you can proceed with your recruitment activities for foreign talent with confidence.

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