Why Work Visa Assessment Times Vary

You check to see if you’ve received any messages about the status of your Certificate of Eligibility from your employer, but still nothing. You need this certificate to work in Japan, but it’s been a few days since you heard anything back from your new employer. Meanwhile, your departure date to Japan approaches, and you’re starting to get more worried.

Situations like these can be stressful for anyone, so let us clear the air and share with you what this process should actually look like! 

The screening period for acquiring a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which is a crucial part of the process of obtaining a work visa, varies from two weeks to three months or more. Why are the screening periods not consistent?

The first reason why the COE screening period is not constant is that the screening time varies depending on the type of application.

The screening period differs depending on whether the person seeking a work visa lives in a foreign country or is already living and working in Japan.

There are three types of COE applications: " accreditation," "change", and "renewal".
The screening period goes in order from shortest to longest in the order of renewal, change, and accreditation. 

Foreigners who are currently residing in Japan need to have the screening result before their visa expires. So in this case, "change" and "renewal" are prioritized over "accreditation".

In order to permit a foreigner to live and work in Japan, it is important to confirm that the person can safely work and live in Japan.

Therefore, the Immigration Bureau will not only screen the foreigner's own visa requirements, but also those of the receiving organization, such as the employer company. If the employer company is not stable in size or management, additional clarifications may be requested.

In some cases, the screening process for the foreigner may also take longer than usual. For example, if the applicant has had problems in Japan in the past, or if additional documents are required, the screening period will inevitably be longer.

The Immigration Bureau is particularly busy from February to May every year. During this period, the number of cases handled by each immigration inspector is larger than during other periods of the year, so it takes longer for the inspections to be completed.

The Immigration Bureau considers a wide variety of information from various angles and determines the results of the screening process. For this reason, the screening period and results must be specific and individualized.

"Has my COE been approved?"
It is natural to be nervous and to want to inquire with your employer. However, even if the company inquires at the Immigration Bureau, they will not disclose any information about the progress of the examination.

You may want to refer to the "Residence Examination Processing Period (Days)" published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice to see the average number of days it took to process the actual status of residence.
Reference: Immigration and Residency Management Agency "Residency Examination Processing Period"
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/materials/nyuukokukanri07_00140.html?hl=en