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Statement of Reason to be submitted when applying for a visa
In this article, I would like to explain the “Statement of Reason” that is submitted with the application documents when applying for a Japanese residence status (visa).
Generally speaking, a “Statement of Reason” (Riyusho, in Japanese) is, for example, a letter explaining why the company employing the foreigner; or a “Statement of Reasons” explaining why the foreigner wishes to reside in Japan permanently, which is submitted when applying for permanent residence, are common patterns.
When are you need a Statement of reasons?
On the other hand, there may be people who have never submitted a “statement of reasons” when applying for a visa.
The Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice’s page on the list of application documents shows that a “statement of reasons” is only listed as a required document when a foreigner with a work visa applies for permanent residence, and is not listed as a required document when applying for other work visas.
Then, you might think that you don’t have to write a Statement of Reasons. Certainly, there are some situations where you do not need to submit a statement of reasons.
For example, in renewal applications where no circumstances have changed since the previous application, a letter of reasons is not nessesary to obtain a permit.
So in what circumstances should you write a statement of reasons?
If you have changed in any way since your last application and this is a critical review point for your visa, you will need to explain this.
As well as a statement of reasons, you may also need to attach documents that explain them objectively.
People on marriage visas may have divorced and remarried someone else, people on work visas may have changed jobs, etc. Major changes in circumstances are easy for everyone to notice, but be wary of cases where this is not the case.
A common example would be a student who has not changed schools but whose attendance has dropped.
Should I ask a Gyoseishoshi lawyer for writing a statement of reasons?
As I am a Gyoseishoshi lawyer, I am often asked by foreigners, “Could you make a statement of reasons only?”
The statement of reasons does not have a specific format, so many foreigners may not know what or how to write it. And if you are writing in your own language, but in unfamiliar Japanese, it can be a very difficult task.
In such cases, it can be very beneficial to ask a professional Gyoseishoshi lawyer to prepare the documents.
An application handling Gyoseishoshi lawyer who is familiar with immigration law will be able to complete a statement of reasons in accordance with each type of visa, explaining precisely how it meets the conditions of the visa. I also put the most effort and serious thought into the preparation of the statement of reasons and other explanations in their visa application work. You will all have a smoother application if you ask more and more Gyoseishoshi lawyer to prepare your statement of reasons.
Of course, you can also write the statement of reasons yourself. In this case, it may convey more enthusiasm than a Gyoseishoshi lawyer letter would.
Why do you want to study at this school? Why do you want to work for this company? Why do you want to live permanently in Japan?
If you want to convey such personal thoughts and feelings, only you can write them. Even if your Japanese is a little less than perfect, you will be able to convey your passionate thoughts in a sentence.
However, if the foreigner himself/herself writes the letter of reasons, enthusiasm can be understood, but enthusiasm alone is not enough to be granted a visa. In order for the visa application to be approved, it is necessary to convince the applicant that he/she meets each and every condition or, if there are conditions that are not met, that there are special circumstances, while applying the legal requirements. In this sense, a statement of reasons should be requested from a Gyoseishoshi lawyer.
Difficulties in writing a statement of reasons.
Thus, the statement of reasons is a summary statement, persuasively explaining why you should be granted a visa.
For this reason, if you ask: “Could you please make me a statement of reasons only?” it is not as easy as if you were asked to do the whole thing, because the workload is only a few pages of a statement of reasons.
We carefully listen to the person’s circumstances, carefully examine the other submitted documents and, in some cases, conduct on-site investigations, before finally compiling them into a statement of reasons.
If there are inconsistencies between the content of the statement of reasons and the other documents, the statement of reasons itself loses credibility, so it is very important to check the whole process.
As everyone’s case is different, it is not always easy to prepare a statement of reasons. In such cases, please contact a visa specialist.
Other Question?
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