Articles:Japan Immigration Topics

[Blog]An online application for a certificate of eligibility was not issued.

2024-10-18

The application for a Certificate of Eligibility that I submitted online the other day was not issued. This is my first experience that an online application was rejected, and I would like to record a number of things I learned as a memorandum.(Click here for the meaning of application for Certificate of Eligibility.)




If the application is successful


If the examination has been completed successfully, an e-mail with the title "[Residency application online system] Notice regarding delivery of residence card, certificate of eligibility, certificate of work eligibility, and permission to engage in activities other than permitted" is sent, so you will see that your certificate will be issued soon.




If the application is NOT successful


By the way, if you applied by paper with the traditional method and it was not issued, an A4 paper called "Notification of Non-Issuance of Certificate of Eligibility" is sent. But I thought, if I applied online, I would receive an email informing me that the application had not been issued, similar to the above.



However, just like the traditional paper application, the "Notification of Non-Issuance of Certificate of Eligibility" was sent by simple registered mail. I was surprised to receive an e-mail notification without any prior notice, and when I checked the application status on the online system, it said "Completed."




To confirm the reason for non-issuance, you will need to visit the immigration office in person, even if you applied online.


Now, it doesn't matter whether the notice of non-delivery is sent by email or post, but there are some things you should keep in mind when taking subsequent actions.
Usually, the notification of non-issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility is simply written as follows. (The following is just an example.)


(Requirements that are not met)
We cannot confirm that the activities related to the application are not false.

(Based facts)
There are doubts about the authenticity of the submitted materials (XXX), and the content of the application cannot be found to be reliable.

Since the true reason cannot be determined from the above content alone, we need to contact the Immigration Bureau and confirm the cause in more detail by preparing additional explanatory materials to re-apply. In this case, the conventional practice of immigration has been to require a face-to-face meeting (not over the phone) to explain the cause.

By the way, the biggest advantage of applying for residence online is that you can apply without having to go directly to any local immigration office.

I'm embarrassed to say that I only realized this after the issue was not successful, but when I contacted the local immigration office where the issue was denied, I was told that they couldn't explain it to me unless we met face-to-face (if you wanted to know the cause, no matter how far away, you need to visit them).





When setting price list as an immigration support service


Online application has the great advantage of increasing efficiency, not only because it is paperless but also because there is no need to go directly to the immigration office. We offer the services at a low price because of this.

However, if the local office of the Immigration Agency in charge of the applicant is in Hokkaido and the application is denied, I need to go to Hokkaido to know the detail reasons even though the application made via online (from my office, Tokyo).

Our office sets a flat fee for each procedure. (Unless there are serious circumstances)
I was wondering if there is a concept that estimates should be made on an individual basis, taking into consideration the risks if the application is not approved (particularly the transportation costs, which are proportional to the distance to the local government office).
For the time being, we will not change our policy and will continue to work hard every day to avoid non-issuance or denials.