Japan Dependant Visa
The family status for spouses and children of work visa, Highly Skilled Professional and some student visa holders. Twenty-eight hours of work a week with permission, and a permanent residence clock that mostly does not count.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Spouses and children of work visa, HSP and some student visa holders |
| Route family | family |
| Validity | Tied to the principal’s stay, up to 5 years |
| Stay per entry | Matches the principal’s period |
| Threshold | None for the dependant, but the principal must support the household. No published income figure |
| Renewal | While the principal’s status continues |
| Settlement | Switch required. Dependants must change to a work status to build their own PR clock |
| PR clock | Time counts toward 10 years of residence, but this is not a work status, so the 5 year work element is not met |
| Citizenship clock | 5 years, with the 10 year screening standard |
| Family | Yes, this is the family status |
| Local employment | Partial. Up to 28 hours a week with permission, and not in prohibited sectors |
| Tax headline | Income taxed separately and excluded from the PR household income test, which is the trap |
| Processing | 2 to 4 weeks for a change of status, 1 to 3 months for a Certificate of Eligibility |
Why it exists
It keeps families together without granting the dependant an independent economic status. The principal sponsors the household, and the dependant may work part time.
That design is fine for a spouse running a household or studying. It is a dead end for a spouse with a career, and the rules make that explicit.
The 28 hour rule
Twenty-eight hours a week is a hard cap. Permission must be obtained before starting work, not after. Exceeding the cap is unauthorised activity, which can cause refusal at renewal and a bar on permanent residence.
Work in the sex industry and some entertainment sectors is prohibited even inside the 28 hours.
The permanent residence trap
Time on a dependant status counts toward the ten years of residence. It does not count toward the five years that must be on a work or residence status, because a dependant status is not a work status.
Worse, the dependant’s income is excluded from the household income test for permanent residence. A family that meets the benchmark only because the dependant works part time fails, even though the money is real and taxed.
A dependant who wants permanence has to switch to a work status, which needs a degree or ten years of experience and an employer sponsor. Time on the dependant status does not count as experience.
Application flow
- The principal’s status must be valid and long enough to cover the dependant.
- Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility with the marriage or birth certificate and the principal’s residence and tax records.
- Enter on the dependant status and register the address.
- Apply for permission to engage in activity other than that permitted, before taking any work.
- Renew alongside the principal.
- If a career is the plan, find a sponsor and change status early, because the dependant years do not build the work record.
Good fit
A spouse who wants to run a household, study, or work part time while the principal holds the main status.
Poor fit
A spouse with a career, or a family counting on the dependant’s income to reach the permanent residence benchmark.
Watchpoints
- 28 hours a week is a cap, not a target. Exceeding it risks the status.
- Permission comes before the work, not after.
- Dependant income does not count toward the PR household test.
- The status falls with the principal. Job loss or divorce removes the basis.
- Switching to work needs a degree or ten years of experience. Dependant years are not experience.
- Prohibited sectors apply even within 28 hours.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, Dependant status page, checked 2026-10-23
- Immigration Services Agency, permission to engage in other activities, checked 2026-10-23
- Immigration Services Agency, PR guideline revised 1 October 2026, checked 2026-10-23