Visa rule requiring social insurance enrollment repealed

New Immigration guideline would have been problematic for expats.

From April 2010 the Japanese Immigration authorities implemented a new guideline which asks visa renewal applicants to present health insurance cards. Free Choice campaigned to prevent the Immigration Bureau from giving negative marks to those that do not comply. We succeeded!

The proposed Guideline No. 8 would have meant negativity towards the approval of an applications for visa renewal or change of status to those who were enrolled in expatriate health insurance plans or who were uninsured instead of being enrolled in the government's public insurance.

Forcing expatriates who have been living in Japan for any length of time to suddenly join the public health care system would mean that they would have to pay up to 2 - 5 years in back premiums for the National Health Insurance or 2 years of back premiums for Employees Health Insurance. Both employers and employees must equally share in the back premiums. Apparently, the government did not take this into careful consideration when drafting the new immigration guidelines. However, due to considerable opposition from Free Choice, it's supporters, and foreigners suddenly faced with the dilemma, the government finally realized that issuing negative points against foreigners' visa applications because of non-enrollment in government health insurance was a serious mistake.


Visa applicants will still be asked to present their insurance cards, but . . .

While the Immigration Bureau will still ask visa applicants to present their health insurance cards at the application window, the deletion of Guideline No. 8 means that not doing so will incur no adverse marks or actions against an application. The Bureau 'may' encourage enrollment by passing out brochures on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; however, foreigners who do not comply will be subjected to no negativity toward their visas. In fact, the revised guidelines makes it very clear that visa applications are no longer 'linked' to insurance.


Want to know more about this? Click here to see how the guidelines have changed.


 
The following comments were submitted to Free Choice 'prior' to the deletion of Guideline No. 8. It was the voice of foreign residents like these that led to the deletion of the guideline . . .
  • “I don't mind getting my photograph and fingerprints taken upon re-entering Japan, but this is going too far.” -Stefhen Bryan [Hyogo]
  • “The rights, circumstances and needs of the non-Japanese working in Japan should be carefully considered by the Japanese Government before enacting such regulation. Health insurance and visa renewal are separate issues and should be addressed separately and not forced upon expatriates” -E.T.[Tokyo]
  • “I have been well-served by private health insurance in Japan for more than a decade and I would miss out on many useful features of that coverage if I were to be forced into one of the government plans. In fact, I would probably (and regretfully) leave the country if it comes to that.” -J.B. [Hyogo]
  • “Surely it is unethical to force people to contribute a considerable amount of salary to a system designed without them in mind and that drastically reduces the choice of where and how they receive healthcare. This system only benefits those foreign workers who plan to stay in Japan for the rest of their lives, and if so, by all means they should be free to join such a system. For those of us who do not see ourselves staying here for the next 40 years, this guideline is another backwards step in our being accepted in a country where we are perpetually seen as somewhat unwelcome outsiders.” -C.T., Consultant [Tokyo]
  • “This is the worst law ever! Get rid of it! I have two kids and I need health insurance that covers me around the world.” - K.T., Librarian [Tokyo]

    View more of these comments on the visa/insurance issue?