行政書士法人BEYOND
Riyusho 理由書
“Riyu” means ‘reason’ in Japanese. “Sho” is ‘letter’ or ‘statement’. So “Riyusho” is a letter texplaining why you want to apply, what your situations are, how you deserve to get your application approved.
In Japan, the immigration generally makes its decision for visa / COE (Certificate of Eligibility) applications based on your documents submitted. They don't accept videos or recordings. They don't usually give you a chance for an interview. That means you need to explain your situations only with your documents.
The immigration lists up requirements for each application on its website or if you visit an immigration bureau in person, the officer tells you what the requirements are. However, those requirements are general and minimum ones. It is often difficult for the immigration to understand your situations well only with those documents.
For example, you usually submit your tax documents to prove your financial stability. But since you started working in the middle of the previous year and your income on the tax paper is not so much. You want to explain why your income on the tax paper is low but that your current financial situation is stable enough to bring your family to Japan. Here, you could submit Riyusho.
We have heard that immigration officer reads Riyusho first when they start inspecting a case in order to grab the basic applicant’s situations, if Riyusho is submitted. In fact, we have seen the officer read Riyusho at the counter in front of us when we ask for pre-reviewing the documents before submission.
So, they are likely to get the first impression by “Riyusho.” You know, the first impression is important.
For Permanent Residency application, Riyusho is listed on the immigration website as one of the requirements.
For simple extension or if you are under very solid and strong situation, you might not need to submit Riyusho. But if you want to make your application stronger, Riyusho is the must document you need to submit.
If you are not sure whether or not you should submit Riyusho, or if you don't know what to write, contact us.