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Good write up with plenty of detail, thanks for sharing. The gap between highly skilled professional and regular worker seems to be a huge chasm. You can get P

Good write up with plenty of detail, thanks for sharing. The gap between highly skilled professional and regular worker seems to be a huge chasm. You can get PR in 1 year with enough points but you must wait 10 if you are a regular worker. Also, to apply for PR on a regular work visa you must have a visa length longer than 1 year. This can effectively be used to block PR applications. I know someone who had been in Japan for 15 years who cannot apply for PR because of this rule. As the application is never even allowed to be made, these people do not show up in statistics about successful Vs rejected PR applications either

polm23 6y ago
If they have been in Japan for 15 years, keep getting 1-year visas, and want to stay in Japan long-term, they should speak to a lawyer. There are various criteria that decide how long a visa you get, and while they aren't explicit there are things you can do to make it much more likely you'll get a long visa. At my first job I was a "contract employee", which was a much less stable position than I realized when I signed up, and I couldn't get more than a one-year visa either. Later I changed jobs and became a full employee and got a 5-year visa without issue.