Shadowing Practice: How did you get permanent residency in Japan? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

330 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Could you explain the process of getting a PR visa?

How difficult was it and how did you do it?

Right, so in Japan-- I don't need to go to the immigration anymore.

Now I need to go there in five years, like, to renew the residence card.

But like, it's not every year anymore.

Once we knew that we could get permanent residency, or at least thought we could, it meant a sense of security, and being able to be here on our own.

Like right now, nobody can stop us.

I actually like living here, so I think I'll probably be here long term as well.

If you have PR, it's a lot easier to get a house loan and stuff like that.

I initially thought there's only two ways to get it.

You know, you marry someone who's Japanese or you live here for 10 years. But...

Hey guys, how are you?

I'm Takashi.

So today I'm going to interview people who have permanent residency visa in Japan.

How did you get it?

Okay, let's get started.

Please introduce yourself.

Hi, my name is Victoria and I'm originally from Ukraine and I live in Japan for 14 years now.

Actually, today's my 14th anniversary.

And I get my permit residence in Japan two years ago.

after 12 years my name is katie and this is eric and we're married we've lived in japan since 2011

uh so about like 13 years from states yes we're from virginia

when did you get permanent residency visa in japan uh 2021

during right in the middle of covid immediately 10 years after

we came to japan basically i'm kevin uh i'm 24 years old i'm from brazil

and I'm living in Japan for six years and a half straight.

I got My PR visa three years ago.

My name is Josh.

I'm from the US and I've been living in Japan for about five and a half years.

My name is Tokuyu.

and I'm from Canada and I moved to Japan about two and a half years ago.

I got PR here after living here for two years, so I just got it this year.

What initially motivated you to get PR visa?

I initially came to Japan on a work visa, but there's a restriction when you're here on a work visa, and that is you gotta work.

But if you lose your job in Japan, You don't just lose your income.

you lose everything.

So you lose the friends you've made here, you lose the apartment you set up, all the dreams and aspirations you have of your future in Japan.

You have to uproot everything and go back to your home country.

Once we knew that we could get permanent residency or at least thought we could, it meant a sense of security and being able to be here on our own.

Like right now, nobody can stop us from like doing the jobs that we want to do or things like that.

It opens up windows and it makes you feel secure in being in Japan for a long time.

I didn't want to be like limited on like what categories of work that I could do.

I've been living here quite a long time and I actually like living here, so I think I'll probably be here long term as well.

So I was thinking about maybe buying a house and if you have PR, it's a lot easier to get a house loan and stuff like that.

If you're able to do side work also, your category of side work normally is limited by whatever visa you have, right?

So like you can do side work in the same category, but if you want to do something else, you have to get permission for that.

Right.

Or like have PR, you don't have to worry about that at all.

The first reason I know that one day I want to go back home

and in order for me to go back and come back here to Japan, it's easier to have stable documents, not like working visa.

So it was one of the reasons.

And second reason, when you have a permit residency, it's actually easier for you to live in Japan because you can get loan from the bank, the same as the Japanese people.

and it's just so much easier.

I don't need to go to the immigration anymore and I hate

that place because like they ask like a lot of papers like

that you need to take every year and every year is the same.

People working there, it's only foreigners who go there, but people there cannot speak English.

In Japan, everywhere that you go, people are polite with you, right?

But like when you weren't In the immigration, people always treat you bad even

if you were speaking Japanese like they treat you like you just starving them

and it's the only place here in Japan that I feel that.

Could you explain the process of getting a period of visa?

My case was based on years of living and working in Japan

so I get my permit residence visa as I mentioned after 12 years of Japan

and it took me like basically not that difficult but actually it was some challenges because when you start to apply

some documents you didn't have, or for example, you need to pay taxes and pension, right?

But as a not Japanese, sometimes you don't know that, oh, actually, when you change your job, you still need to pay.

And plus, just collecting all the documents and waiting, it's a long as well.

I went and collected most of the documents, or if not all the documents that I would have required by myself, but I was a little bit unsure because I've never tried to apply before.

And like, I applied, they said it would only take like six months.

But so many people were actually applying that now it's gotten like the timeline has gotten longer and longer.

And I actually only heard back after about 12 months.

And then after 12 months, they sent me something in the mail saying, hey, we want updated tax information.

I sent that back and then it was another month and I got it.

I initially thought there's only two ways to get it.

You marry someone who's Japanese or you live here for 10 years.

But after I was here for one year, my friend from Canada actually told me there's a point system on how to get PR.

And if you have enough points, If you have 70 points, you can get PR after three years in Japan.

And if you have 80 points, you can get it after one year.

yeah so that's what i did and i just had 80 points exactly

so i was able to get it after just being here for about a year

and a half at that point we didn't have that were out to us we had to do the

wait 10 year route and then we were able to apply.

So this is what worked for us.

- My father, he got married with a Japanese dissident, like a Nikkei, because of him I got my visa.

So it was easy, kind of.

Yeah, it was really easy.

- You didn't hire anyone.

to get a visa no i didn't need to using a lawyer

while slightly expensive it's just so much less stress yes to deal with it made it so easy

that she came to our apartment told us the things we

needed to show they had to take pictures of our toothbrushes to show

that we had two toothbrushes in the house

and they were really showing our relationship we had to present them with pictures of us from the past

which was nice as a reminiscing thing but like they needed to see that proof

a lot of paperwork that would have been a struggle

if we'd done it on our own it was easier

but you still need to collect all the documents by yourself

so they don't do that for you

100

and plus you need to have a sponsor

101

so guarantor basically who will give a lot of documents from their side because

102

it's it's supposed to be a japanese person

103

or it's supposed to be a person who has a permit residence basically

104

so you need to have very close relationship with that person as well $1 ,000.

105

But they'll help you with everything.

106

You can ask whatever questions you have about PR.

107

They'll tell you what forms to have.

108

They'll help you collect some of the forms, like some of the tax forms from City Hall.

109

And then they'll actually submit it to immigration.

110

You basically just give them the documentation, then they take it to the immigration office for you on your behalf,

111

which-- They also have to have your residence card and your passport.

112

No news is good news when it comes to PR.

113

If you hear back quickly, it's usually because something like you didn't have enough information or you didn't provide a document that was needed or something.

114

But if you don't hear back, usually by the time you finally do hear back, it's either like, "Oh, we just need an updated tax document" or something like that.

115

And then the next time you hear back, it's an approval.

116

What was the difficult part of getting a PR visa?

117

What was the hardest part that you would say?

118

knowing about it, right?

119

'Cause like, I didn't know until I'd lived here for one year.

120

And then the whole process itself is so poorly known, knowing about it and then how to calculate your points.

121

I actually wasted six months because I didn't think I had enough points initially.

122

'Cause there's weird ways that you can get extra points.

123

and then how you apply, like who do you apply to, and then the rules for keeping PR, like it's so ambiguous.

124

I think that's true.

125

I think people live in Japan, but they don't really, really think the peer visa.

126

Peer visa is only for like expats who live here 10 years, 20 years, something like that.

127

Yeah.

128

That's what I thought.

129

Yeah.

130

Like I didn't even think about it.

131

I was like, hey, you know, I had to be here for at least 10 years.

132

Like, let's forget about it for now.

133

Many foreigners don't know the rules of pension or like tax situation.

134

So I didn't know that some of my pension was not paid just because I was changing the job.

135

between like two weeks between jobs.

136

And I didn't know that my previous company didn't pay for it.

137

And my new company obviously didn't pay for it yet.

138

And when I check Nenkin, which is you like probably know, it's a pension system, I realized, so I changed jobs three times.

139

So every time when I change a job, I had like almost four months, like gap, like between actually getting like paying pensions.

140

So it was a big problem.

141

And the biggest problem with a pension, after so many years so it was in the beginning of my life in Japan.

142

So our story is a little weird we had a difficulty

143

that we created in 2017 and 18 we traveled to Europe

144

and at that time we went to the City Hall

145

and we told City Hall we're gonna be leaving so they took our...

146

We were gone for like six months.

147

Okay.

148

So they took our address off of our registration.

149

And on January 1st if you don't have an apply for permanent residency,

150

we kept meeting lawyers and talking to lawyers who were going to help us.

151

And they're like, that's totally a problem.

152

We can't do anything for you.

153

And then we finally found a lawyer that was like, hey, I'll work it out.

154

Let's see if we can do this.

155

I'll submit it for you.

156

And if it doesn't work at that time, I'll resubmit it for you for free when it comes to when you can actually apply.

157

The point being, you have to have 10 years uninterrupted residency in Japan to apply for the visa,

158

the permanent residency route that we were that gap, it made it ambiguous on whether or not it was going to work, but she made it work.

159

And it worked on the first try.

160

Our lawyer was amazing.

161

Like the people in this video, do you want not just to visit Japan or stay for one year or two, but build your life here?

162

Maybe by getting married or having kids or even retiring.

163

If there's an even smaller chance of that, there's one thing you should start right away.

164

Learning Japanese.

165

Because if you want to live in Japan for long term, learning the language is a must.

166

It's definitely much faster if you learn with a professional, like Japanese native tutor.

167

And I recommend Preply.

168

With over 2000 Japanese tutors, you can find the perfect teacher for your needs.

169

You can filter by your goals.

170

Whether you're preparing for JLPT, need business Japanese, or just want to get better at everyday composition.

171

Preply has plenty of options.

172

And the best part?

173

You don't have to be in Japan to start learning.

174

With online tutors, you can level up your Japanese from anywhere.

175

Get 50 % off your first lesson on Preply by clicking the link in the description below.

176

Any advice for those who want to get permanent residency in Japan?

177

I definitely give you advice.

178

So first, have a person who can be your guarantor because...

179

I have a few friends again, as I mentioned, when they start the application, they told me, "Oh, but who can be my guarantor?" Which is, I didn't have this problem because I just called my friend and said,

180

"I need these documents from you." And it was easier, but I would recommend definitely try to...

181

like have more Japanese friends who can be helpful for you as well.

182

Of course, you just don't wait for them to do something for you, give and take, you know, but this is the main thing, I believe.

183

And lastly, make sure you have very stable job, stable salary.

184

Then make sure you pay all your taxes and pension because many people actually get rejected based on that.

185

had continued to work at a Japanese company while we were in Europe, that was what saved us, I think.

186

That we could prove, like, I've always, I still plan to come back here, so here's the proof.

187

So pay your bills and stuff.

188

- Staying at one company for a long time helps a lot.

189

What you wanna do is convey a level of stability

190

to the immigration so having like a long time

191

that you work at one company makes it look a lot better

192

and in our opinion if you can find a good lawyer

193

that would be the way to go make sure uh

194

if you have like any outside income you have to do uh make sure you do

195

that and just like keep up to date with all of

196

that stuff like all the all the paperwork make sure you do it

197

and obviously like study japanese it helps a lot right uh it's way easy to go through the process

198

if you can actually - It's actually the same thing, but like, You need to learn Japanese.

199

If you don't know Japanese, you don't know the real

200

country the real japan you know like uh there is a lot of things

201

that you only realize here in japan

202

when you can speak japanese you only can get inside a japanese people's heart

203

when you can speak japanese you know

204

when you you can like uh follow the hierarchy

205

and kind of things

206

so it's really important for the pr points you get 10 points for n2 proficiency

207

and 15 points for n1 proficiency you know that's great but beyond the points If you want to get PR in Japan,

208

that means that you want to live here long term, you definitely should get fluent in Japanese, because that'll help you with your career,

209

People who speak English and Japanese are very sought after here.

210

and it'll help you with your social circle.

211

Don't get it twisted.

212

Not everyone in Japan speaks English like Takashi.

213

Like, if you only speak English, You can only interact with like 5 % of the population here.

214

But if you speak Japanese and English, it's everybody, right?

215

And 5%, that's including foreigners who live here.

216

If you live in a small town, like, good luck.

217

You're gonna, like, meet one person, if you're lucky, who can speak English.

218

What did you learn from living in Japan for a long time?

219

What did you learn?

220

It's hard to answer because everything that I have inside me was based in Japan.

221

I'm always thinking like, "Oh, I'm disturbing someone." I'm taking the space of someone or something like that.

222

I started to think too much about other people.

223

And when I talk to Japanese people, older people, even if they are only one year older than me, I take too much to cross the hierarchy.

224

Everyone has friends in the same age, you know, because of the hierarchy.

225

It's hard to get friends when you are older or younger, you know?

226

We went to America for three months over the summer and we really were confronted with the individualism instead of the community.

227

And I think that we've really shed of Americans.

228

Like, this is mine.

229

Get out of my lane.

230

I'm doing my thing.

231

This is what I believe.

232

Like, all of that, the me, my, and I, we've really shed that.

233

The perspective of somebody who has immigrated to another country differently than I did before.

234

Like, I understand, like, some of the troubles or difficulties that a person can have when they aren't from that country.

235

And some of that is dealing with visa things and thinking about, like, when we were on those one -year visas,

236

So I just feel like I have maybe more empathy for people

237

that have moved to a country that they're not actually from than I would have before having come here.

238

I kind of learned perspective from my own country, like what stuff I really didn't like about it and what stuff I did like about it.

239

When I when I come to another country and live in another culture, right?

240

Obviously, like you're also an outsider in that culture, but like it also gives you perspective on your own your own country as well.

241

So I found there's actually a lot of stuff that I wasn't really as familiar with.

242

Like when I first moved here, you know, I had been here on a few trips first, right, before actually moving here and deciding to move here.

243

interesting.

244

I've learned a lot of stuff about the culture here.

245

I've learned to be a little bit more introspective about my own culture.

246

Learning multiple languages has been really fun.

247

Many actually foreigners, they kind of stick to other foreigners as a group.

248

Especially Tokyo.

249

Especially Tokyo.

250

But I cannot give advice for everybody who come into Japan

251

or like who just thinking to move already live here and still have only foreign friends.

252

Try to find Japanese friends.

253

challenging because culture is very different so

254

but it takes time to become very close with japanese friends

255

but i definitely will give advice try to find japanese friends

256

because you will find a friends they will be forever with you this is one thing secondly

257

when you as a foreigner you come here you can't change japan it's very unique it's very great culture

258

so you need to adjust like But Japan is a country where you need to follow rules.

259

And if you're not okay with that, maybe Japan will be not the right country for you.

260

It's easy to get isolated.

261

Like I'm from Canada and it's really far away, right?

262

When you move to Japan, like I was only thinking of the adventure, like I'm gonna be a YouTuber in Japan, I'm gonna have a whole life here, it's a cool country.

263

But you're leaving behind your family and the friends that you've made throughout your entire life.

264

real effort to stay in touch with your old friends and family.

265

Like it's easy to just put off the phone call, put off the phone call, Stay in touch, 'cause those are the people you've known forever, and that you can confide in when you really need them.

266

Really make an effort to make new friends in Japan.

267

'Cause before I moved here, I never tried to make friends, right?

268

Like in school, like you just naturally meet people, right?

269

You have all these people your age, they speak your language, they're from your culture.

270

But if you were to move to Japan as an adult and you're working here, it's really hard.

271

Are you going to live in Japan for good?

272

For good, forever, I don't know.

273

But we did buy a house a couple of years ago, which means we're going to be here for a while.

274

I can't envision myself moving back to the States.

275

I just don't find myself to be very comfortable when we're there.

276

And I just can't see myself wanting to live there a long time.

277

It's okay to visit, but...

278

But on the other hand, I don't know what's going to be like in 20 years or something, you know?

279

What I'm going to think.

280

I think definitely, like, I see the next 10 years here.

281

And then after 10 years, I can't imagine myself being like, "Oh, so where are we going to hop to now?" So I kind of do see it super long term.

282

I love Japan.

283

I love to live in Japan. So...

284

For now, I think yes, but...

285

Sometimes I'm kind of afraid because the Japanese economy is going really like a...

286

Right, right.

287

Yeah, it's not good.

288

Yeah, it's not good.

289

It's going like a really bad.

290

So, and Japanese people like, they are changing their minds about a lot of things, but they are still to close mind, you know?

291

So, I don't know, I'm afraid about the Japanese future.

292

I don't know if Japan will be a good country to live in 30 years, I think, because of the economy.

293

You probably know the political climate is a little shaky right now in the US, so...

294

I'm honestly glad I'm living here right now and not having to deal with a lot of that, but...

295

Long term in the future, like...

296

I don't know like I honestly could see myself living here

297

at least for a few decades at absolutely yeah that's wrong

298

that's not yeah At least I think I could I could probably see myself doing

299

that beyond that I don't like it when I retire I don't know

300

if I am going to retire in Japan

301

or not I'm thinking about it yeah I'm thinking about it

302

but I'm not I'm not sure yet I'm not sure

303

if I want to live here forever yet

304

but for a long time right now yeah in indefinitely for now is there any conditions

305

that you need to be in Japan like - Ah, like for the visa.

306

- For the visa, yeah, yeah, yeah.

307

- Right, yeah.

308

That's what I thought

309

because in Canada you have to be there at least two years of every five years that you're there.

310

In Japan, you don't even need to live here.

311

It does still expire as long as you come back to Japan and just redo the paperwork, which takes like a couple days, then your permanent residency gets re -extended.

312

I think for 10 more years, maybe 7 or 10, I didn't know what it is up top.

313

It's not that difficult.

314

Yeah, we have a friend who has permanent residency, but he's lived in Sweden for quite a while now.

315

And he had to come back to get it redone and it wasn't that hard.

316

It took him a couple days.

317

Okay, anyway, thank you for watching so far.

318

How was it?

319

That was interesting.

320

who have lived in Japan for 10 years, 20 years, because the competition tend to be more informative, more deeper, and I really like them.

321

So if you have one of them who live in Japan for a long time, please let me know.

322

Let me interview you.

323

Okay, anyway, thank you for watching.

324

If you liked this video, click like button.

325

Please subscribe to my channel.

326

And don't forget to follow my Instagram and TikTok.

327

I upload short version of my videos there.

328

And if you have any questions that you want me to ask people in Japan, please leave the comment too.

329

See you next time.

330

you.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

103

29 sentences

🎧 Luyện Nghe Tiếng Anh B1 - Low-Intermediate Level 4 (CEFR B1) | Listening English Podcast |🎯

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

21 sentences

Living with my in laws as newlyweds

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

97 sentences

The Truth About Australia PR in 2026 (What Nobody Tells You)

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

125 sentences

PondPhuwin on Why "Never Let Me Go" Was So Difficult To Film

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students

171 sentences

How I became fluent in English WITHOUT living in another country

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students

Context & Background

In this enlightening video, various individuals share their experiences in obtaining permanent residency (PR) in Japan. Each person offers unique perspectives based on their backgrounds and reasons for pursuing residency in the country. They discuss the challenges and motivations behind their decision, revealing that a PR visa provides a sense of security and stability that temporary work visas do not offer. Having lived in Japan for a significant period, they express their desire to remain long-term and explore new opportunities, such as home ownership and expanded employment options.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

"I actually like living here, so I think I'll probably be here long term as well."
"It meant a sense of security and being able to be here on our own."
"If you have PR, it's a lot easier to get a house loan."
"You lose everything if you lose your job in Japan."
"It opens up windows and it makes you feel secure."

These phrases reflect the speakers’ sentiments regarding their experiences and aspirations in Japan. By incorporating them into your daily English speaking practice, you can enhance your conversational fluency and express your emotions more effectively.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To improve your English speaking skills, you can utilize the shadowspeak technique by shadowing this video. Follow these steps to maximize your learning experience:

Watch the Video: Start by watching the video slowly and attentively. Pay close attention to the speakers’ pronunciation, intonation, and pacing.
Listen and Repeat: Use a shadowing app or simply pause the video at intervals. Repeat what the speakers say, trying to match their tone and speed.
Focus on Key Phrases: Take note of the top phrases listed above. Practice them multiple times until you can say them confidently and naturally.
Record Yourself: After practicing, record yourself speaking these phrases. Compare your recordings to the original audio to assess your progress and identify areas for improvement.
Engage in Daily Practice: Incorporate these phrases into your everyday conversations. The more you use them, the more natural they will become. Aim for at least 10-15 minutes of practice daily.

By following this guide, you can effectively learn English with YouTube while diving into real-life conversations about important topics such as residency and stability in a foreign country. Embrace the journey, and soon, you’ll find yourself speaking with greater confidence and fluency.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	I've been living
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	we've lived · you've made · I've never tried
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who have · person who has · Nenkin, which is
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was based · was needed · was not paid

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: How did you get permanent residency in Japan? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Back from Japan: Telling a Friend About My Trip

How To Leave Your Village

Working while travelling the world – B1 English Listening Test

就活解禁の３月「超売り手市場」で就活生×採用側のニーズは【ぎゅっと】（2026年3月2日OA）

Iman's VIP Program Success Story

Japan’s Secret to Good Health

My First Month Living Abroad