Visa procedures are often changed or revised. Sometimes big changes are made such as revisions of the immigration law, and other times minor changes are introduced such as a revision of an application process at the Immigration office. However, this time big changes have been made to application forms. Old forms are now unusable. The major changes are as follows:

*On the application form used to apply for a certificate to stay in Japan, a question asking whether you have been involved in criminal activities has been added.

*In general, non-Japanese will be required to provide more details to support their visa application.

*A statement declaring, "The above statement is true and correct" has also been included.

*A recently introduced application form will be required should you need to change information that has already been submitted.