A 44-year-old Sri Lankan man, Mohamed Irfan, was arrested on July 7, 2025, in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on suspicion of orchestrating a visa fraud scheme. Authorities allege that Irfan facilitated illegal residency for fellow Sri Lankans by submitting falsified corporate documents to Japan’s immigration authorities.
Irfan has denied the allegations.According to Kanagawa police, Irfan used a fictitious car dealership in Fujisawa to produce fraudulent financial statements in December 2023. These documents enabled a Sri Lankan individual to obtain a business manager visa by posing as the head of the fake company. The scheme is part of a broader investigation that began in May 2024, with police identifying at least nine Sri Lankans suspected of securing residency through Irfan’s network.
Investigators believe Irfan operated a network of shell companies to repeatedly falsify documents and secure immigration approvals. Police have seized records of approximately 600 businesses linked to Irfan, most of which are suspected to be dummy companies with no legitimate commercial activity. Authorities suspect this network may have facilitated numerous additional fraudulent visas.The scheme reportedly involved obtaining engineer/specialist in humanities/international services visas, designated for skilled workers, by claiming employment at fictitious firms. Some individuals were later repositioned as “executives” of these companies to apply for business manager visas.
Japan’s Immigration Services Agency notes that the business manager visa requires applicants to demonstrate legitimate business operations and financial stability, criteria allegedly circumvented through Irfan’s falsified documents.Victims of the scheme reported being promised high-paying jobs in Japan and the opportunity to bring their families. Many paid broker fees ranging from 500,000 yen ($3,400) to 1 million yen to enter the country. Upon arrival, however, they were often assigned manual labor jobs, such as construction or demolition, contrary to the skilled positions their visas were meant to cover. Additional fees for job placements, transportation, and fabricated documents reportedly pushed some into further debt, with many living in cramped, shared accommodations to reduce costs.Individuals entering Japan on tourist visas allegedly paid tens of thousands of yen in referral fees to connect with brokers or change their visa status.
In cases involving fake company executive roles, additional charges for falsified documents often exceeded 100,000 yen. One affected individual told police, “I was tricked. I couldn’t even send money home, but I had no choice because I needed to repay my debts.”Japan has tightened immigration controls in recent years to address fraudulent visa applications, particularly as the country faces labor shortages in various sectors.
According to the Immigration Services Agency, approximately 1.8 million foreign workers resided in Japan as of October 2024, with strict regulations governing visa categories to ensure compliance with employment and residency standards.The investigation into Irfan’s network is ongoing, with authorities examining the full extent of the alleged fraud and its impact on Japan’s immigration system.
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