We held our 2020 Fiscal Year General Meeting on June 7th at Itabashi Cultural Hall. This time, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, we received more proxy letters and written votes. The venue was eventually re-opened on June 1st, but there was a limit on the number of people allowed, making the atmosphere completely different from previous years.
At the meeting, we first went over our business report for the 2019 fiscal year, and then discussed the growing trend of new consultations and the circumstances of our on-going consultations. It was reported that many of our new consultations were related to issues concerning residency status, especially those statuses that urgently needed to be changed or renewed, including those of refugee applicants. Concerning the on-going consultations, it was explained that under the current situation, it is still very difficult for undocumented residents to obtain the Special Permission to Stay. However, in March of this year, the son of a family that APFS had been assisting for more than 10 years was finally able to receive Special Permission to Stay. However, given that the parents had to voluntarily return to their home country as a condition for their child to receive Special Permission to Stay, it was agreed that the Immigration Bureau continues to hand down harsh decisions.
Following the financial reports for the 2019 fiscal year, we discussed the business plans for the 2020 fiscal year, our proposed budget, and the fact that our income from membership fees had already been reduced during the months of April through June due to the COVID-19 epidemic. We were all of the opinion that we had to be imaginative and creative in order to maintain our activities and budget for the 2020 fiscal year.
