Conflicting advice from immigration lawyers around PR

I know this kind of stuff is usually reserved for immigration lawyers, but hear me out...

I believe I'm technically eligible for PR via the spousal route, as of earlier this month (married to a Japanese national for over 3 years, lived in Japan for over 1 year continuously, got a brand spanking new 5 year work visa a few months back).

I recently enquired about PR application with 2 different immigration law firms, and received conflicting info from both. One told me that I would need to convert to a spouse visa before I'm able to apply for PR, and the other told me that this is not a requirement.

Does anyone have any further insight/anecdotal stories on this one, please? I'm very confused right now. I can't see this mentioned specifically on the MOFA website in the requirements, unless I'm missing something obvious, or it's just implied?