Highly Skilled Professional (高度専門職)
A points-based work status in two types, where Type 1 runs five years and Type 2 is indefinite, and where the score determines how fast permanent residence arrives.
The misunderstanding worth correcting is that the visa and the fast track are the same threshold. They are not. Seventy points is the entry requirement. Eighty points is what compresses permanent residence to one year, and the difference between the two is usually a single bonus item: a Japanese degree, a patent, N1 instead of N2, or a salary band. Applicants who clear 70 comfortably often stop reading and lose two years.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Researchers, engineers, and business managers whose salary, degree, age, and experience add up to 70 points |
| Route family | Skilled work |
| Validity | 5 years for Type 1. Type 2 is indefinite |
| Stay per entry | 5 years |
| Threshold | 70 points (2026). No minimum income in the abstract, but a salary floor of JPY 3,000,000 (about USD 20,000 at JPY 150 per USD, 2026) applies to the technical and business categories |
| Renewal | Type 1 renews in 5 year blocks. The 70 point score must be shown at each renewal, though continuous maintenance between applications is not required |
| Settlement | Direct. Type 1 to Type 2 gives indefinite stay with near unrestricted work rights |
| PR clock | 3 years at 70 points, 1 year at 80 points |
| Citizenship clock | 5 years of continuous residence, with Japanese language and conduct requirements |
| Family | Yes. Spouse and children as dependants; the spouse may work with a permission to engage in activity other than that permitted |
| Local employment | Yes, and sponsorship is required. The employer must be the contracting entity |
| Tax headline | Salary taxed at progressive national and local rates; the Type 2 holder remains a tax resident on worldwide income |
| Processing | 1 to 3 months for a Certificate of Eligibility, then a visa at the embassy |
Application flow
- Score yourself against the points table before anything else. Thirty points for a doctorate, 20 for a master’s, up to 40 for salary, up to 15 for age under 30, plus bonuses for Japanese language ability, Japanese degrees, patents, and growth-sector work.
- Confirm the salary floor of JPY 3,000,000 (2026) is met if you are applying in the technical or business category.
- Secure a job offer. The employer must be the contracting entity, since the status is sponsored.
- The employer files for a Certificate of Eligibility. Expect one to three months.
- Apply for the visa at the embassy with the certificate.
- Enter Japan and collect the residence card.
- At renewal, produce evidence that the total still reaches 70 points. A pay cut or a move to a smaller employer can drop you below the line.
- Once the score holds at 80, apply for permanent residence on the one year track.
Good fit
A 32-year-old engineer with a master’s, a JPY 7,000,000 salary, and JLPT N2, who clears 70 points without effort and can see 80 with one more bonus item. Researchers with publications and patents do well, because the bonus categories reward exactly the things an academic career produces. It is also the only route in Japan where permanent residence arrives in one to three years rather than ten.
Poor fit
Anyone over 40 without a doctorate or a very high salary. Age and salary points fall away quickly, and no amount of experience fully replaces them. Founders whose income is dividends rather than salary score badly. People who expect to change employers freely should also look elsewhere, since every change needs a fresh application.
Watchpoints
- 70 gets the visa, 80 gets the year. A single missed bonus item can cost two years of waiting. Score the file at 80 before you assume the fast track applies.
- Points are re-checked at renewal. A pay cut, a smaller employer, or a change of role can put you under 70 and end the status.
- Changing employer requires a fresh change-of-status application. Working before it is approved risks revocation.
- Submit only what proves the total, but expect to be asked for everything. The agency states only documents proving 70 points are needed, and it routinely asks for more.
- The business management variant is tied to the new Business Manager standards. A weak company can block both renewal and permanent residence, even where the points score is fine.
- The one year track at 80 points is standard practice but was not read directly on the revised guideline. Confirm it against the guideline PDF before relying on the timing.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, Highly Skilled Professional status page, checked 2026-10-22
- Immigration Services Agency, HSP points evaluation criteria (PDF), checked 2026-10-22