Japan Work Visa (Engineer, Specialist in Humanities, International Services)
The ordinary white-collar work status: engineers, IT staff, designers, accountants, marketers, translators. A relevant degree or ten years of experience, a Japanese employer, and pay equal to a Japanese national doing the same job.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | White-collar employees with a Japanese employer |
| Route family | skilled-work |
| Validity | 5, 3 or 1 years, occasionally 6 months |
| Stay per entry | Matches the period of stay |
| Threshold | No fixed salary figure, but pay must equal or exceed a Japanese national in the same role. A relevant bachelor’s degree, or 10 years of practical experience, or 3 years for translation and language instruction |
| Renewal | Indefinite while employed, with the employer as sponsor |
| Settlement | Discretionary, through the 10 year route |
| PR clock | 10 years, of which 5 on a work or residence status |
| Citizenship clock | 5 years |
| Family | Yes, spouse and children as dependants |
| Local employment | Sponsor only. A change of employer is a notification, a change of job type needs a change of status |
| Tax headline | Salary at progressive national and local rates with withholding. Worldwide income after five years |
| Processing | 1 to 3 months for a Certificate of Eligibility, 2 to 4 weeks for a change of status |
Why it exists
This is the workhorse status. Most foreigners who live in Japan long term hold it, and it is the main feeder into ten year permanent residence.
It is also the most misunderstood, because the test is not “a company offered me a job”. Immigration checks whether the role genuinely needs the degree you hold and whether the pay matches the market.
The two tests
The degree must match the job. A literature graduate hired as a programmer is refused unless they have relevant experience or a qualifying certification. A marketing role for a design graduate invites the same question.
The salary must match a Japanese national. Paying less is a refusal ground and a labour law problem at the same time. Immigration asks for the employment contract, the job description and sometimes the company’s pay scale.
Ten years of documented experience can replace a degree, but it must be in the same field and evidenced by employers. Freelance work is hard to prove and usually is not counted.
Application flow
- Secure the offer. The employer files for a Certificate of Eligibility.
- Provide degree certificates, transcripts, employment history and the contract.
- Receive the certificate, then apply for the visa at a Japanese embassy abroad.
- Enter, collect the residence card, and register your address at the ward office within 14 days.
- Notify immigration of any change of employer within 14 days.
- Renew before expiry. Losing the job means losing the status within three months unless a new sponsor is found.
Good fit
A graduate with a relevant degree and a real offer. An experienced professional whose career documents a decade in the field.
Poor fit
Anyone whose role is essentially manual, or does not need a degree. Immigration refuses a specialist title attached to factory, warehouse or shop work.
Watchpoints
- The degree must match the role. Mismatches are the most common refusal.
- Pay parity is enforced. Below-market salary is both an immigration and a labour issue.
- Losing the job starts a three month clock. Find a new sponsor or change status.
- A change of job type needs permission first. Working while it is pending risks revocation.
- This route does reach permanent residence. Ten years, five of them on a work status.
- Dependants get 28 hours a week, not a career. A spouse who wants to work fully must switch status.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, Engineer, Specialist in Humanities and International Services, checked 2026-10-23
- Immigration Control Act, Appended Table 1-2, checked 2026-10-23
- Immigration Services Agency, change of status and notification rules, checked 2026-10-23