Japan
Japan defines what you may do by status of residence; the one most professionals use is Engineer, Specialist in Humanities and International Services. Periods of stay are five years, three years, one year or three months, and the documents required depend on the employer's category. A separate points system exists for highly skilled professionals.
How the system works
Step 1: Identify which status of residence your work falls under
Japan does not issue one general work visa; it assigns a status of residence according to the activity. Engineer, Specialist in Humanities and International Services covers work performed under a contract with a public or private organisation in Japan that requires technology or knowledge in the natural sciences such as physics and engineering, or in the humanities such as law, economics and sociology, or work requiring thought or sensitivity grounded in a foreign culture. The examples the authority gives are engineers in fields such as mechanical engineering, interpreters, designers, language teachers at private companies, and people in marketing roles.
Step 2: Note which activities this status expressly excludes
The definition expressly excludes activities that have their own status: Professor, Artist and Journalist, and Business Manager, Legal and Accounting Services, Medical Services, Research, Education, Intra-company Transferee, Nursing Care and Entertainer. If your work falls into one of those, this status does not apply however specialised the work is, and the corresponding status must be sought instead. Choosing the wrong status is a structural error on this route, not a documentation one.
Step 3: Understand the period of stay and the kinds of application
The period of stay is five years, three years, one year or three months, decided in the examination rather than chosen by the applicant. Four kinds of application are common: a Certificate of Eligibility application from abroad, a change of status of residence for someone already in Japan whose activity changes, an extension of the period of stay, and an acquisition of status. Which documents are required depends on the employer's category, from one to four — for categories one and two, other materials are in principle not needed.
Step 4: Apply promptly when your activity changes, or the status can be revoked
Someone already in Japan on another status who takes up activities falling under this one must apply for a change promptly. The authority states plainly that a status of residence may be revoked where the holder is not performing the activities their status is based on. This is easy to overlook: it constrains not only the application but conduct throughout the stay.
Key requirements and figures
Figures change. Each row shows the period it applies to and the source it came from.
| Requirement | Current value | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the status covers | Work under a contract with a public or private organisation in Japan requiring technology or knowledge in the natural sciences or humanities, or work requiring thought or sensitivity grounded in a foreign culture | 2026 | moj.go.jp/gijinkoku · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| Examples the authority gives | Engineers in fields such as mechanical engineering, interpreters, designers, language teachers at private companies, and people in marketing roles | 2026 | moj.go.jp/gijinkoku · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| Activities expressly excluded | Professor, Artist and Journalist, and Business Manager, Legal and Accounting Services, Medical Services, Research, Education, Intra-company Transferee, Nursing Care and Entertainer — each has its own status | 2026 | moj.go.jp/gijinkoku · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| Period of stay | Five years, three years, one year or three months, decided in the examination | 2026 | moj.go.jp/gijinkoku · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| Documents depend on the employer's category | They differ by the employer's category, one to four; for categories one and two other materials are in principle not needed | 2026 | moj.go.jp/gijinkoku · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| When a status can be revoked | A status of residence may be revoked where the holder is not performing the activities it is based on | 2026 | moj.go.jp/gijinkoku · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| The three categories of the points system | Highly Skilled Professional 1(a) advanced academic research, 1(b) advanced specialised and technical activities, and 1(c) advanced business management, with separate criteria for changing to category 2 | As at March 2026 | moj.go.jp/newimmiact_3_evaluate_index · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| The points system's scoring items and pass mark | Set out in ministerial ordinance tables and PDFs; the HTML pages checked do not list them, so the official tables must be consulted directly | 2026 | moj.go.jp/newimmiact_3_evaluate_index · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| University ranking bonus points | A list of universities attracting bonus points based on world rankings exists; the authority notes it was compiled from rankings as at January 2026 and that the three current world rankings must also be checked when applying | List as at January 2026 | moj.go.jp/newimmiact_3_evaluate_index · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
What commonly blocks an application
These are frequent reasons a route is closed. Absence of a listed problem is not an eligibility decision.
Treating Japan as having one work visa. Japan assigns a status by activity, and choosing the wrong one is a structural error that more documents cannot fix.
Work that actually falls into an expressly excluded activity. Business Manager, Intra-company Transferee, Education, Medical Services and others have their own statuses and cannot use this one.
Not applying to change status promptly after the work changes. Not performing the activities the status is based on can lead to revocation.
Planning the highly skilled route against a remembered pass mark. The scoring items and threshold sit in ministerial ordinance tables, and the system itself has been revised more than once.
moj.go.jp/newimmiact_3_evaluate_indexmoj.go.jp/newimmiact_3_index
Judging bonus points from an older ranking list. The official list is compiled from rankings at a specific date, and the current rankings must be checked when applying.
Reviewed programs
- Japan Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services — For employees undertaking professional work in Japan involving engineering, humanities knowledge or international services.
- Japan Highly Skilled Professional — For people meeting the points standard for advanced academic, specialised technical, or business-management activities.
Official sources
- Immigration Services AgencyImmigration Services Agency of Japan · Reviewed 2026-09-03
- Status of residence: Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International ServicesImmigration Services Agency of Japan · Reviewed 2026-09-06
- Points-based system for highly skilled foreign professionalsImmigration Services Agency of Japan · Reviewed 2026-09-06
- How points are evaluatedImmigration Services Agency of Japan · Reviewed 2026-09-06
This page provides general educational information, not personalized immigration or legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the responsible government authority before acting.