There is no formal definition of a "work visa". This article explains Japan's activity-based system for determining the status of residence from a job's duties, and outlines the main work statuses.
Once recruitment has progressed to the point where a company is considering hiring a particular candidate, there is an important step it must confirm: identifying the status of residence that matches that person's job duties.
In Japan, the term "work visa" is often used, but no status of residence by that name exists under the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. It is a colloquial umbrella term for several statuses of residence that permit employment; in practice, individual statuses of residence are set out separately according to the job duties, level of expertise and form of employment involved.
Japan's residency management system is designed around the activity to be carried out — that is, "what the person will do in Japan". Even in the list of statuses of residence published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), work-related statuses are organised as "statuses of residence according to the activity carried out in Japan". In other words, the heart of this step is confirming which status of residence's requirements the intended job duties satisfy.
The statuses of residence that permit employment in Japan fall into several types, each covering different occupations, duties and requirements. Below is an overview of the statuses most relevant to hiring foreign nationals.
Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務) This is a status of residence for those engaged in work that draws on knowledge of engineering, the natural sciences or humanities, or on international business skills — for example, engineers, interpreters, designers and marketing staff. The requirements are a university degree or equivalent level of education, or a certain amount of practical work experience relevant to the role in question (see: Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services). It is one of the statuses of residence most commonly used by companies when hiring foreign nationals.
Highly Skilled Professional (高度専門職) This is a status of residence for highly skilled foreign professionals who meet a set score, calculated by converting factors such as academic background, career history and annual income into points across a number of categories. It is divided into Category (i) — which itself has sub-categories (a), (b) and (c) — and Category (ii), which can be obtained after holding Category (i) status for a certain minimum period. Holders may, in some cases, receive preferential treatment not available under ordinary work statuses, such as greater freedom of activity (see: Highly Skilled Professional).
Specified Skilled Worker (特定技能) This status of residence was established to address labour shortages in specific industry sectors such as nursing care, construction, manufacturing, agriculture and food service. It is divided into Category (i) — a maximum of five years in total — and Category (ii), which is renewable, and applicants must meet the requirements for the relevant sector (see: Specified Skilled Worker).
Skilled Labour (技能) This is a status of residence for those engaged in work requiring specialised skill in a particular industry field, such as chefs of foreign cuisine, sports instructors, aircraft pilots and precious-metal craftspeople (see: Skilled Labour).
Nursing Care (介護) This is a status of residence for foreign nationals who hold a Certified Care Worker (介護福祉士) qualification to work in care duties or care instruction at nursing care facilities and similar settings. Holding the Certified Care Worker qualification is a requirement (see: Nursing Care).
Business Manager (経営・管理) This status covers activities involving the management or administration of a business in Japan. It is obtained by those planning to establish a company from overseas or to participate in its management, and it requires a certain scale of business operation, including matters such as genuine business premises and the employment of staff (see: Business Manager).
Intra-company Transferee (企業内転勤) This status covers employees transferring from an overseas business establishment to a related establishment in Japan within the same corporate group. One of the requirements is that the employee must have worked at the overseas establishment for a certain minimum period before the transfer (see: Intra-company Transferee).
What matters is to start not from "which status can this candidate obtain?" but from "which status of residence's scope of activity does this job fall within?" A status of residence is tied to the job duties themselves, and the specific duties the person will actually perform after being hired are also set out in detail in the application documents.
The key points to check are broadly the following three.
Where more than one status of residence could potentially apply, it is necessary to compare the requirements, restrictions on activity and application procedures for each, and then select the one best suited to the role's primary duties. This judgement calls for specialist consideration tailored to the individual circumstances.
We also plan to cover major work statuses such as Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services and Specified Skilled Worker in more detail in future articles.
📋 If you are unsure which status of residence applies, please get in touch first
Whether the job duties match a given status of residence depends on a combination of factors, including how the job description is worded, the candidate's academic and career background, and their current status of residence. We provide consistent support from the recruitment-planning stage right through to considering and applying for the status of residence. Please feel free to contact us to begin with.
Choosing the status of residence is one of the steps in the foreign-hiring process that calls for particular specialist expertise. It tends to be lumped together under the term "work visa", but in practice the applicable status of residence differs according to the job duties, academic background, career history and the company's circumstances, and each status carries its own specific requirements and required documents.
From Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services through to Highly Skilled Professional and Specified Skilled Worker, we recommend first grasping the overall picture of the main work statuses, and then considering individual cases together with a specialist. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this initial assessment accounts for most of the work involved in obtaining a visa.
For an overview of the whole foreign-hiring process, see How to Hire Foreign Workers in Japan, which sets out seven steps. For a fundamental perspective on approaching recruitment, please also see Hiring Foreign Workers Starts Before the Visa Application.
🧭 Comprehensive support for hiring foreign talent
Our foreign talent recruitment service provides one-stop support, from introducing candidates through to assisting with status-of-residence applications. If you would like to start by clarifying your hiring requirements, please also make use of our self-check for hiring eligibility.
