On 31 July 2026, the Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) formulated and published the second "Immigration Services Basic Plan" (出入国在留管理基本計画), a document that sets the direction for immigration administration going forward. Its content touches a wide range of people: those holding status of residence as an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services or as a student, the companies that employ them, and those applying for permanent residence permission. The first edition was formulated in April 2019, so this marks the first revision in roughly seven years. The plan sets out this direction only; it does not itself specify an implementation timetable, and each measure will take effect only once separate legislation, a cabinet order, or an individual guideline is established for it. The plan's main lines of direction are as follows.
- A policy of pressing ahead with rationalising the permanent residence permission system, among other measures
- Preparation for the launch of the electronic travel authorisation system, "JESTA"
- On the "Business Manager" status of residence, following the October 2025 revision of the landing permission criteria, a policy of stricter examination of cases where the substance of the business is in doubt, and expanded information-sharing with the National Tax Agency
- Preparation for the smooth implementation of the Employment for Skill Development (育成就労, Ikusei Shuro) system
- Rollout of the new-format "Specified Residence Card"
On the "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" status of residence, the plan notes: 「在留資格『技術・人文知識・国際業務』を有する者が、当該在留資格の活動内容に該当しない、専門的な技術や知識を要しない現場業務等に従事するといった事案も確認されており、こうした不適切な事案への対応が必要となっている」 ("Cases have also been confirmed of people holding the 'Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services' status of residence engaging in on-site work and similar duties that do not require specialist technical skill or knowledge and do not fall within the activities permitted under that status of residence, and there is a need to address such inappropriate cases.") On the "student" status of residence, the plan also notes that, in light of violations of the limits on activities outside one's permitted status (the 28-hours-a-week cap), an initiative requiring Japanese-language institutions to check students' status once every three months began in April 2026. On international students, we have also covered simplified procedures for changing to a work-related status of residence.
For companies employing staff on an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, it is a prompt to reconfirm that actual job duties match the activities permitted under that status of residence. On the "Business Manager" visa, we have also covered the misunderstanding around the ¥30 million requirement.
For questions on recruitment and retention, please see our recruitment support services.
Source: Ministry of Justice / Immigration Services Agency, "Immigration Services Basic Plan"