Author
88 articles
The Student status covers universities, colleges, vocational schools and Japanese-language schools. Your school applies for a Certificate of Eligibility, you get the visa at home, and in Japan you can work up to 28 hours a week with permission (8 hours a day in long school holidays).
This is the most common work visa for graduates: engineering, IT, business, marketing, translation and similar specialist jobs. You need a related degree (or 10 years' experience; 3 years for international-services work), a contract with a Japanese organisation, and pay equal to a Japanese employee.
Technical Intern Training (TITP) is being replaced. From 1 April 2027, new workers come under Employment for Skill Development (ESD): 3 years of work and training that leads to SSW (i). TITP continues only for trainees already in Japan, or whose plans are applied for by 31 March 2027 and who start by 30 June 2027.
Specified Skilled Worker (i) lets you work full-time in a labour-shortage field after you pass a skills test and a Japanese test (JFT-Basic or JLPT N4). You can stay up to 5 years in total. SSW (ii) has no total limit, and your spouse and children can join you if you meet the requirements.
