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ENGINEER / SPECIALIST IN HUMANITIES / INTERNATIONAL SERVICES
The most commonly obtained work visa when a company or organization in Japan hires a foreign specialist. We explain the requirements and practical pitfalls for HR staff and job seekers alike.
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[From 15 April 2026] A new supplementary-document rule takes effect
Where you belong to a "Category 3" or "Category 4" employer — small and medium-sized businesses, sole proprietors, newly established companies, and the like — and mainly perform work using language skills such as translation/interpretation or customer service, you will need to submit an additional declaration regarding the employer's representative, plus proof of Japanese ability at CEFR B2 or above. See below for details.
OVERVIEW
This status of residence covers work requiring academic specialist knowledge or technology, or thinking or sensibility grounded in a distinct foreign culture. Statuses that were once split along science/humanities lines have since been merged into one. In practice, applications are examined under three categories: "Engineer" (natural sciences), "Specialist in Humanities" (social sciences), and "International Services" (other).
REQUIREMENTS
You must have graduated from a university, graduate school, or junior college (in Japan or overseas) and hold a degree, or have completed a specialized course at a Japanese vocational school (senshu gakko) and hold the title of "Senmonshi" or "Kodo Senmonshi" (vocational schools outside Japan generally do not count). Without such education, you generally need 10 years or more of practical work experience related to the job (including time spent studying a related subject at school), though "International Services" work (interpretation, translation, overseas trade, etc.) requires only 3 years or more. Under the Immigration Services Agency's current position, time spent as a Technical Intern Trainee or under Specified Skilled Worker Type 1 can count toward this 10-year requirement.
There must be a logical connection between what you studied and the work you will actually perform. For university graduates, this is judged relatively flexibly — even if your major does not exactly match your job, approval is common as long as the connection can be explained from your overall coursework. For graduates of a vocational school (Senmonshi), this relevance is examined very strictly — the content of your vocational training must closely match your intended work. If your training was limited to basic office skills such as Word or Excel, refusal becomes very likely.
You may not be paid unfairly low wages simply because you are a foreign national. You must be paid at least the same salary (base pay and bonus) as a Japanese employee with comparable career and education. If your pay is markedly lower than the industry average (as a rough benchmark, under ¥200,000 per month), this becomes a ground for refusal. Reimbursement-type allowances such as commuting, dependent, or housing allowances are not counted as "pay" for this assessment.
NEW RULE FROM APR 2026
If any of the following applies, no separate proof needs to be submitted.
* Even outside these roles, additional documents may be requested individually during examination.
COMMON PITFALLS
Even where an application appears to satisfy the requirements on paper, refusals often occur in practice for reasons like the following.
Because this status is reserved for specialist work, engaging predominantly in simple or manual labor (hotel bed-making, restaurant serving/cooking, factory line work, basic cashier/customer service at a shop, etc.) is never permitted. Even help during a busy season can become a problem if it becomes a routine, ongoing part of the job — this is treated as unauthorized work at the time of renewal.
Where a foreign employee undergoes the same hands-on training given to new hires, it must be a short, standard part of a training program applied equally to Japanese new graduates, and the move into specialist work after training must be committed to from the time of hiring. Training that functions as an "internal promotion system" — putting everyone on the floor and only later promoting the best performers to office work — is not accepted. Where an application includes a training period, the first period of stay granted is, in principle, one year.
Even where the stated reason for hiring is "overseas trade" or "interpretation/translation," the employer must have a genuine, ongoing volume of that kind of work. Hiring someone as an "interpreter" for a shop with almost no trading activity, or almost no foreign customers, invites suspicion that the role is really a disguise for simple customer service, leading to refusal.
Examiners also scrutinize the appropriateness of the hiring company itself. Where a company fails to comply with the Labor Standards Act or the Minimum Wage Act, or fails to properly enroll employees in social insurance, it will not be recognized as "an organization with appropriate labor management," and visa refusals on this basis are increasing.
If an employee on this visa is promoted to a position such as director, and management of the company's business becomes their main duty, continuing to work under this status becomes unauthorized activity. As soon as their duties genuinely shift to management, they must promptly change to "Business Manager" status — without waiting for their current period of stay to expire.
FAQ
Yes, it is possible, but the relevance between your major and your job is examined more strictly than for a university graduate. What you studied at the vocational school must closely match your intended work — if this connection is not clearly demonstrated, refusal becomes fairly likely.
Yes. If you have 10 years or more of practical experience related to the job (3 years or more for International Services work), this can substitute for the education requirement. Under the Immigration Services Agency's current position, time spent as a Technical Intern Trainee or Specified Skilled Worker Type 1 can count toward this 10-year requirement.
There is no fixed amount set by law, but pay must be at least equal to a Japanese employee with comparable career and education. A salary markedly below the industry average (as a rough benchmark, under ¥200,000 per month) becomes a ground for refusal.
It applies where you belong to a "Category 3" or "Category 4" employer (small and medium-sized businesses, sole proprietors, newly established companies, etc.) and mainly perform work using language skills, such as translation/interpretation or customer service. If you meet certain standards, such as JLPT N2 or above, no additional proof is required. For a renewal continuing the same work as before, submission is generally not required.
Occasional help during a busy period is not necessarily a problem by itself, but if it becomes a routine and ongoing part of the job, the risk of it being treated as unauthorized work at renewal increases significantly. It is important that specialist work remains your main duty.
Yes. We confirm the reason for the refusal, analyze what was lacking — whether in education/experience, the relevance of your major, or your pay level — and support you in reapplying after making improvements.
Reference: Immigration Services Agency of Japan: Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services (official Immigration Services Agency of Japan website)
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