Japan work visa

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Topics reviewed in this article:

• The Japanese work visa
• Japanese work visa and required documents
• Japanese work visa and the unemployment rate
• Japanese work visa and required jobs
• Japanese work visa and salary
• Japanese work visa and how to find a job
• Japanese work visa and employment agencies
• Japanese work visa and companion visa
• Japanese work visa, residence, and citizenship status

The Japanese work visa

Working in Japan requires a job offer from a Japanese employer. More than 70% of the Japanese workforce is 55 to 64 years old. Therefore, it is in constant need of young and skilled labor and has made a new system for hiring foreigners, which we will introduce and describe.

In recent years, the Japanese Ministry of Labor has replaced the previous labor system with the scoring recruitment system. They created this scoring system to attract and hire skilled and qualified workforce in various industrial and service sectors. They need jobs in financial management, business, industry management, and engineering. According to the Japanese Ministry of Labor, there are two types of work visas, the most critical one is the skilled work visa (tokutei ginou 特定 技能), which has two types: SSV-1 and SSV-2.

Another name for the Japanese work visa is HSP or HSFP, designed to attract a skilled workforce to the Japanese job market. HSP is a specific visa with more advantages than the standard work visa and is designed for talented international workers with advanced and specialized skills. Besides, HSP is a special type of visa (a branch of the Japanese work visa), so the applicants cannot obtain this type of visa without having a job offer from a Japanese employer. This type of Japanese work visa has a scoring system.

The applicants can obtain points according to their study and professional background, income, and academic achievement based on a table of points prepared by Japanese immigration officials. If the applicants prove that they have scored 70 points or more, they can apply for a foreign skilled work visa. The following is the service system for obtaining a Japanese work visa.

• Advanced academic research activities

• Advanced technical or specialized activities

• Advanced business management activities

Additional information:

• Table 1: Annual salary

• Table 2: Research Achievements

If you are eligible and receive 70 points, you can complete the Japanese Work Visa Application Form, the Score Calculation Form, and submit them to the Japan Immigration Service with the required documents. The application process usually takes at least one to two months. If the person is eligible, a letter entitled “Certificate of eligibility” will be issued, and the applicant will be invited to continue the employment process in Japan.

Japanese work visa and required documents

The applicants need to prepare and submit the required documents and meet the specific conditions to obtain a Japanese work visa. Incomplete and incorrect certificates will reduce the chances of getting a Japanese work visa. The following are the required documents to receive a Japanese work visa:

• Completed visa application form
• Passport photo
• Special envelope
• Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
• Job offer letter
• Resume
• Copy of diplomas
• Payment of visa fee
• Valid passport

Japanese work visa and the unemployment rate

Familiarity with the Japanese job market and knowing the Japanese unemployment rate is one of the most critical issues to find work in Japan and obtain a work visa. Japan’s seasonal unemployment rate in March 2019 increased by 0.2% compared to the previous three months, from 2.3 to 2.5 percent, while experts expected the unemployment rate to be 2.4% during this period. Meanwhile, the job creation rate remained unchanged at 1.63%, slightly less than the expected 1.64%. Japan’s unemployment rate averaged 2.72% from 1953 to 2019, with the highest degree at 5.5% in June 2002 and the lowest at 1% in November 1968.

In the following, we will discuss the required jobs in Japan.

Japanese work visa and required jobs

The most critical factor in obtaining a Japanese work visa is the applicant’s work and profession in the Japanese required jobs list. An applicant can download this list from reputable immigration sites in Japan and match it with their job and profession.

Working hours in Japan are pretty long. This issue is mentioned in the country’s labor law. The Japanese workforce employs an average of 60 hours per week. It has led to the phenomenon of carousing (death due to overwork). Many Japanese job seekers are from English-speaking countries, so they need English-language jobs. However, there are many more jobs for Japanese speakers than for English speakers.

These Japanese English-language required jobs include translation, IT, and modeling. The growing workforce in Japan has provided new opportunities for eligible applicants to work in this country. The most critical barrier to working in Japan is still the Japanese language, which is very difficult to learn. Recently, many jobs for skilled professionals and workers have been created in Japan, including the following:

Japanese work visa and salary

The most critical issue in the Japanese work field is the workers’ salary because job-seekers cannot live a normal life with a low salary.

Wages in Japan in 2018 increased from 848 yen to 874 yen per hour. The average minimum wage in Japan from 2002 to 2018 averaged 737.59 yen per hour. The maximum salary was 874 yen per hour in 2018, and the minimum was 663 yen per hour in 2002.

Japanese work visa and how to find a job

The living cost in Japan is high, but you can easily manage your living expenses if you work because income is also high. Even if you are not fluent in Japanese, you can find work if you know where to look for a job. The Japanese international job search websites will help you a lot in finding a job. The applicants can also find a job in Japan by using job search newspapers, Japanese job centers, and local resources, like people. In the next section, we will introduce Japanese reputable employment agencies.

Japanese work visa and employment agencies

You need to have a job offer from a Japanese employer to work in this country, for which you must contact employment agencies. As mentioned before, the best way to find a job in Japan is to use Japanese international job search agencies. You can find the required jobs on the Japanese institute’s sites. Then, you must correspond with the desired job’s employer to get the job you want. We will discuss the Japanese international employment agencies in the table below.

Japanese work visa and companion visa

One of the most critical things for the applicants working in Japan is the companion visa. The Japanese companion visa is called a companion visa for employees present in Japan. According to international law, the spouse and minor children are considered companions. The required documents for a Japanese companion visa are as follows:

• Family members’ valid passport
• Completed visa application form
• Passport photo
• Marriage certificate
• Copy of supporter’s passport

Work visa holder

• Proof of financial viability
• Translation and copy of other documents announced by the Embassy of Japan

Japanese work visa, residence, and citizenship status

Working in Japan is a legal and appropriate way to immigrate to this country. The most critical factor after successfully obtaining a Japanese work visa is the possibility of receiving permanent residence and citizenship by it. It is called the Japanese work visa (eijuken. 住.). You must have worked and paid taxes in Japan for at least ten years to obtain a residence permit by work. Besides, the applicants must prove that they are integrated into Japanese culture and society, have mastered the Japanese language, and afford to live in this country.

The cost of applying for a Japanese permanent resident visa is about 8,000 Japanese yen.

The conditions for obtaining Japanese residency and citizenship by work are as follows:

• Live in Japan for at least ten years
• No criminal record during the mentioned period
• Working on the request period
• Financial viability to cover the living expenses in Japan (average 3,000,000 yen annual income plus 600,000 to 800,000 yen per family member)
• Continuous taxes payment and having a transparent financial history
• Having social insurance

The required documents to obtain Japanese residency and citizenship by working in this country are as follows:

• Marriage certificate if available
• Having the necessary points (having 70 scores, obtaining residency after three years of application and having 80 scores, obtaining residency after a year of application)
• Passport photo
• Work visa
• Residency card
• Legal receipt
• Passport copy
• National Health Card
• Residence address