Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services
The workhorse employment status covering most professional office roles. It requires a Japanese employer, who obtains a certificate of eligibility before the visa is issued.
Who it is for. Graduates or people with substantial relevant experience holding a job offer from a Japanese employer.
Researched, not independently verifiedmedium confidenceReviewed 20 September 2026
Fact
- Income required
- Not stated
- Savings required
- Not stated
- Investment required
- None
- Application fee
- Not stated
- Processing time
- 30–120 days
- Permission lasts
- 60 months
- Permanent residence
- After 10 years
- Citizenship
- After 5 years
Renewable
Remote work not coveredLocal employment allowedFamily can join
Apply through the authority, not through us: www.isa.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
Official forms
Always download the current version from the authority. Consulates publish their own variants, and an out-of-date form is a common reason for rejection.
Certificate of Eligibility application
paperFiled in Japan by the sponsoring employer before the visa is applied for.
Immigration Services Agency · Japanese
Sources
Researched, not independently verifiedmedium confidenceReviewed 20 September 2026
Check this against
- Immigration Services Agency — statuses of residence and application procedures (opens in a new tab)Immigration Services Agency of Japan · National immigration authority
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act — statuses of residence (opens in a new tab)Ministry of Justice · Government department