Highly-Skilled Professionals and PR

What is the Highly Skilled Professional Status?

The Highly Skilled Professional Status is a status of residence (visa) for foreigners of excellent ability (Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals) in ‘Advanced Academic Research Activities’, ‘Advanced Specialized/Technical Activities’ and ‘Advanced Business Management Activities.

T’ Comparatively, this status of residence offers a number of benefits.

TIn order to receive the Highly Skilled Professional Status, it is necessary to reach the required number of ‘points’ in the Highly Skilled Foreign Professional points-based system.

TIt is possible to receive the status if the applicant has 70 or more points across a number of items, including, academic history, work history, and salary.

TFor those who are considering staying in Japan and have not yet received the Highly Skilled Professional Status, it is possible to calculate your current point total.

Ministry of Justice – Immigration Bureau – Point evaluation mechanism

Characteristics of the Highly Skilled Professional Status

Fast points-based system application processing
Fast application processing of 10 days from submission (actually 30 days)
*Regular processing takes between 90 and 180 days
Initial 5 year period of stay granted
*Usually, the initial period of stay granted is 1 year
Spouses are permitted to work
Parents may be brought to Japan
Housekeepers may be brought to Japan
Relaxation of Permanent Residency application requirements
70 points or more – Residency of 3 years or greater
80 points or more – Residency of 1 year or greater
*In comparison, residency of at least 10 years and 5 years of work history are usually required

The Highly Skilled Professional Status has two types.

TIn order to receive the Type 2 status, it is necessary to engage in activities for 3 years after having obtained the Type 1 Status.

The differences between the Type 1 and Type 2 Status are as follows.

Comparison of Type 1 and Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status

（⇐ Please slide sideways ⇒）

	Type 1 Highly-Skilled Professional	Type 2 Highly-Skilled Professional
Period of stay	5 Years	Indefinite period of stay
Changing jobs	✕^*1	◯
Relaxation of Permanent Residency requirements	◯	◯
Whether your spouse can work	◯	◯
Bringing parents to Japan	◯^*2	◯^*2
Bringing housekeepers to Japan	◯^*2	◯^*2
Priority processing for entry to Japan and residence procedures	◯	◯

*1 Notification necessary
*2 Limited to certain circumstances

TBy obtaining the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status, you have, in practice, the right to stay in Japan indefinitely.

TThe major difference between the Type 1 and Type 2 Status is that the Type 2 Status allows you to change jobs.

Those with the Type 1 Highly Skilled Professional Status are unable to change jobs in Japan. Those who wish to change jobs or stay in Japan for a long period of time should consider the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status.

Measures to expand the Highly Skilled Professional Visa system

The Government of Japan has announced plans to implement a new Highly Skilled Professional Visa system.

Under the existing Highly Skilled Professional Visa system, a foreign professional can obtain residency status in the category by being awarded 70 points or more based upon factors such as academic background, work experience and age.

According to the information that has been announced thus far, researchers (which fall under the category of professors) and engineers (which falls under the categories of technology, humanities and international services) will be able to obtain a visa under the new Highly Skilled Professional Visa category if the foreign national’s annual income exceeds 20 million yen and they have a master's degree or higher, or if the person’s annual income exceeds 20 million yen and the person has more than 10 years of work experience.

This new advanced visa will be available to managers (which fall under the category of management and administration) if the foreign national has been in the position for at least five years and has an annual income of at least 40 million yen.

This is excellent news for foreign nationals who had given up on acquiring the High Skilled Professional Visa because of reasons such as the foreign national’s inability to obtain a certificate of employment from the company they had worked at in the past.

The Immigration Bureau has not announced detailed information about how this new visa will be administered, but we intend to provide further information as soon as it becomes available.

Differences between the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status and Permanent Residency

Similar to the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status, the Permanent Residency Status (Permanent Residency) is a visa (status of residence) with an indefinite period of stay.

TPermanent Residency allows you to stay in Japan for an indefinite period, and similar to the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status, it allows you to engage in work activities in Japan.

What are the differences between Permanent Residency and the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status? Please refer to the following:

Comparison of Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status and Permanent Residency Status (Permanent Residency)

（⇐ Please slide sideways ⇒）

	Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status	Permanent Residency Status (Permanent Residency)
Work	Revocation if unemployed	No conditions on employment
Permissible work industries	Limited	No limit
Bringing parents to Japan	◯^*	✕
Bringing housekeepers to Japan	◯^*	✕
Whether your spouse can work	◯	◯
Re-entry to Japan allowed	Re-entry permit allows 5 years outside Japan	Re-entry permit allows 5 years outside Japan
Changing jobs	◯	◯
Mortgage	Many banks require Permanent Residency in order to qualify for mortgages or business loans

* Limited to certain circumstances

TPermanent Residency Status does not allow you to bring your parents or housekeepers to Japan.

THowever, it does allow you to continue staying in Japan even if you are not working, and there is no restriction on which industry you are permitted to work in.

TThose who wish to bring their parents and housekeepers to Japan may choose the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status, and those who do not need to may choose Permanent Residency.

In addition, those with the Type 1 Highly Skilled Professional Status are able to reduce the minimum waiting time for conversion to Permanent Residency by up to 9 years. Further details are provided below.

Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status and Permanent Residency application conditions

In order to obtain the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status and Permanent Residency, it is necessary to satisfy the following.

Status application conditions

Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status	The applicant’s behavior and conduct must be good Granting of the status is in the interests of Japan The activities engaged in are not found to be inappropriate The activities engaged in fall under the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status The applicant has more than 70 points The annual salary of the applicant is 3,000,000 JPY or more The applicant has engaged in activities under the Type 1 Highly Skilled Professional Status for 3 or more years
Permanent Residency Status (Permanent Residency)	The applicant’s behavior and conduct must be good The applicant must be able to make an independent living Granting of the status is in the interests of Japan The applicant must have stayed in Japan for 10 or more years *For applicants who hold the Type 1 Highly Skilled Professional Status, the requirements are relaxed as follows: For applicants with more than 80 points – 1 year or more For applicants with more than 70 points – 3 or more years

Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status

The applicant’s behavior and conduct must be good
Granting of the status is in the interests of Japan
The activities engaged in are not found to be inappropriate
The activities engaged in fall under the Type 2 Highly Skilled Professional Status
The applicant has more than 70 points
The annual salary of the applicant is 3,000,000 JPY or more
The applicant has engaged in activities under the Type 1 Highly Skilled Professional Status for 3 or more years

Permanent Residency Status (Permanent Residency)

The applicant’s behavior and conduct must be good
The applicant must be able to make an independent living
Granting of the status is in the interests of Japan
The applicant must have stayed in Japan for 10 or more years

*For applicants who hold the Type 1 Highly Skilled Professional Status, the requirements are relaxed as follows:
For applicants with more than 80 points – 1 year or more
For applicants with more than 70 points – 3 or more years

Overview of necessary documents

Type 2 Highly-Skilled Professional	Application for permission for a change of status Face headshot photo (4cm x 3cm) The applicant’s passport and residence card The documents listed in the lower column of the ‘Status of Residence’ column in the attached ‘Table 3’ to the Immigration Act Enforcement Regulations ①Certificate of registered matters ②Graduation certificate and resume or curriculum vitae ③Certificate of current employment ④Copy of financial statements for the most recent financial year Point calculation table Materials explaining each item of the point calculation table ①Graduate certificate ②Certificate of current employment ③Materials evidencing performance
Permanent Residency Status (Permanent Residency)	Permanent Residency application form Face headshot photo (4cm x 3cm) Certificate of corporate registration (if self-employed) Point calculation table ①Graduation certificate ②Certificate of employment Residence tax certificate of payment – evidencing 3 years of payment (for applicants with greater than 80 points, evidencing 1 year of payment) Materials evidencing income Copy of bank passbook, certificate of property registration etc. Certificate of residence Statement of purpose for application Personal guarantor materials ①Identity verification certificate for Permanent Residency applicant ②Personal guarantor certificate of employment ③Materials evidencing income of personal guarantor (certificate of tax payment, evidencing 1 year of payment) ④Certificate of residence Application fee – 8000 JPY

Type 2 Highly-Skilled Professional

Application for permission for a change of status
Face headshot photo (4cm x 3cm)
The applicant’s passport and residence card
The documents listed in the lower column of the ‘Status of Residence’ column in the attached ‘Table 3’ to the Immigration Act Enforcement Regulations
- ①Certificate of registered matters
- ②Graduation certificate and resume or curriculum vitae
- ③Certificate of current employment
- ④Copy of financial statements for the most recent financial year
Point calculation table
Materials explaining each item of the point calculation table
- ①Graduate certificate
- ②Certificate of current employment
- ③Materials evidencing performance