What is the Japan Engineer/Specialist Visa?
The Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services visa (技術・人文知識・国際業務, often shortened to "gijinkoku") is Japan's most common work status for foreign professionals. Despite the long name, it is a single residence status bundling three categories of white-collar work:
Engineer (software, mechanical, electrical and civil engineering, data science, applied research), Specialist in Humanities (business, marketing, design, planning), and International Services (translation, interpretation, language instruction, overseas business liaison). The Immigration Services Agency groups them because they share the same eligibility framework.
The core rule is that your degree or experience must match the job. It is granted for 1, 3 or 5 years and is renewable. Once your profile reaches 70 points, many holders upgrade to the Highly Skilled Professional visa for faster permanent residence.
Note: This information is for guidance only and does not constitute immigration advice. Requirements change — verify current figures at the official government source before applying.
Do you qualify?
You must meet two requirements: a qualifying job offer, and a degree or experience that matches the role. The degree-to-job relevance test is the core of the assessment.
You need a job offer from a legitimate Japanese employer for work in one of the three categories, paying at least as much as a Japanese national in the same role (practical floor around ¥200,000/month). The role must require professional knowledge — manual labour, factory assembly and transportation work are not permitted under this status.
You need a bachelor's degree (or higher) relevant to the job, or at least 10 years of relevant experience (3 years for translation, interpretation or language instruction — waived entirely for university graduates in those fields). The degree subject must reasonably connect to the job duties; an unrelated degree is a common cause of refusal.
The 2026 salary requirements
There is no fixed statutory minimum salary. The ISA requires that your pay be no lower than a Japanese national doing the same job — undercutting local wages is a red flag that leads to refusal. The practical reference floor is around ¥200,000/month (¥2.4 million/year) for new graduates.
The comparability test: the ISA checks your salary against what a Japanese national would earn in the same position at the same company; if the offer looks low, the employer must document why. New from 15 April 2026: where the employer is in Immigration's Category 3 or 4 (smaller firms) and the job is customer-facing language work (interpretation, translation, sales, customer support), proof of Japanese at CEFR B2 / JLPT N2 (or BJT 400+) is now required — Category 1 and 2 (large/listed) employers are exempt, and a Japanese university degree counts as proof. Tax note: income tax is progressive (5–45% national plus ~10% local), with social-insurance deductions.
What you need to apply
If applying from outside Japan, the employer obtains a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from the ISA first; you then apply for the visa at a Japanese embassy. If already in Japan (for example, on a student visa), you apply to change status directly.
If you do not have any of the documents below, read the FAQs section for further guidance.
Application timeline
From the employer starting the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to arriving in Japan typically takes 2–4 months. The COE is the main time cost. If you are already in Japan (for example, on a student visa), changing status takes 1–2 months.
Most common delay: degree-to-job mismatch — the single most common refusal reason. If your degree is in an unrelated field, the employer must build a strong case for relevance, or you may need the experience route. Address this before filing.
The employer applies to the ISA for the COE, submitting the employment contract, company documents and your degree/experience evidence. COE processing takes 1–3 months.
Handled by: your employer
The COE is sent to you. Apply for the visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country, submitting the COE and passport. Processing takes 3–5 business days.
Handled by: you
Enter Japan on the visa. Your residence card (zairyū card) is issued at the port of entry.
Handled by: you
Register your address at the local ward or city office within 14 days, enrol in the National Health Insurance and pension systems, and begin work.
Handled by: you
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but you must notify the ISA within 14 days of leaving or joining a job, and the new role must still qualify under Engineer, Specialist in Humanities or International Services. If the new role is meaningfully different, apply for a Certificate of Authorised Employment (就労資格証明書) to confirm eligibility before starting — this protects you at renewal.
Yes. Your spouse and dependent children can join on Dependent (家族滞在) visas. However, a Dependent visa holder can only work up to 28 hours per week, and only after obtaining separate "Permission to Engage in Activities Other Than Those Permitted." This differs from the Highly Skilled Professional visa, where the spouse can work full-time.
For many engineering and bilingual roles, no — a significant number of employers, especially in IT and global companies, operate in English. However, from 15 April 2026, customer-facing language roles (translation, interpretation, sales, customer support) at smaller employers (Category 3/4) require CEFR B2 / JLPT N2. For daily life, Japanese ability is highly beneficial — and it earns points if you later apply for the HSP visa.
Not under this status alone. The visa authorises work for your sponsoring employer in qualifying activities. Side income outside that scope generally requires separate "Permission to Engage in Activities Other Than Those Permitted," or a change to a different status such as Business Manager. Broad freelancing is not permitted on this visa.
The standard route requires 10 years of residence in Japan (with at least 5 on a work status). The fastest path is to switch to the Highly Skilled Professional visa once your profile — degree, income, experience, age and Japanese ability — reaches 70 points: HSP holders can apply for PR in 3 years (or 1 year at 80 points). Many Engineer/Specialist holders upgrade for exactly this reason.
The Engineer/Specialist visa is the standard, accessible entry point — tied to a job category, granting 1, 3 or 5 years, with the 10-year PR route. The HSP is the premium tier — points-based, 5-year visa, spouse full-time work rights and 1–3 year PR. Most professionals start here and move to HSP once they qualify; if you already score 70 HSP points, you can apply for HSP directly.
You cannot apply for the Engineer/Specialist visa without a job offer from a Japanese employer. Every job listed on Workbeyond is from employers who sponsor international talent to work in Japan. Use the filters to narrow by profession, city and seniority level to find roles that match your criteria.
Find visa-sponsored jobs in Japan
Every job listed on Workbeyond is from an employer who sponsors international workers. This visa requires a job offer whose duties match your degree or experience, so finding the right role is the first step. Use the filters to narrow by profession, city and seniority level.
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