When obtaining the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence, there are cases of changing from a previously held status of residence and cases of obtaining a status of residence for the first time while still in the home country.

This article focuses on points to note when obtaining the status of residence through each of these routes.

〇 Student

This category includes those who were originally studying in Japan (at Japanese language schools, vocational schools, universities, and the like).

・ Withdrawal from school

This is the case of withdrawing from an educational institution in Japan and aiming to obtain the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence.

If you withdraw from school, you must report this to the immigration authority within 14 days, and of course you will no longer be able to work part-time or similar.

Therefore, if at the time of withdrawal you already hold qualifications proving you have passed the Specified Skilled Worker skills evaluation exam and Japanese language proficiency equivalent to about JLPT N4, that is fine; otherwise, you will need to return to your home country within your period of stay.

At present, due to the impact of COVID-19, there are also cases of withdrawal for financial reasons, such as when family members in the home country who had been supporting tuition in Japan can no longer do so.

Depending on the situation in each country, if you withdraw for financial reasons or similar, you may also apply for Designated Activities (6 months) for difficulty returning home, or Designated Activities (12 months) for employment maintenance support.

With Designated Activities (6 months), only part-time work is generally permitted, but if you obtain Designated Activities (12 months) for employment maintenance support, you will work with the goal of passing the Specified Skilled Worker exams and becoming a Specified Skilled Worker.

・ Graduation

If you graduate from an educational institution in Japan, you may conduct job hunting during the remaining period of stay, or obtain Designated Activities for job hunting.

In either case, within that period of stay you must pass the Specified Skilled Worker skills evaluation exam and a Japanese language test at about the JLPT N4 level, and apply for the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence.

〇 Designated Activities

The three types of Designated Activities introduced below are statuses of residence permitted only under the impact of COVID-19.

・ Designated Activities (4 months)

This is Designated Activities that foreign nationals who have already passed the Specified Skilled Worker skills evaluation exam and a Japanese language test at about the JLPT N4 level may apply for when it is expected that they will not be able to apply for the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence by their period of stay deadline for reasons such as document preparation.

Situations envisioned as reasons for applying for this Designated Activities include not being able to complete a medical examination in time, not being able to obtain documents such as tax payment certificates in time, and, in fields such as manufacturing, cases where membership in the Specified Skilled Worker council is required before applying for the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence when accepting Specified Skilled Workers, but approval for council membership has not been granted.

・ Designated Activities (6 months)

This Designated Activities is a status of residence mainly applied for by foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training and thereafter face difficulty returning home due to the impact of COVID-19. Various situations are possible, such as continuing employment under the same supervising organization, working in a different occupation, or also changing the accepting organization, but note that the documents to be submitted differ depending on each situation.

・ Designated Activities (12 months)

This is Designated Activities that first permits 12 months of employment while the person acquires the abilities needed to qualify for the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence.

A condition is that the occupation of employment does not yet meet the requirements for applying for the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence. For example, in the case of agriculture, the person first works at the accepting organization where they plan to work as a Specified Skilled Worker while aiming to pass the Specified Skilled Worker skills evaluation exam and a Japanese language test at about the JLPT N4 level.

The main purpose of this status of residence is to maintain employment for foreign nationals in Japan who have lost their jobs due to the impact of COVID-19, so once this situation improves, permission will no longer be granted.

〇 Specified Skilled Worker

Because job changes are permitted under the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence, changes of status of residence such as Specified Skilled Worker → Specified Skilled Worker are also possible.

・ Specified Skilled Worker (i)

For foreign nationals working under the Specified Skilled Worker (i) status of residence, job changes are permitted, so within the scope in which the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence can be obtained, it is possible to apply anew for Specified Skilled Worker (i), obtain permission, and then change jobs.

For example, a foreign national who has been working as Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the agriculture field may change jobs within agriculture, and job changes to other fields are also possible if they have already taken and obtained qualifications such as the Specified Skilled Worker skills evaluation exam in another field.

・ Specified Skilled Worker (ii)

At present, no foreign national has been able to obtain the Specified Skilled Worker (ii) status of residence, but it has been decided that permission for Specified Skilled Worker (ii) will first be granted in the construction and shipbuilding fields going forward. The requirements that must be met to obtain Specified Skilled Worker (ii) are also still undecided, so it will likely take some time before applications for this status of residence become possible.

〇 Technical Intern Training

This is currently the route through which most Specified Skilled Workers have changed status or similar.

Foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training (ii) or higher can apply for the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence without needing to pass the Specified Skilled Worker skills evaluation exam if they remain in the same occupation.

In addition, for foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training (ii) or higher, Japanese language ability is recognized unconditionally on that basis alone, without the need to take the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test.

・ Completion of Technical Intern Training (ii)

For foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training (ii), there are mainly two options: proceeding to Technical Intern Training (iii) or becoming a Specified Skilled Worker. In terms of period of stay, Specified Skilled Worker (i) allows a maximum of five years, and if Specified Skilled Worker (ii) can be obtained it becomes indefinite, so advancing to Specified Skilled Worker may be preferable in some cases.

・ Completion of Technical Intern Training (iii)

Foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training (iii) are eligible to apply for the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence. In addition, transitioning to Specified Skilled Worker after completing Technical Intern Training (iii) can extend by two years the period during which the foreign national may work in Japan.

As a disadvantage, Technical Intern Training (iii) requires taking skills certification exams as with Technical Intern Training (i) and (ii) already experienced, as well as preparing technical intern training journals and operating the Technical Intern Training system, so it involves more effort than employing Specified Skilled Workers.

〇 First entry into Japan

For foreign nationals entering Japan for the first time, they need to pass the Specified Skilled Worker skills evaluation exam and a Japanese language test at about the JLPT N4 level in their home country, so they will likely need to attend a school or training facility for about six months before entry. Also, unlike talent who become Specified Skilled Workers after experience as technical intern trainees, these are people coming to Japan for the first time, so at the start of employment they will likely need the same level of thorough support as technical intern trainees. For that reason, even when accepting Specified Skilled Workers for entry, many accepting organizations prefer talent who have already completed Technical Intern Training (ii) or higher.

Summary

This article introduced points to note when obtaining the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence, organized by the status of residence held before obtaining it. At present, due to the impact of COVID-19, opportunities have expanded for foreign nationals in Japan aiming for the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence, and more statuses of residence than usual are available. This situation is expected to change around the time new entries resume, so it is necessary to proceed with preparations now.