We introduce the periodic notification requirements that must be completed after accepting Specified Skilled Workers, focusing on points that are especially easy to get wrong.

〇 Regarding the “notification target period”

Periodic notifications are required to be submitted for each period divided into January–March, April–June, July–September, and October–December.

Specifically, submission is required for the following periods.

Q1: From January 1 to March 31

Q2: From April 1 to June 30

Q3: From July 1 to September 30

Q4: From October 1 to December 31

〇 Regarding the submission deadline for notification forms

For each quarter, submission is required within 14 days from the first day of the following quarter.

Specifically, the dates are as follows.

Q1 submission deadline: by April 15

Q2 submission deadline: by July 15

Q3 submission deadline: by October 15

Q4 submission deadline: by January 15 (of the following year)

〇 Regarding handling when a Specified Skilled Worker employment contract is concluded during the notification target period, or when a Certificate of Eligibility is issued.

If landing permission or permission to change status of residence under Specified Skilled Worker (i) or Specified Skilled Worker (ii) is granted during the notification target period, the person is covered regardless of whether they actually work. However, even if a Certificate of Eligibility has been issued, those who have not yet entered Japan are not included.

〇 For example, regarding a Specified Skilled Worker who received landing permission on October 2 and began work, then resigned for personal reasons two days after starting work, and the accepting organization has already submitted a notification of difficulty in acceptance and a notification of termination of the Specified Skilled Worker employment contract. As of the end of the year, no Specified Skilled Worker is affiliated, and there are no plans to employ Specified Skilled Workers for some time. In this case, is a periodic notification for Q4 required?

Any foreign national who was affiliated with the accepting organization for even one day during Q4 is subject to the periodic notification for Q4.

〇 A Specified Skilled Worker you are accepting married a Japanese national and obtained the status of residence of Spouse or Child of Japanese National during the notification target period. Employment is still ongoing, but is a periodic notification still required after the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence has been lost?

Activity status up to the date the status of residence of Spouse or Child of Japanese National was obtained is subject to the periodic notification.

〇 What is the person responsible for preparation listed on the notification form?

The person must be selected from among the officers and employees of the accepting organization and must be someone who can take responsibility for preparing the notification form. They do not necessarily need to be a representative or officer of the accepting organization.

〇 Regarding the signature field for the preparer of this notification form on the form, who has the authority to sign?

The person who actually prepared the notification form from among the officers and employees of the accepting organization must sign. They do not necessarily need to be the same person as the person responsible for preparation.

〇 Regarding where to submit the notification form

It must be submitted to the regional immigration services bureau that has jurisdiction over the accepting organization’s address (the registered head office location).

〇 Who submits the notification form?

Periodic notifications by the accepting organization must be submitted under the accepting organization’s own responsibility.

※ There are no particular rules regarding who may submit the notification form.

〇 Regarding how to handle corrections to a notification form after it has been submitted.

You need to correct the already submitted notification form and then submit the corrected notification form.

〇 Regarding notification methods other than in-person submission or mail.

From April 1, 2021, electronic notification via the internet became available. Regarding the scope of notifications that can be made via the internet, all notifications made by accepting organizations of Specified Skilled Workers and Registered Support Organizations are covered.

In addition, user information registration is required before using electronic notification. Fill in the required information on the prescribed form and either submit it at the nearest regional immigration services bureau counter or apply for registration by mail.

〇 Regarding how to respond when there is a change in the place of activity or job duties of a Specified Skilled Worker from the time of permission to change status of residence or permission to extend the period of stay.

A notification of change to the Specified Skilled Worker employment contract must be submitted. It must be submitted within 14 days from the date the change occurred.

〇 When an accepting organization has entrusted only part of the Specified Skilled Worker (i) support plan to a Registered Support Organization, should the notification form regarding the status of support implementation be submitted by the accepting organization or the Registered Support Organization?

When only part of the Specified Skilled Worker (i) support plan has been entrusted, the accepting organization must submit the notification form regarding the status of support implementation.

※ A Registered Support Organization is required to submit the notification regarding the status of support implementation only when it has been entrusted by the accepting organization with implementation of the entire Specified Skilled Worker (i) support plan.

〇 Regarding how to fill in the form when mandatory support during the notification target period was implemented but optional support items were not implemented.

Check “not implemented,” then state in the reason-for-non-implementation field that mandatory support was implemented, and write the reason optional support was not implemented in the remarks field or similar.

〇 When there is only one Specified Skilled Worker who received permission to change status of residence from Technical Intern Training (ii) to Specified Skilled Worker and has continued working as a Specified Skilled Worker during the notification target period, and the items that would normally need to be implemented—“pickup at the airport, etc.,” “send-off at the airport, etc.,” and “⑨ job-change support upon involuntary separation”—have not been implemented, how should this be entered?

Check “no support recipients” and submit.

〇 Regarding the “number of enrolled persons” and “number of newly hired persons” fields under “matters related to employment status” on the notification form, should employees with whom an employment contract was concluded during the notification target period but who have not yet started work also be included in the count?

Regarding the “number of enrolled persons” and “number of newly hired persons” under matters related to employment status, employees who have not started work are not to be entered.

〇 Do “employees” under matters related to employment status include part-time and casual workers?

Full-time employees are covered (in principle, those whose working days are 5 or more per week and 217 or more per year, and whose weekly working hours are 30 or more).

Even if they are part-time or casual workers, they are included as employees if their working days and hours are the same as those of full-time employees.

〇 Under matters related to employment status, should “employees” also include employees who work at workplaces other than the workplace where the Specified Skilled Worker works?

All employees employed by the accepting organization are covered.

〇 Regarding “number of voluntary separations” or “number of involuntary separations” under matters related to employment status, how to enter employees who left upon expiration of a fixed-term employment contract.

If the employee does not apply for renewal of the fixed-term employment contract, or applies for renewal but the fixed-term employment contract ends for a legitimate reason, enter them under the number of voluntary separations.

〇 Under the amount of costs required for accepting Specified Skilled Workers, for “costs required for preparation for acceptance,” is it necessary to also enter amounts spent before the notification target period in relation to Specified Skilled Workers who newly started work after receiving entry or change of status permission, etc. during the target period?

Amounts spent before the target period must also be entered.

〇 Regarding the payment status of remuneration to Specified Skilled Workers, which months and what kind of payment status should be entered?

You must enter the amounts actually paid in the relevant months during the quarter that is the notification target period.

Specifically, entries such as the following are required.

<When the cutoff is the 20th of each month and payment is on the 10th of the following month>

Concrete example using Q1

January: Enter the January 10 payment (for work from November 21 to December 20)

February: Enter the February 10 payment (for work from December 21 to January 20)

March: Enter the March 10 payment (for work from January 21 to February 20)

Summary

In this article, we picked out and introduced points that are easy to get wrong regarding the notification documents that companies that have started accepting Specified Skilled Workers are required to submit.

Because notifications must be submitted reliably within the deadline, confirm the rules, fill them in accurately, and submit them promptly.