Currently, many foreign nationals in Japan are unable to return to their home countries and remain in Japan.

In particular, many foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training would normally have returned home immediately, but are forced to remain in Japan due to the impact of COVID-19.

Among these foreign nationals, some anticipate that finding employment would be difficult for some time even if they returned home, and therefore wish to continue working in Japan over the long term as Specified Skilled Workers.

This article explains Designated Activities for employment maintenance support, which such foreign nationals can apply for.

What Are Designated Activities?

A Designated Activities visa is a visa issued by the Minister of Justice by designating activities for each individual foreign national.

Because it can be issued under the authority of the Minister of Justice, it shortens procedures that would otherwise require legislative amendments to create a new status of residence. As a result, it is sometimes issued only for a short period during emergencies such as those under COVID-19. Issuance is therefore suspended once the need no longer exists.

In addition, Designated Activities are issued for a wide range of purposes, and there are currently more than 40 types of Designated Activities.

What Is Designated Activities for Employment Maintenance Support?

The Immigration Services Agency of Japan, in coordination with relevant ministries and agencies, provides support to maintain employment in Japan for technical intern trainees dismissed by their accepting organizations due to the impact of COVID-19, Specified Skilled Workers dismissed by their accepting organizations, and others. Support includes assistance with re-employment in the specified industrial fields (the 14 fields under the Specified Skilled Worker system) and, subject to certain requirements, granting the Designated Activities status of residence to help maintain employment of foreign nationals in Japan.

The permitted period of stay is up to one year, and because there is currently no prospect of the COVID-19 pandemic coming under control, further extensions of the period (six months) are also possible.

Eligibility to apply for Designated Activities for employment maintenance support is limited to foreign nationals who wish to continue staying in Japan in order to work in a “specified industrial field” and acquire the skills necessary for the duties required to become Specified Skilled Workers.

Scope of Eligible Applicants

● Technical intern trainees for whom continuation of Technical Intern Training has become difficult due to dismissal or similar reasons

● Foreign workers for whom continuation of employment at their current workplace has become difficult due to dismissal or similar reasons

Examples: Statuses of residence such as “Specified Skilled Worker,” “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services,” and “Skilled Labor”

● International students whose job offers were rescinded

● Former technical intern trainees who have completed Technical Intern Training but face difficulty returning home

What Is Government-Recognized Matching Support?

To apply for Designated Activities for employment maintenance support, the foreign national and the accepting organization must enter into an employment contract.

However, it is difficult for foreign nationals to find accepting organizations on their own, and it is also difficult for accepting organizations to connect with international talent.

To improve this situation, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan takes the lead in providing matching support related to employment contracts.

Steps to Receive Matching Support

Foreign nationals who wish to receive matching support must submit a document titled “Consent Form Regarding the Handling of Personal Information” to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan. After submitting this document, they can receive support for re-employment at companies and other organizations in their desired specified industrial fields.

As a concrete example, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan provides the foreign national’s information submitted via the “Consent Form Regarding the Handling of Personal Information” to relevant ministries, agencies, prefectures, and other related organizations. As a result, if there are companies within the desired specified industrial fields that are hiring and wish to recruit, those companies, employment placement agencies, or similar organizations may contact the contact details listed on the form, and re-employment may be realized.

● Where to submit the Consent Form Regarding the Handling of Personal Information

〇 When a foreign national who was active as a Specified Skilled Worker becomes unemployed

The regional immigration services bureau with jurisdiction over the Specified Skilled Worker’s current place of residence

〇 When a person other than a Specified Skilled Worker wishes to receive matching support

〒100-8973 1-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Residence Management Support Department, Residence Management Division, Employment Maintenance Support Desk

※ The Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) handles inquiries by toll-free phone from foreign nationals facing difficulties due to the impact of COVID-19, and also provides support for preparing the documents required for this matching.

〇 For organizations that wish to hire foreign nationals

Organizations that wish to hire foreign nationals currently in Japan under Designated Activities for employment maintenance support can apply to be listed on the job offerer information list by submitting a Job Offerer Registration Form, which can be downloaded from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan website.

Other Points to Note

● When a former technical intern trainee who has completed Technical Intern Training transitions to Designated Activities for employment maintenance support, as a general rule the foreign national bears the cost of travel when returning home. If the former technical intern trainee is unable to bear the return travel costs, the accepting organization will bear those costs. On this point, accepting organizations normally bear the travel costs for technical intern trainees’ entry into and departure from Japan. Therefore, a new accepting organization that accepts the foreign national after they obtain Designated Activities must fully explain this point to the foreign national and enter into an employment contract only after obtaining their full understanding.

● If an accepting organization that has accepted a foreign national under Designated Activities for employment maintenance support finds it difficult to continue acceptance due to deteriorating business conditions or similar reasons, it must submit a “Report on Difficulty in Acceptance” to the nearest regional immigration services bureau or branch office.

● Among the 14 specified industrial fields, foreign nationals who may be granted Designated Activities for employment maintenance support in the three manufacturing fields (materials industry, industrial machinery manufacturing, and electrical and electronic information-related industries) are limited to Specified Skilled Workers who were active in those three fields, or former technical intern trainees who had been engaged in occupations and work that allow transition with exam exemption as good completers of Technical Intern Training (ii) into those three fields. Eligibility is further limited to foreign nationals dismissed due to circumstances of their accepting organization, completers who face difficulty returning home after completing Technical Intern Training, and similar cases.

Summary

This article has explained Designated Activities for employment maintenance support.

The majority of foreign nationals who apply for this status of residence are former technical intern trainees who face difficulty returning home.

At present, there is no prospect that the impact of COVID-19 will subside in the home countries of technical intern trainees, and the number of infections is also trending upward in Japan.

Although this Designated Activities status was initially permitted for a maximum period of only one year, it is now possible to renew for an additional six-month period.

In this way, the applicable rules for Designated Activities for employment maintenance support change in response to the evolving situation day by day, so it is necessary to check the latest information regularly.

In addition, while this Designated Activities status has certain restrictions in manufacturing, transition to other industries is generally possible.

The background to allowing transitions to other industries is that, while some foreign nationals in Japan face difficulty finding employment, many companies also face labor shortages because new entry of foreign nationals, including technical intern trainees, is difficult. These measures have been taken for that reason.

In particular, labor shortages in the agriculture field became severe for a time and were frequently covered on television.

Until the impact of COVID-19 subsides, it is fair to say that these systems should be used effectively to find approaches that benefit both foreign nationals and accepting organizations.