What is the Specified Skills scheme?
- A residence status that allows foreign nationals who are ready to work immediately to be employed in Japan
- Covers 16 fields facing serious labor shortages, including construction, automobile transport, and nursing care (to be expanded to 19 fields from 2027 onward)
- “Specified Skills No. 1,” which allows work for up to 5 years, and “Specified Skills No. 2,” which requires a higher, more skilled level and — if requirements are met — allows family members to accompany the worker, with no limit on the number of visa renewals
- After completing the Technical Intern Training Program (for those accepted through March 2027) or the Employment for Skill Development Program (from April 2027 onward), foreign nationals can switch to the Specified Skills status and work for a further 5 years
- Companies can also bring back former technical intern trainees who have returned to their home country
*From April 2027, the “Employment for Skill Development Program” will begin, replacing the Technical Intern Training Program. Those who complete the Employment for Skill Development Program will also be able to transition to Specified Skills status or be called back to Japan.
【Reference】For details on the fields covered by the Specified Skills scheme, please check the website of the Ministry of Justice (Immigration Services Agency)
【Reference】For details on the fields covered by the Specified Skills scheme, please check the website of the Ministry of Justice (Immigration Services Agency)
Program Comparison
| Technical Intern Training (Group Supervision Type) | Employment for Skill Development (Supervised Type) | Specified Skills (No. 1) | |
| Related Laws | Act on Proper Technical Intern Training and Protection of Technical Intern Trainees / Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act | Act on Proper Employment for Skill Development and Protection of Foreign Nationals in Employment for Skill Development / Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act | Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act |
| Residence Status | Technical Intern Training | Employment for Skill Development | Specified Skills |
| Program Start Date | April 1993 (From April 2027, the program will be phased into the “Employment for Skill Development” scheme) | April 2027 | April 2019 |
| Period of Stay | Technical Intern Training No. 1: Up to 1 year Technical Intern Training No. 2: Up to 2 years Technical Intern Training No. 3: Up to 2 years (Maximum total of 5 years) | Up to 3 years total (Those who fail the exam at the end of the Employment for Skill Development period may, under certain conditions, extend their stay by up to 1 year to retake the exam) | Up to 5 years total (Excluding periods when the worker was unable to work due to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, or other unavoidable circumstances. May be extended to 6 years if deemed to have valid reasons) |
| Skill Level | None required | Skill level and Japanese language proficiency are confirmed in stages through exams etc. at the start of work, after 1 year, and at the end of the program (when transitioning to Specified Skills No. 1) | A considerable level of knowledge or experience is required |
| Examination on Entry | None (Only the nursing care field requires Japanese language proficiency of A2.2 level on entry) | None (The nursing care field requires Japanese language proficiency equivalent to A2.2 on the “Japanese Language Education Reference Framework”; the railway field (station staff duties) requires A1 or higher) | Skill level and Japanese language proficiency are confirmed through exams etc. (Those who have satisfactorily completed Technical Intern Training No. 2 are exempt from exams etc.) |
| Sending Organization | An organization recommended or certified by a foreign government | An organization recommended or certified by a foreign government | None |
| Supervising Organization | Required (A non-profit business cooperative or similar body conducts audits and other supervisory activities over the organization implementing the training; operates under a permit system administered by the competent minister) | None | None |
| Support Organization | None | Required (Supervising and Support Organization) (Arranges the employment relationship between the foreign national in Employment for Skill Development and the implementing organization, supervises and guides the implementing organization, and provides support/protection to the foreign national; operates under a permit system administered by the competent minister) | Required (Registered Support Organization) (An individual or organization commissioned by the accepting organization to provide housing assistance and other support to the Specified Skills foreign worker; operates under a registration system administered by the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency) |
| Matching between Foreign Workers and Accepting Organizations | Usually conducted through a supervising organization and a sending organization | Usually conducted through a supervising/support organization and a sending organization | The accepting organization may recruit directly overseas, or recruit through domestic or overseas placement agencies |
| Numerical Limit per Accepting Organization | A numerical limit applies based on the total number of full-time employees | A numerical limit applies based on the total number of full-time employees | No numerical limit (Except in the nursing care and construction fields) |
| Activities | Activities involving receiving training and engaging in work related to skills, based on a technical intern training plan (No. 1) Activities involving engaging in work requiring skills, based on a technical intern training plan (No. 2, No. 3) (Non-specialized/non-technical fields) | Activities aimed at developing and securing personnel with skills at the Specified Skills No. 1 level, engaging in skill acquisition | Activities engaging in work requiring skills that call for a considerable level of knowledge or experience (Specialized/technical fields) |
| Wage Level | At or above minimum wage | Equal to or above the level paid to Japanese workers | Equal to or above the level paid to Japanese workers |
| Transfer / Change of Employer | Not permitted, in principle (Transfer is possible in unavoidable cases such as bankruptcy of the implementing organization, or when moving from No. 2 to No. 3) | Transfer is possible (Possible in unavoidable cases, or — depending on the transfer restriction period set for each Employment for Skill Development industry field — at the worker’s own request, provided the required skill level and Japanese language proficiency are met) | Change of employer is possible (Possible within the same job category, or between job categories where a common skill level has been confirmed through examination) |
*Can be viewed by scrolling horizontally
【Source】Immigration Services Agency, “Overview of the System Concerning Foreign Workers,” p. 9Customer Testimonials
Company A, a large player in the Food Manufacturing industry
At present, we are conducting the supervision activities of our Technical Interns on our own. We have a track record of management, application and reporting so we decided to take the management of workers under the Specified Skills scheme in-house. Since the Specified Skills scheme is a relatively new system, the requirements are frequently changing, but we were able to utilize our existing skills and experience to put in place the required documentation and reporting functions internally. We were able to implement a master schedule and liaise consistently with our Human Resource representative to support the conversion of our existing Technical Interns into Specified Skills workers.
Company B, a large player in the Hospitality industry
The company had hired foreigners in the past however, they have since decided to make Specified Skills workers their main focus going forward. Not limited to support with regard to visa applications, but Proud Partners also consulted on existing foreigner staff members’ visas and helped in translating the company’s HR documentation into various languages.
Prior to holding interviews, Company B holds seminars and branch tours to candidates – we took over this duty for the company.
After the company had to shut down temporarily due to the COVID 19 pandemic, our staff explained the situation in detail in various languages to the affected staff, and provided assistance under the Labor Standards Act and Immigration Control Act.
