Highly Skilled Professional Application Requirements (Targeted at Three Main Groups)

1. Academic Highly Skilled Professionals: University professors, researchers at institutes, etc.

2. Technical Highly Skilled Professionals: Young professionals with advanced knowledge, good Japanese language skills, a background in studying in Japan, and a job offer in Japan. This category primarily targets international students in Japan.

3. Business Highly Skilled Professionals: Entrepreneurs managing startups in Japan, with little or no Japanese language proficiency, a general educational background, and more than 3 years of management experience. Applicants in this category must achieve a score of 70 points or higher.

• [70-79 points]: After meeting the requirements, applicants can apply for permanent residency after a minimum of 3 years of residence.
• [80 points or above]: After meeting the requirements, applicants can apply for permanent residency after just 1 year of residence.

Special Highly Skilled Professional Appilcation Requirments ( No points needed; eligible if any of the following conditions are met):

1. Academic and Technical New Policy Requirements:

• Master’s degree or higher with an annual income of at least 20 million JPY, or
• More than 10 years of work experience with an annual income of at least 20 million JPY.

2. Business Management New Policy Requirements:

• More than 5 years of experience in business management with an annual income of at least 40 million JPY.

Applicants who meet any of the above conditions can bypass the points system and apply directly for the 5-year Highly Skilled Professional Type 1 visa. After 1 year, they can either upgrade to the Type 2 visa or directly apply for Japanese permanent residency.

Application Categories:

1. Highly Skilled Professional Type 1

• Academic Research Activities
  (e.g., University professors, teachers, researchers, Ph.D. holders)

2. Highly Skilled Professional Type 2

• Specialized/Technical Activities
  (e.g., Architects, designers, engineers, IT developers)

3. Highly Skilled Professional Type 3

• Business Management Activities
  (e.g., Business managers, directors, department heads, CEOs, specialists, individual business owners)

[Education] + [Work Experience] + [Annual Income] + [Age] + [Bonus Points] + [Others] = Recognition Score

You can refer to the points calculation table published by the Japanese Immigration Bureau to determine your score. If you reach 70 points, you meet the threshold to apply for the Highly Skilled Professional visa.

The processing time is 5-8 months.