ENGINEER/SPECIALIST in HUMANITIES/INT’L SERVICES

ENGINEER / SPECIALIST in HUMANITIES / INTERNATIONAL SERVICES (技術・人文知識・国際業務; hereinafter referred to as “ENGINEER/HUMANITIES“) is a VISA STATUS to engage in activities requiring;

knowledge and skills in the field of natural science, social science, or humanities,
expertise in engineering and information processing, or
cultural and linguistic abilities based on foreign traditions and languages.

OCCUPATIONS COVERED UNDER ENGINEER/HUMANITIES

Note that you must have an educational background and/or work experience related to the occupation in which you intend to work in Japan.

ENGINEER
Occupations that require knowledge in the field of Natural Science, engineering and information processing:
Software Engineer | System Engineer | Computer Programmer | Game Programmer | Project Manager or developer in the field of IT, software, computer, technology, science, architecture, bio technology, construction, automobile etc. | Automobile Engineer | Architect etc.

INTERNATIONAL SERVICES
Occupations that require global/international expertise, including cultural understanding and language skills derived from the foreign culture, language, and background you have acquired in your home country or in a country of residence outside Japan:
Teacher and instructor of foreign language | Translator/Interpreter | International PR (Public Relations) | Fashion or interior design deriving from foreign culture | International product development | Overseas transactions/trading | Copy-writing relating to international services etc.

OCCUPATIONS NOT COVERED UNDER ENGINEER/HUMANITIES

Most so-called “blue-collar job” or “manual labor” are NOT applicable to the ENGINEER/HUMANITIES visa status.

For example, the jobs listed below are NOT APPLICABLE to the ENGINEER/HUMANITIES;
Waiter, Waitress and Bartender | Cashier at a store, supermarket and restaurant etc. | Drivers | Workers assembling, sorting and/or packaging parts and products | Blue-collar workers at construction/plant sites (on-site construction workers and/or electrical workers etc. whose job mission doesn’t include management of the schedule, operation, staffing etc., estimation of the cost, designing/planning of installment of electrical facilities etc.)

IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH VISA PROCEDURES IN JAPAN, START BY VISITING THE INTRODUCTORY PAGES BELOW:

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS VISA STATUS?

LIST OF VISA STATUS

Contents

BASIC REQUIREMENTS
POINTS TO NOTE
HOW to PROCESS
PERIOD of STAY
BASIC REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
- In Case of COE APPLICATION and CHANGE of VISA STATUS
- In Case of EXTENSION of PERIOD of STAY

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

Immigration Office evaluates your eligibility for the ENGINEER/HUMANITIES visa status comprehensively. To be eligible, you must have a specific career history, work experience, and/or educational background in the field related to the occupation you intend to pursue, and you must meet other basic requirements as well.

Below is a list of the basic requirements for the ENGINEER/HUMANITIES visa:

Basic Criteria

Regardless of the visa status you are applying for, you must first satisfy the basic criteria. Visit the following webpage to learn more about the basic criteria: WHAT IS VISA STATUS?

Condition

You must satisfy all items listed below:

AMOUNT of SALARY: You are expected to be paid an amount equal to or greater than that of Japanese nationals performing the same duties. While the Immigration Act does not specify a precise amount, the minimum is generally considered to be around 200,000–250,000 JPY per month if you have no dependents.
TERM of EMPLOYMENT: The period of employment stated in your Employment Contract/Agreement (or an equivalent document) must be at least one year if it is for a fixed term.
BUSINESS STABILITY of the contracting company/organization: Your visa sponsor (employer or contracting company/organization) must be recognized as conducting business properly, stably and continuously. They must also be financially stable enough to employ you and other staff. If your visa sponsor is a newly established entity, a one-year business plan will be required to prove business stability.

Type of Activity and Career Requirement

You must fall under one of categories [A] – [C] below, depending on the types of work you intend to engage in while in Japan. For example occupations, refer to the first section of this page.

[A] SPECIALIST in HUMANITIES category
If you intend to engage in work that requires knowledge and skills in the field of Social Science or Humanities in Japan, you must satisfy ONE of the following:

You have graduated from a university or college, obtaining Bachelor’s, License (in France), Associate, or higher degree, specializing in the fields of social sciences or humanities related to your intended work in Japan.
* NOTE: Relevant education also includes cases where you hold A, B or C level certification from DOEACC (Department of Electronics Accreditation of Computer Courses) in India.
You have graduated from a vocational or specialized school (専修学校・専門学校) in Japan, obtaining a Senmon-shi (専門士) degree, specializing in the fields of social sciences, natural sciences, or humanities related to your intended work in Japan.
If you don’t have any applicable degrees: You must have 10 or more years of work experience in the fields of social sciences, natural sciences, or humanities related to your intended work in Japan. You may include period of study at colleges or universities as part of this experience.

[B] ENGINEER category
If you wish to engage in work that requires skills and knowledge regarding in natural sciences, engineering, or information processing (IT), you must satisfy ONE of the following:

You meet the requirements listed in [A] above.
You have passed an examination or obtained a qualification in information processing (IT) designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice >> Jump to the list of qualifications on the Ministry of Justice website (Japanese only)

[C] INTERNATIONAL SERVICES category
If you wish to work in the field of international services that require cultural knowledge and language skills of foreign countries, you must satisfy BOTH of the following:

You intend to engage in work that is classified as “international services”; e.g. Teaching or instructing foreign languages, translation, interpretation, public relations (PR), fashion or interior design, product development, overseas business transactions, copywriting, and other occupations that require cultural knowledge and language skills of foreign countries.
You must have work experience or an educational background that satisfies ONE of the following:
- You have 3 years or more of work experience in the field of international services or a related area. You may include the period of study at a college or university as part of this experience.
- you have graduated from the a university or college (obtaining Bachelor’s, License, or Associate degree or higher) in the field of study related to your intended work in Japan. *This is deemed to meet the requirements under [A] even if the work is related to international services.
- you have completed a course at a vocational/specialized training college (専修学校・専門学校) in Japan and obtained a Senmon-shi (専門士) degree in a field related to your intended work in Japan.
IF YOU INTEND TO ENGAGE IN WORKING AS A LANGUAGE TEACHER/INSTRUCTOR or TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER:
- You don’t need to satisfy requirement 2 above if you hold a Bachelor’s, License, Associate degree, or an equivalent qualification.
- If you wish to teach a language that is not your native tongue, you are generally expected to meet the criteria under [A] above. However, it may still be considered your native language if you can certify that you received your education in that language, for example by providing academic transcripts. If you don’t hold a degree or relevant educational background, you must have at least 3 years of work experience together with a recognized qualification to teach the language as the second language, such as CELTA, EFL, or TEFL etc. In such cases, the Immigration Office will make a comprehensive assessment of your eligibility based on your career history.

POINTS TO NOTE

Possibility of Other Visa Status

HIGHLY SKILLED PROFESSIONAL (HSP)
If you meet the requirements for the Engineer/Humanities visa status and are eligible for the Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa, you are advised to apply for HSP in order to benefit from preferential treatment by the Immigration Office.
>> HIGHLY SKILLED PROFESSIONAL (HSP)

INTRA-COMPANY TRANSFEREE
If you are eligible for the Intra-company Transferee visa status, you should apply for it instead of the Engineer/Humanities visa.
>> INTRA-COMPANY TRANSFEREE

LEGAL/ACCOUNTING SERVICES
If you intend to work in Japan as a qualified or licensed professional, examples include: lawyer, attorney, solicitor, barrister, judicial scrivener, land and house investigator, chartered/public accountant, tax accountant, labor and social security attorney, patent attorney, maritime procedure agent, or administrative scrivener（弁護士、司法書士、土地家屋調査士、外国法事務弁護士、公認会計士、外国公認会計士、税理士、社会保険労務士、弁理士、海事代理士、行政書士）.
>> LEGAL/ACCOUNTING SERVICES

BUSINESS MANAGER
If you are eligible for the Business Manager visa status – for example, if you set up a company and serve as its CEO to manage and operate the business – you should apply for this visa instead of the Engineer/Humanities visa.
>> BUSINESS MANAGER

INSTRUCTOR
If you intend to teach at elementary, junior high, or high schools, or at other educational institutions (excluding universities and higher education) as prescribed by the School Education Law – for example, as an English teacher at a public or private junior high school.

Reference regarding Applicable Field of Study

Example of Degrees

Since educational systems differ across countries, the name of diplomas/degrees and the required period to obtain them may vary.

Here is the list of example of degrees:

短期大学士・準学士・専門士 in Japan or equivalent to;
US and EU etc. – Associate
UK – Foundation
France – BTS, DUT (BAC+2)
Hong Kong – 副学士
China – 大学専科
学士 (undergraduate) in Japan or equivalent to;
US and UK etc. – Bachelor
France – Licence, Professionnelle, DU, DIU (BAC+3)
China – 学士
修士 (graduate) in Japan or equivalent to;
US and UK etc. – Master
France – Maitrise, DEA, DESS, Ingenieur diplome (BAC+5)
China – 碩士
博士 (doctor) in Japan or equivalent to;
US and UK etc. – Doctor/Doctoral
UK – Higher Doctorate
France – Doctorat (BAC+8)
China – 博士

HOW to PROCESS

If you are currently residing outside Japan, or you are in Japan as a TEMPORARY VISITOR:
>> COE APPLICATION

If you are already living in Japan under a specific status and hold a RESIDENCE CARD:
>> CHANGE of VISA STATUS

PERIOD of STAY

Each visa status has an expiration date, and you may stay in Japan under that status for the period specified on your Residence Card issued by Immigration Office.

The period of stay is determined by the Immigration Office based on the applicant’s circumstances and is usually 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, or 3 months.

If you wish to extend your period of stay, you may apply for an EXTENSION of PERIOD of STAY before the expiry date.
>> EXTENSION OF PERIOD OF STAY (VISA RENEWAL)

If you plan to travel outside Japan temporarily while holding your visa status:
>> RE-ENTRY PERMIT

BASIC REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

The immigration office evaluates your eligibility for a visa status based on your situation, career and the documents you submit. You must prepare documents that certify the information in your application is true and accurate. The Immigration Office may request additional documents at any time if they have questions or need to verify the information on a case-by-case basis.

Specific documents may vary depending on the circumstances of each applicant and the host organization or company. However, the basic required documents for this visa status are as follows:

In Case of COE APPLICATION and CHANGE of VISA STATUS

Application form
Photo
[In case of CHANGE of VISA STATUS] Residence Card and Passport
Records of Salary Payments and Withholding Tax (給与所得の源泉徴収票等の法定調書合計表)
Documents certifying your job position, responsibilities, salary, and term of employment (e.g. Employment Certificate, Notice of Employment, etc.)
Documents certifying your educational background and work experience: For example,
- CV
- [If you are proving your degree] Diploma or Certificate of Degree
- [If you are proving your work experience] Employment Certificate, Confirmation Letter of Employment, or other equivalent documents issued by your previous employers to certify your work experience
- Other documents to verify your qualifications, if any
Documents certifying your visa sponsor and its business:
- Certificate of Company Register
- Company Overview
- Company leaflet (if any)
Financial Statement as of the latest fiscal year-end
[If the contracting company has not filed any tax return yet] Business Plan for at least 1 complete fiscal year
If the company cannot provide Records for Salary Payments and Withholding Tax (給与所得の源泉徴収票等の法定調書合計表):
- Notification of the establishment of a salary payment office submitted to the Tax Office (給与支払事務所設置届出書)
- Payment slips for Withholding Tax (for the past 3 months) or Application for Payment of Withholding Income Tax on a Semiannual basis submitted to the Tax Office
If the company is exempt from the above tax requirements:
- Certificate of Exemption from Tax Withholding regarding foreign corporations (外国法人の源泉徴収に対する免除証明書) and/or documents clarifying why the company is not required to withhold taxes

In Case of EXTENSION of PERIOD of STAY

Application form
Photo
Residence Card and Passport
Records of Salary Payments and Withholding Tax (給与所得の源泉徴収票等の法定調書合計表)
Tax/Income Certificate and Tax Payment Certificate for the latest year’s Resident Tax (直近の住民税の課税・所得証明書および納税証明書)
IF YOU CHANGE THE CONTRACTING ENTITY (VISA SPONSOR) DURING YOUR CURRENT PERIOD OF STAY: you will need almost the same documents as listed under “In case of COE APPLICATION and CHANGE of VISA STATUS”, in addition to items 1–5 above.

NOTE / REMARK

All documents written in a foreign language must be accompanied by a Japanese translation.

The Immigration Office may request additional documents during the screening process.

Some documents may be exempt if your visa sponsor falls under specific categories, as follows:

Listed corporations, government-related organizations, Independent administrative institutions, and other organizations specified in this category

The total amount of annual withholding tax on the latest Records of Salary Payments and Withholding Tax (給与所得の源泉徴収票等の法定調書合計表) is 10 million JPY or more

Your visa sponsor can submit a copy of the latest Records of Salary Payments and Withholding Tax

Any certificate issued by the Japanese authorities (e.g. Tax/Income Certificate, Certificate of Residence, Certificate of Company Register) must have been issued within 3 months prior to the application date.