About status of residence
During job hunting in Japan, foreign students should change their status of residence from “studying abroad” to an employable status like “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”.
What is “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”
| Technology | Science and technology, engineering and other fields like natural science |
|---|---|
| Humanities | Business that requires law, economics, sociology and other humanities related technology and knowledge |
| International Services | Business that requires aspiration or sensitivity based on experience with foreign culture |
In other words, “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” is a kind of work that makes full use of one’s technical ability, knowledge, language skills, experience with overseas cultures and thinking mode.
Specific job types applicable for the status of residence “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”
| Technology | Engineers in the mechanical, electrical, IT fields; occupations that require technical ability and professional knowledge of designing, producing and product development, etc. |
|---|---|
| Specialist in Humanities/International Services | Occupations that require language skills and international knowledge, such as sales, sales planning, marketing, interpretation, translation and sales activities supporting business, etc.; in addition, in the companies that do business abroad, language skills and international knowledge are also useful for occupations related on administrative departments, such as operating and management, financial accounting, human resources and general affairs. Other occupations that make use of the ability of and the sensitivity based on experience with foreign cultures, such as language teachers in private enterprises, designers, product planning, etc. are also applicable. |
Make use of your language skills and be active internationally
Conditions for obtaining status of residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"
Get a job that requires technical ability and academic ability, just as mentioned above.
Obtain a university degree in domestic or international university, or a degree equivalent to Japanese junior college and vocational college
These two points are basic conditions.
However, even if you couldn't meet the condition ②, you may be able to obtain a status of residence according to the years of your working experience. In addition, both the applicant and the employer (i.e. the company) will be examined in the residence examination process, so, there may be cases where the permission is not granted even if you meet the condition ① and ②
For more details, please refer to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.
Under the situation that you can't get the status of residence
There are various reasons may leading to your failing to obtain the status of residence “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, and one of these reasons is that the job you are doing is judged by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan to be a “manual labor” job. Manual labor is a job that doesn't require professional knowleadge. Generally speaking, ISAJ regards the job as a part-time job.
The specific occupations belonging to “manual labor” are as follows.
- Works in logistic warehouses (goods carrying in / out, processing, packing, etc.)
- Assembly line works in factories (assembly of machines and others, measurement, inspection, etc.)
- Customer service works in restaurants (ordering, laying the table, cleaning, etc.)
On the contrary, occupations based on “study or major”, such as marketing and operating, are not included in “manual labor”. They are eligible for the status of residence.
About designated activities
On May 30, 2019, the Immigration Control Act was revised. As a result, a wider range of occupations are available for foreign students who have passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test “N1”. And Japanese language related occupations also have become eligible for the status of residence, which were ineligible in the past.
Examples...
- Customer service work in restaurants that also involves interpreting for foreign customers, as well as Japanese customer service work that contains the working contents above
(For example, a job that only requires washing dishes and cleaning in the kitchen is not recognized) - Customer service work in hotels (like a doorman) that also involves works developing / updating foreign language homepage, interpreting for and guiding foreign customers, teaching other foreign staffs, as well as Japanese customer service work that contains the working contents above
(For example, a job that only requires cleaning rooms is not recognized )
This system is not only expends the possibility for foreign students to work in Japan, but also provides more options for the types of working However,there are some requrements.
- Graduating from a Japanese university or completing a graduate school
- Getting more than 480 points at BTJ Test or getting N1 at Japanese Language proficiency Test
- Being able to make use of what you have learned at university at work
For more details, please refer to the Ministry of Justice.
Guidelines on “designated activities” related to employment support for foreign students
About necessary documents
-
Application
for change of status
of residence -
Passport and Registration
System for Foreign Residents
(to be present) -
Other
necessary
documents
For more details, please refer to the Ministry of Justice.
