What is an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa (Gijin Koku Visa)?
When a foreign national is engaged in white-collar work at a Japanese company, etc., he/she is required to obtain an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa (Gijin-koku Visa).
In most cases, especially in the case of foreign students seeking employment in Japan, an Engineer Visa is required.
In order to obtain an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa, there are requirements on the part of the company, requirements on the part of the applicant, and requirements related to the nature of the job.
Requirements for the applicant of an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa
In principle, the applicant must have graduated from a university with a bachelor’s degree. Or, a graduate of a Japanese technical college with a bachelor’s degree.
Company Requirements for an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa
The business must have stability and continuity. The company will be judged comprehensively based on multiple factors, including the total amount of withholding taxes for employees, the most recent financial statements, and the number of years the company has been in existence.
Job Description Requirements
The requirements for the job description as stated in the law are as follows;
“Work requiring skill or knowledge in the natural sciences or humanities, or work requiring thought or sensitivity grounded in a foreign culture.”
Specific examples are as follows.
System engineering, technical development, administrative work, design, interpretation and translation, foreign trade work, marketing, planning, sales, etc.
In simple terms, most jobs that require daily use of computers and white-collar jobs fall under this category.
The Ministry of Justice’s website also lists the following as typical jobs that fall under the category of “Gijin-Koku”.
1 . After graduating from a university in his home country with a major in engineering and engaging in online game development and support work for a game manufacturer, he received approximately 250,000 yen per month in remuneration based on a contract with a corporation in charge of the game business division of a group company in Japan to perform system design, comprehensive testing, and inspection work related to the development of the next online game for the company. After that, he will be engaged in system design, comprehensive testing, inspection, etc. for the next online game development project of the company’s group company in Japan.
2. A person who graduated from a university majoring in engineering in his/her home country, worked for a software company, and then engaged in computer-related services as a software engineer based on a contract with a software company in Japan, receiving approximately 350,000 yen per month in remuneration.
3.After graduating from a university in his/her home country with a major in telecommunications engineering and being employed by a subsidiary of a Japanese telecommunications equipment construction company, he/she works as a computer programmer under a contract with the parent company in Japan, receiving approximately 240,000 yen per month in remuneration, and is engaged in the development of software by adjusting specifications with customers and preparing specifications. The work includes coordination of specifications with customers and preparation of specifications for software to be developed.
Activities outside of the student’s status as an international student will also be subject to examination.
In addition, the following factors will also be subject to examination. First, if the applicant is an international student, he/she will be strictly examined to determine whether his/her part-time work during his/her student days falls within the scope of activities other than those permitted under the status of residence. In other words, whether or not the part-time work during the period of study was, in principle, within 28 hours per week.
As for the company and the nature of the work, whether or not there have been any violations of laws and regulations regarding immigration control in the past, and whether or not the remuneration is equal to or higher than that of a Japanese person of the same level will also be subject to examination.
Failure to explain the job description in detail will result in denial of the visa
Even if there is no problem at all about the company or the individual, there may be a problem with the job description, and the work visa (Gijin Koku Visa) may be denied. The job description may meet the requirements for a work visa, but may be disapproved because it was not accurately described in writing or because it was misleadingly worded. It is also safe to avoid using industry terminology when describing job duties. Even if a term is commonly used in the industry, it may be taken to mean something completely different in legal or administrative terms that the examiner is familiar with.
Usually, in such cases, the applicant may be denied out of the blue, but he/she may receive an additional document notice from the Immigration Office asking him/her to provide a detailed description of his/her duties.
Whether or not the job description meets the visa criteria is determined based on the Ministerial Ordinance establishing the criteria in Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (the Standards Ministerial Ordinance). However, this ministerial ordinance is written in difficult legal terms, so the following is a very brief explanation of the principles.
If the employee is hired as a “full-time employee” for interpretation/translation, overseas sales, trading, IT technician, etc., and the amount of work as a full-time employee is sufficient, there is no problem, but in cases other than the above, individual judgment will be made.
In cases that fall under the category of individual judgment, it is advisable to prepare and submit a number of documents that will serve as a reference for the examination. The specific documents you should submit will depend on the individual case, so please contact us for more information.
If you cannot obtain a work visa, you cannot be employed. If you employ them without obtaining a work visa, you are allowing them to work illegally, so please do not employ them.
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa Screening Criteria
The examination for the Technical/Humanities/International Services Visa will strictly look at whether or not the following criteria are met.
1.Applicability of status of residence
Does the job description correspond to the activities of the technical/junior high visa?
Is it not simple labor or physical labor?
Is the work continuous?
Is the volume of work sufficient?
Are the employment conditions appropriate? (Are there any violations of the Labor Standards Law?)
2.Landing Permit Criteria
Education requirements (bachelor’s degree, professional degree)
If no degree, does it meet work experience requirements?
Remuneration requirements (is it equal to or higher than that of a Japanese national?)
3.Relevance of status of residence
Whether or not the part-time job you had while you were a foreign student falls within the scope of activities other than those permitted under the status of residence
Examiner’s overall judgment (Examiner’s discretion)
4.Stability and continuity of employment
The company has not violated the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in the past.
The business is not offensive to public order and morals
The location where the business is to be conducted is secured
No significant deficit or insolvency
5.Probability of the duties
Are the duties really performed?
Can it be sufficiently proven with objective evidence and documents?
6.Non-falsity
Are there any falsehoods in your diploma or resume?
Is it consistent with your part-time work history as an international student?
7.Legal Notification Obligation
Have you notified the authorities in accordance with Law 19-16 (in the case of a job change, notification of the termination of the contract with the previous company and notification of the commencement of the contract with the current company)?
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa Required Documents
Application for change of status of residence (Application for issuance of certificate of eligibility)
(This can be downloaded from the Immigration Bureau’s website. When inviting a foreigner from abroad, “Application for Issuance of Certificate of Eligibility”; when changing from another visa, “Application for Change of Status of Residence”.
Photograph of the applicant (foreigner)
→Photograph taken within the last 3 months. So, in principle, please prepare a different photo from the one you currently have on your residence card or passport. You can have your photo taken at a photo machine in town, or you can find a photo machine near the Immigration and Residence Office. You can also use a free application called “Piku-chan” to take your favorite self portrait photo as a certificate photo. You can print a certificate photo at Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson.The size is 4 cm x 3 cm.
Applicant’s passport
→If the applicant is currently in Japan, the original passport must be presented. If the applicant is bringing his/her passport from abroad, a photocopy of the original passport is required. The pages to be photocopied are the photo page and all pages with entry/exit stamps to/from Japan.
If the applicant is entering or leaving Japan through an automated gate, there is no entry/exit stamp, so that page is not required.
Residence card of the applicant
→If the applicant is currently in Japan, the original is presented. If you are bringing the applicant from abroad, there is no resident card, so you do not need to submit it.
Documents certifying the applicant’s educational background
→The visa for a foreign national has an educational background requirement. For Japanese education, the applicant must have graduated from a junior college (associate degree) or above, or from a vocational school (special training college).
For overseas education, it must be equivalent to a university degree or higher. If you have graduated from a vocational school abroad, you do not meet the educational background requirement for the Gijinkoku visa.
If you are currently in Japan, submit a certificate of graduation from your last school in Japan. If you graduated from both a university and a vocational school, you should submit both certificates.
If you graduated from a university overseas, the certificate of graduation should be in a foreign language, so please include a Japanese translation of the certificate. The Japanese translation can be done by anyone, but the date of translation and the name of the translator should be included. If you have hired a translation company, they may issue a certificate of translation, which should also be submitted.
Documents proving the applicant’s work experience
→This is required if the applicant does not meet the educational background requirements for the visa.
Copy of Japanese Language Proficiency Test
→Although not a required document, if the applicant has any Japanese language qualifications, please provide a copy of the certificate or result letter.
It is advantageous to submit these documents, especially if the position has an interpretation/translation component.
Certificate of registered matters of the company to which you have been offered a job (place of employment)
→Obtain this at the Legal Affairs Bureau. It can be obtained at any Legal Affairs Bureau in Japan. There are two types of certificates: a certificate of historical matters (which lists all registered matters from three years ago to the present) and a certificate of current matters (which lists only registered matters as of the present time).
A letter of attorney is not required to obtain the certificate. Anyone can obtain the certificate at the Legal Affairs Bureau.
The withholding tax statement for the employee’s salary income for the previous year, etc.
→The one with the stamp of the tax office (company copy) is required. In case of electronic filing, please also print out the receipt screen with the tax office’s receipt number. If there is no tax office seal or tax office receipt number, this document will be treated as not having been submitted.
If you have not kept a copy of the company copy, please consult with the local tax office to have it reissued. If this is difficult, it is advisable to submit a written statement to the tax office stating the date of submission and the reason (e.g., loss) for not keeping the company’s copy.
Financial documents for the most recent fiscal year
→Submit the income statement and balance sheet pages. If the company has a significant deficit or excess liabilities, caution should be exercised. Depending on the financial situation, it may be advisable to submit a future business plan or an opinion letter from a tax accountant.
Employment Contract (Letter of Offer)
→To be precise, it is a document clearly stating the working conditions to be delivered to the worker in accordance with Article 15, Paragraph 1 of the Labor Standards Law and Article 5 of its Enforcement Regulations. A model employment contract based on the law is available on the website of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and can be downloaded. A model employment contract in foreign languages is also available for downloading.
Instead of an employment contract, an offer of employment letter is also acceptable. In this case, too, please refer to the model above.
In any case, it must be prepared before the visa is granted (one to three months before). Therefore, please include a statement in the remarks column, etc., such as “The date of commencement of work shall be after the work-eligible status of residence has been approved.
Company Profile
→If you have a company brochure, that is fine. A printed copy of the company profile page of the website may also be substituted. However, if there is too little information, it is better to submit the missing information on a separate sheet of paper.
The information required in a company profile includes the company name, names of directors and officers, business activities, major clients, business transactions (number of years and annual transaction value), capital, year of establishment, and history of the company.
Statement of Duties
→This is a document that describes the applicant’s duties in detail. The Visa is granted for white-collar jobs that require a certain level of expertise and skills. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully explain that the applicant’s job requires a certain level of expertise and skills, and that it is not simple work that anyone can do.
If it is difficult to explain in writing alone, you may submit photos of the applicant actually performing the job (photos of existing employees in the same position at work), photos of the work location, or samples of documents to be prepared for the job. In addition, if you work with computers, the names and versions of software and applications used in your job will increase the credibility of your job description.
You may also attach a weekly or daily work schedule to help visualize your actual duties.
Documents Required for Renewal of an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa
Application form for renewal of status of residence
Applicant’s passport (original)
Residence card of the applicant
Certified photograph of the applicant
Proof of resident tax payment
→The certificate must be for the most recent fiscal year and show no unpaid taxes. Failure to pay the tax will result in denial of the application and a much longer examination process. Please make sure to confirm that you have not paid the tax when you obtain the certificate. Although it may be pointed out to you at the government office, they may not say anything about it. If there is any non-payment, you can pay on the spot and they will issue a new tax payment certificate, i.e., a tax payment certificate with no non-payment. The place to obtain this certificate is the municipal office of the city, ward, town or village where you lived on January 1 of the relevant year. If you have moved within the past two years, the certificate may be issued at the municipal office of your previous address.
Resident taxation certificate
One that shows your annual income and taxable amount for the most recent fiscal year and the previous year.
The above is an example. Depending on the situation, submitting these documents may complicate the screening process or cause problems with consistency with other documents. It is not sufficient to submit everything. In addition, there are some points and cautions regarding the contents of explanatory documents. It is safer to seek professional judgment on what to prepare and how to submit.
