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Routes to Japan: employed professional
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services and the Highly Skilled Professional points route
Professionals need a contract with a Japanese organisation in a qualifying activity, plus education or experience proof. The Highly Skilled Professional route uses a points test (70 points or more) and gives 5 years' stay. Salary thresholds, fees and processing times were not stated on the official pages checked.
Match an occupation and passport
Choose an occupation and a passport
0 paths are named in Japan's official demand list, ranked below.
What Japan wants, in its own order
This order is the official shortage analysis, not our opinion. The source is linked under the list.
The routes
Each route below is a separate permit with its own listed requirements. A requirement you do not meet can stop an application for that route, however strong the rest of the case is. A requirement we cannot confirm is shown as unknown, not as a failure.
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務)
Preview — under verificationFor engineering, humanities-based or foreign-culture work under a Japanese contract; stays of 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months; the page states no minimum degree, only document alternatives.
Who this is for
- Engineers, interpreters, designers, marketing staff, private-company language teachers
You must have every one of these
- Contract with a Japanese public or private organisation for qualifying work
- Proof of graduation or equivalent, or relevant work experience certificates
- IT engineers: a designated information-processing qualification (where relied upon)
- Foreign-culture work: 3 years relevant experience (not for university graduates doing translation, interpreting or language teaching)
- Proof of language ability at CEFR B2 level is a document item, asked for when the work mainly uses language skills in person-to-person tasks (e.g. interpreting, translation, hotel front desk); the page states it is not a condition of the status itself, and the agency may request it in other cases
- Language proof accepted as deemed B2 includes JLPT N2 or higher, BJT 400+, JPT 525+, 20+ years as a mid/long-term resident, graduation from a Japanese university, or Japanese high school graduation after compulsory education; other listed scores not repeated here
- Renewal: residents doing the same work as before are generally not required to submit it. Applications filed from 15 April 2026 in employer categories 3 or 4 must submit it with a representative declaration when work is mainly language-based
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)
Highly Skilled Professional (高度専門職)
Preview — under verificationPoints-based status for 70 points or more across academic background, career and annual income; the 80-point tier was not confirmed.
Who this is for
- Qualified professionals who score 70+ points
You must have every one of these
- 70 points or more in total (academic background, professional career, annual income)
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Guidebook, 7th edition (Immigration Services Agency) (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)
What it costs
How long it takes
Timeline not published by the authority
No processing time or fee was published on the official pages checked.
Published figures for this route
Published figures on how often this route is used, with their sources.
Documents, insurance, housing and money
These needs are the same whichever track you choose, so they are published once for Japan, with sources and check dates.
Quick answers
Which routes to Japan exist on the employed professional track?
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services and the Highly Skilled Professional points route
How long does it take?
Timeline not published by the authority. No processing time or fee was published on the official pages checked.
How much does it cost?
The published costs on this page are in different currencies, so there is no single total. Items that are not in that total, such as proof of funds or later permit fees, are labelled on this page where our sources state them.