Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa: requirements and jobs

The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is Japan’s main office-work status (技術・人文知識・国際業務, “gijinkoku”). You need a contract with an organization in Japan for specialist work, a degree related to the job or 10 years’ related experience, and pay equal to what a Japanese employee would get. Simple labor doesn’t qualify. Periods of stay are 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months. This is the position as of October 2026, from the Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁, ISA).

What is the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities visa?

It is a status of residence (在留資格) that combines three kinds of work. At the end of June 2026, 516,184 people held it, the second-largest group of foreign residents after permanent residents.

The work must be under a continuing contract with an organization in Japan. That can be employment or a commission or service contract. Companies, government bodies and foreign companies with an office in Japan all count.

What are the requirements?

The landing criteria (上陸許可基準) set three tests. Which ones apply depends on your job.

A few details matter in practice:

• Major and job must be related. ISA judges this flexibly for university graduates, including foreign universities. For vocational-school graduates, it expects a close link, except for MEXT-certified programs for international students.
• The 10 years can include study. Time spent majoring in related subjects at university or school counts, and the experience only has to be in related work.
• There is no fixed minimum salary. The test is equal pay. ISA refused one engineer offered ¥135,000 a month when Japanese new hires doing the same work got ¥180,000. Commuting, family and housing allowances don’t count as pay, unless they are taxable.

Which jobs qualify, and which don’t?

The work must need specialist ability backed by academic learning. ISA says a job advertised as “no experience needed, you’ll pick it up quickly” (未経験可、すぐに慣れます) doesn’t qualify. Nor does work that Japanese staff without a degree usually do.

ISA looks at your work over your whole stay. If qualifying work is only a small part and the rest needs no special knowledge, the status doesn’t apply. Occasional tasks are fine: a hotel front-desk worker who helps carry bags when a group checks in has no immediate problem. If such tasks become your main work, ISA can refuse your renewal.

Can training in a shop or factory count?

Yes, in limits. Shop, restaurant or factory-line work can be accepted as initial training if Japanese graduate hires do the same training and it doesn’t take up most of your expected stay. ISA asks for a training plan when training runs over 1 year. Training set only for foreign staff isn’t accepted, except for reasons such as Japanese-language training. When training is planned, ISA in principle grants a 1-year period of stay.

Do you need JLPT N2? The April 2026 language rule

Since April 15, 2026, if you will mainly do person-facing work using a language (for example interpreting, translation or hotel front desk), you must have ability equal to CEFR B2 in that language. Without it, ISA doesn’t treat the job as specialist work.

For Japanese, any of these counts as B2:

• JLPT N2 or higher
• BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test 400 or more
• EJU Japanese 200 or more, or JPT 525 or more
• graduating from a Japanese university, college of technology or vocational school (where the major relates to the job)
• finishing Japanese compulsory education and high school, or 20 years in Japan as a mid- to long-term resident

For other languages, it counts if the language is your native or official language, or if a test shows CEFR B2 on the certificate or the test’s official site. Failing both, you can give a reasonable explanation, for example a degree from a university in a country where that language is official.

If your employer is in category 3 or 4 (see below), you submit this proof with your application. Category 1 or 2 employers may be asked for it. If you move into this kind of work through a job change, you submit it at your next renewal.

How do employer categories affect your application?

ISA sorts employers into four categories. The category decides how many documents you submit, not whether you qualify.

From April 15, 2026, category 3 and 4 employers also submit a declaration about the company’s representative. For dispatch (派遣) jobs, the client company must be fixed when you apply. The exception is a new hire whose client can only be decided after initial training; ISA then asks for extra documents. Your period of stay follows the dispatch contract, and ISA may check with the client company directly.

From abroad, see the Certificate of Eligibility guide. Students switching to work should read change of status of residence. ISA considers whether you kept to the 28-hour weekly limit while studying (see student visa work hours).

How long is the period of stay?

You get 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months. ISA decides; you can’t choose. It doesn’t publish exactly how it picks the length. Renewal counter fees for applications from October 1, 2026 follow the period granted: ¥33,000 for 1 year, ¥64,000 for 3 years and ¥75,000 for 5 years. You can apply from 3 months before expiry. See visa renewal in Japan for online fees.

What happens when you change jobs?

You don’t need a new visa if the new job also fits this status. You do need to tell ISA.

• Notify within 14 days when your contract ends and again when you sign a new one (所属機関に関する届出). Online works 24 hours a day and needs no documents.
• Optional proof: a certificate of authorized employment (就労資格証明書) confirms that your new job fits. It costs ¥2,000 at the counter or ¥1,600 online, and takes 1 to 3 months after a job change. Apply at the office for your home address.
• Different work, different status: if the new job falls outside this status, apply for a change of status before your card expires.

More on this in quitting a job on a work visa. Side work outside your status needs separate permission: see freelance and side jobs on a work visa.

Can you bring your family?

Yes. Your spouse and children can join you on Dependent (家族滞在) status, for a period of up to 5 years. Parents aren’t covered by that status. See the dependent visa guide for work limits and documents, and bringing parents to Japan for other routes.

If you earn well and have a strong degree, compare the Highly Skilled Professional visa. It works on points and can lead to faster permanent residency.

More guides: job-hunting visa, re-entry permit, labor rights for foreign workers.