# Highly Skilled Professional visa in Japan: the 70-point table and what it gives you

URL: https://japanhow.com/visa/visas/highly-skilled-professional-visa-japan/
Author: japanhow editors
Updated: Oct 21, 2026

## Summary

As of October 2026, Japan's Highly Skilled Professional status (高度専門職) goes to people who score 70 points on ISA's points table for research (1号イ), specialist work (1号ロ) or business management (1号ハ). Points come from degree, years of experience, salary, age and bonuses such as JLPT N1 (15) or N2 (10). Benefits include a 5-year stay, spouse work rights, parents under conditions, and permanent residency after 3 years at 70 points or 1 year at 80. After 3 years, 2号 gives an unlimited stay.

## Key facts

- Pass mark: 70 points
- Period of stay (1号): 5 years
- PR after: 3 years at 70, 1 year at 80
- Minimum salary (ロ, ハ): ¥3 million

The highly skilled professional visa in Japan uses a points test. The status of residence (在留資格) **Highly Skilled Professional (高度専門職)** is yours if you score **70 points** on the Immigration Services Agency's (出入国在留管理庁, ISA) points table, based on your degree, work experience, salary, age and bonuses. In return you get a **5-year period of stay**, work rights for your spouse and a path to permanent residency after **3 years at 70 points or 1 year at 80**. This is the position as of October 2026.

**Informational only:** This guide summarizes ISA's published points table and rules. It does not assess your case. Use ISA's official points calculation sheet, and ask your regional immigration office, the ISA information center (0570-013904, Japanese or English) or a certified administrative scrivener (行政書士) about your situation.

## What are the three types of Highly Skilled Professional?

ISA splits the status into three activity types. You are scored on the type that matches your job.

| Type | Activity | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| 1号イ (i)(a): advanced academic research | Research, research guidance or teaching under a contract with a Japanese organization | University researcher |
| 1号ロ (i)(b): advanced specialized/technical | Work needing natural science or humanities knowledge, under a contract with a Japanese organization | Engineer, product developer |
| 1号ハ (i)(c): advanced business management | Running or managing a business at a Japanese organization | Company executive |

The points sit on top of the normal requirements of a work status. You still need a job that fits a work status, and ISA then checks whether your points reach 70.

## How does the points table work?

The table below summarizes ISA's points calculation table (ポイント計算表). Columns are イ / ロ / ハ. "n/a" means the item doesn't score for that type.

| Item | イ research | ロ specialist | ハ management |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor's degree | 30 | 30 | 20 (doctor's or master's) |
| Master's degree | 20 | 20 | 20 (doctor's or master's) |
| Bachelor's degree | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Several degrees in several fields | +5 | +5 | +5 |
| Experience 10+ years | 15 (top band is 7+ years) | 20 | 25 |
| Experience 7+ years | 15 | 15 | 20 |
| Experience 5+ years | 10 | 10 | 15 |
| Experience 3+ years | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Age 29 or under / 30–34 / 35–39 | 15 / 10 / 5 | 15 / 10 / 5 | n/a |

Experience counts only if it relates to the job you will do in Japan. For 1号ハ, an MBA or MOT adds 5 points.

### Salary points depend on your age for イ and ロ

For research and specialist work, the same salary scores more when you are younger. Salary means yearly pay from your main employer, including bonuses. If you transfer from an overseas office, pay from that office counts too. "n/a" means that salary scores no points at that age.

| Annual salary | 29 or under | 30–34 | 35–39 | 40+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¥10 million | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| ¥9 million | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| ¥8 million | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| ¥7 million | 25 | 25 | 25 | n/a |
| ¥6 million | 20 | 20 | 20 | n/a |
| ¥5 million | 15 | 15 | n/a | n/a |
| ¥4 million | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a |

For business management (ハ), salary bands are higher and don't depend on age: **¥30 million: 50**, ¥25 million: 40, ¥20 million: 30, ¥15 million: 20, ¥10 million: 10. Specialist (ロ) and management (ハ) applicants must earn at least **¥3 million a year** whatever their points.

### Bonus points

| Bonus | Points |
|---|---|
| Research achievements (patent, 3+ grant-funded projects, 3+ papers as first or corresponding author) | イ 20 (25 if two or more apply), ロ 15 |
| Position: representative director / director (ハ) | 10 / 5 |
| Japanese national qualification related to the job (ロ) | 5 each, max 10 |
| Employer receives innovation support measures | 10 (+10 more if an SME) |
| SME spending over 3% of revenue on research | 5 |
| Foreign qualification related to the job | 5 |
| Degree from a Japanese university | 10 |
| JLPT N1 (or BJT 480+), or foreign degree majoring in Japanese | 15 |
| JLPT N2 (or BJT 400+), not combined with the two lines above | 10 |
| Advanced project in a growth field (approved by the Minister of Justice) | 10 |
| Graduate of a university on ISA's list | 10 |
| Training on ISA's list | 5 |
| ¥100 million+ invested in the business (ハ) | 5 |
| Investment management business | 10 |
| Employer supported by an approved local-government program | 10 |

ISA's university list includes universities ranked in the top 300 of two of the QS, THE and ARWU world rankings. The current list is based on January 2026 rankings, and ISA asks you to check the latest rankings when you apply.

**A worked example, not an assessment:** A 32-year-old engineer (ロ) with a master's degree (20), 5 years' relevant experience (10), a ¥6 million salary (20), age points (10) and JLPT N2 (10) reaches 70. Your own total depends on the documents ISA accepts.

## What do you get as a highly skilled professional?

ISA lists seven benefits for 1号:

1. **Several activities at once**, such as research plus running a related business.
2. **A 5-year period of stay**, the legal maximum, granted to everyone. You can renew it.
3. **Faster permanent residency**: 3 years at 70+ points, or 1 year at 80+.
4. **Your spouse can work** in jobs such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services or Instructor without meeting the usual degree or experience rules.
5. **Your parents can join you** to care for your or your spouse's child under 7, or to support a pregnancy. Household income must be **¥8 million or more**, they must live with you, and only one side's parents qualify.
6. **A domestic worker** can come with you. Among other conditions, you need household income of **¥10 million or more** and must pay at least **¥200,000 a month**. One worker is the normal limit; finance professionals can have two with household income of ¥30 million or more.
7. **Priority processing**: ISA aims for 10 days on Certificate of Eligibility applications and 5 days on residence applications, from receipt.

In practice, ISA's August 2026 statistics show longer averages, for example 43 days for a 1号ロ Certificate of Eligibility and 51.7 days for a change of status to 1号ロ. These averages include time waiting for extra documents and, for changes, the wait until you collect the permit.

## How does the permanent residency fast track work?

Under ISA's permanent residency (永住) guideline, you qualify on residence length if you have held **70 points for 3 years** or **80 points for 1 year** while living in Japan. The guideline also accepts points counted as of 3 years (or 1 year) before your application date, if you kept that score since. The other permanent residency conditions still apply: see our [permanent residency requirements guide](/visa/residency/permanent-residency-japan-requirements/).

## What is Highly Skilled Professional 2号?

After **3 years on 1号**, you can apply to change to **高度専門職2号**. It gives an **unlimited period of stay** and lets you do almost any work-status activity alongside your main job. Benefits 3 to 6 above continue. ISA also checks that your activity is appropriate for Japanese industry and public life.

**Changing jobs on 1号:** On 1号, the organization you work for is designated as part of your status. Under the Immigration Act, moving to a new employer counts as a change of status, so you need a [change of status application](/visa/visas/change-of-status-of-residence-japan/), not only a notification.

## What are J-Skip and J-Find?

Both started in **April 2023**.

**J-Skip (特別高度人材制度)** gives Highly Skilled Professional status without points if you meet a salary and education or experience test:

- research or specialist work: a master's degree or higher, or 10+ years' relevant experience, **and a salary of ¥20 million or more**
- business management: 5+ years' management experience **and ¥40 million or more**

J-Skip adds use of priority lanes at major airports. You can move to 2号 after **1 year**, and the permanent residency residence period is 1 year.

**J-Find (未来創造人材制度)** is for recent graduates of top overseas universities. It gives Designated Activities (特定活動) status for **up to 2 years** to look for a job or prepare a startup. Your university must be in the top 100 of two of the QS, THE and ARWU rankings, your degree must be under 5 years old, and you need **¥200,000 or more in savings**.

## Related guides

Coming from abroad? See [Certificate of Eligibility](/visa/visas/certificate-of-eligibility-japan/). For family members, see the [dependent visa guide](/visa/visas/dependent-visa-japan/) and our [guide to bringing parents to Japan](/visa/visas/bring-parents-to-japan/) covers other routes. When you go home for a visit, read about the [re-entry permit](/visa/visas/re-entry-permit-japan/).

More guides: [visa renewal in Japan](/visa/visas/visa-renewal-japan/), [permanent residency vs naturalization](/visa/residency/permanent-residency-vs-naturalization/).

## Questions people ask

### How many points do I need for the Highly Skilled Professional visa in Japan?

70 points on ISA's points calculation table for the activity type you apply under: research (1号イ), specialist or technical work (1号ロ) or business management (1号ハ). You must also meet the normal requirements of a work status.

### Can a highly skilled professional get permanent residency faster?

Yes. ISA's permanent residency guideline accepts 3 years of continuous stay at 70 points or more, or 1 year at 80 points or more, instead of the usual 10 years. Under J-Skip, the period is 1 year.

### Does JLPT N2 count for highly skilled professional points?

Yes. JLPT N2 (or a BJT score of 400 or more) gives 10 bonus points. N1 (or BJT 480 or more) gives 15. You can't add the N2 points if you already get the N1 points or the 10 points for a Japanese degree.

### Can my parents live with me on a Highly Skilled Professional visa?

Only to care for your or your spouse's child under 7, or to support a pregnancy. Your household income must be ¥8 million or more, they must live with you, and only one side's parents qualify.

### What is the difference between Highly Skilled Professional 1号 and 2号?

1号 gives a 5-year stay tied to your activity. After 3 years on 1号 (1 year under J-Skip), you can apply for 2号: an unlimited period of stay and almost any work-status activity.

## Sources

- [高度人材ポイント制とは？ (What is the HSP points system?)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/resources/newimmiact_3_system_index.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [どのような優遇措置が受けられる？ (Preferential treatment)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/resources/newimmiact_3_preferential_index.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [ポイント評価の仕組みは？ (How points are evaluated)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/resources/newimmiact_3_evaluate_index.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [Points Calculation Table (English)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001398882.pdf), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [ポイント計算表 (Points calculation table, Japanese)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/930001657.pdf), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [特別高度人材制度（J-Skip）](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/resources/nyuukokukanri01_00009.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [未来創造人材制度（J-Find）](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/designatedactivities51.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [永住許可に関するガイドライン (Permanent residency guideline)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/resources/nyukan_nyukan50.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [在留審査処理期間（令和8年8月許可分）](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001473096.pdf), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- [出入国管理及び難民認定法](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326CO0000000319), e-Gov (Digital Agency) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)