IT jobs in Japan for foreigners: visa routes, pay benchmarks and dispatch rules

IT jobs in Japan for foreigners mostly run on the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status (技術・人文知識・国際業務, often shortened to 技人国). You qualify with a related degree, a Japanese vocational college course, 10 or more years of experience, or a designated IT exam or qualification. Your pay must equal a Japanese colleague’s. All as of October 2026.

Foreign workers in professional and technical statuses numbered 865,588 at the end of October 2025, up 20.4% in a year, according to the labor ministry (厚生労働省).

Which visa do I need for an IT job?

The status covers work under a contract with a Japanese organization that needs natural-science or humanities knowledge. Immigration lists mechanical engineers among its examples. Stays are 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months. See the Engineer/Specialist visa guide for the application steps.

For the separate Highly Skilled Professional status, see Highly Skilled Professional.

What qualifications do I need?

For work needing technical knowledge, you need one of these:

We did not confirm which exams are on the ministry’s designated list. Check the current notice before relying on this route. For changing status from student, see student visa to work visa.

How is IT pay judged?

The rule is pay equal to or more than a Japanese person doing the same work. “Remuneration” means payment for your work, and excludes reimbursement-type items like commuting, dependent and housing allowances unless taxable.

Immigration’s granted-case examples include:

• Software engineer at a Japanese software company: about ¥350,000 a month.
• Programmer at a telecom parent company: about ¥240,000 a month.
• Systems analysis and CAD/CAE engineer: about ¥300,000 a month.
• IT-related company staff: about ¥450,000 a month.

These are past examples, not minimums or typical pay.

Foreign workers in professional and technical statuses averaged ¥313,200 a month (average age 32.4, 3.2 years with the employer), a category average across many jobs. For how to use this, see salary negotiation in Japan, and for what is left after deductions, take-home pay.

What if I’m hired through a dispatch company?

Immigration’s July 2026 notice for dispatch work (派遣) on this status says:

• The dispatch destination must be fixed before you apply. Applications without one can’t be approved. There is an exception for training new recruits right after hiring, with substitute documents.
• Your period of stay follows the dispatch contract period.
• Immigration may check your duties directly with the dispatch destination, not only with your employer.

Ask your employer where you will work before you sign, and keep the written conditions. See the labor rights guide.

Changing employers later

For what changes when you switch employers, see changing jobs on a work visa and quitting a job in Japan. For hiring-process rules, see job interviews in Japan.