Job hunting in Japan as a foreigner: how Hello Work works (free), what agencies may charge, the new-graduate calendar, and when you need a status change.
As of October 2026, foreigners can job hunt in Japan if their status allows the work. Hello Work is free: bring your residence card and passport, register, and staff arrange interviews. Licensed fee-charging agencies may not charge job seekers. New graduates follow a government-requested calendar of March 1, June 1 and October 1 for the 2027 class. If your new duties differ from your visa's, or you are a student, you need a change of status before you start.
Job hunting in Japan as a foreigner starts with one check: does your status of residence (在留資格) allow the work? Then use Hello Work (ハローワーク, the public job center, free) and licensed agencies, which may not charge you. New graduates also follow a hiring calendar. All as of October 2026.
This page covers where to look and in what order. For the visa that lets graduates keep searching after school, see the job hunting visa.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) groups statuses in its English checklist. Check your residence card (在留カード) first.
| Your status | What the ministry says |
|---|---|
| Permanent resident, spouse of a Japanese citizen, spouse of a resident | You can work any job |
| Work statuses (technology/humanities/international services, advanced professions, caregiving, skilled labor and others) | Your status depends on your job duties |
| Student | Need permission for activities outside your status: up to 28 hours a week, 8 hours a day in long school breaks |
| Other statuses | Generally can’t work; if you plan to change to one of the first two groups, you can look for a company |
For “technology/humanities/international services,” your job should relate to what you studied, judged loosely, and with 3 years’ experience in the job the match is judged loosely too. See Engineer/Humanities visa. You can also ask the Immigration Bureau for a Certificate of Eligibility for Work to prove what employment you can seek.
Hello Work is run by the government and the ministry’s checklist (July 2020 edition) says its services are free. They include work consultation, job search on its computers, contacting companies for you, and help correcting your resume and work history, plus interview advice and mock interviews.
The online job search at hellowork.mhlw.go.jp is in Japanese only; the top page shows no English version. Registering there opens a My Page.
Language support depends on the office. Osaka’s Employment Service Center for Foreigners (大阪外国人雇用サービスセンター) lists interpreters in English, Chinese and Portuguese on weekdays 13:00 to 18:00, and other languages on set days, but says they may be absent on business trips. Tokyo’s center (東京外国人雇用サービスセンター) supports foreign nationals and international students and has an English website. Call ahead to confirm an interpreter.
Not if they are licensed fee-charging placement agencies (有料職業紹介事業者). Article 32-3 of the Employment Security Act (職業安定法) says they must not collect fees from job seekers, except in limited cases set by ministerial ordinance.
The Tokyo center also warns that dispatching workers to unskilled factory or construction jobs is described as illegal, and says to ask Hello Work staff whether an employer is authorized. We don’t rank private job sites or agents here, because no neutral official source compares them.
For students graduating in fiscal 2027 (April 2027 to March 2028), the government asked employers on March 24, 2026 to follow this calendar:
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Company information sessions (広報活動) | From March 1, 2027 |
| Selection (採用選考活動) | From June 1, 2027 |
| Formal job offers (正式な内定) | From October 1, 2027 |
This is a request, not a law, and the page says nothing specific for foreign students. If you are an international student, also read student visa to work visa.
The ministry’s checklist (July 2020 edition) gives these rules, so check the current Immigration Services Agency pages before you act.
Your employer’s staff may handle the paperwork for you. This guide is general information, not visa advice: ask an administrative scrivener (行政書士) or the Immigration Bureau about your own case.
More guides: job hunting visa, changing jobs on a work visa, quitting a job.
Yes, if your status allows the work. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare says permanent residents and spouses of Japanese citizens can work any job, work-status holders are tied to their duties, and students need permission and are limited to 28 hours a week.
Yes. The ministry's English checklist (July 2020 edition) says its services are free of charge, including consultation, job search and help correcting your resume. Bring your residence card and passport to register.
Licensed fee-charging agencies must not collect fees from job seekers under Article 32-3 of the Employment Security Act, apart from limited cases set by ministerial ordinance. If an agency asks you to pay, ask a labor bureau or Hello Work.
It depends. Students who graduate and start a job must get permission for a change of status first. Work-status holders whose new duties differ also need it. With the same duties, you send a notice on the new employer within 14 days of starting.
For those graduating in fiscal 2027, the government asks employers to start information sessions on March 1, 2027, selection on June 1, 2027 and formal offers on October 1, 2027.
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