Specified Skilled Worker Visa
Specified Skilled Worker System
The Specified Skilled Worker system is a program that began in April 2019 with the goal of accepting foreign workers with a “certain level of expertise and skills” into the domestic workforce.
The main objective is to secure a workforce in specific industrial fields that are experiencing severe labor shortages. Therefore, workers can only be employed in these specific industrial sectors.
While there were previously 12 industrial fields, a cabinet decision on March 29, 2024, designated the following 16 fields:
- Nursing Care
- Building Cleaning
- Industrial Product Manufacturing
- Construction
- Shipbuilding and Marine Equipment
- Automobile Maintenance
- Aviation
- Lodging
- Automobile Transport
- Railway
- Agriculture
- Fisheries and Aquaculture
- Food and Beverage Manufacturing
- Food Service
- Forestry
- Lumber Industry
The four newly added fields are:
- Automobile Transport
- Railway
- Forestry
- Lumber Industry
“Flow of Employment – Yokoyama Daisuke Gyoseishoshi Office (Tokyo/Shinjuku)”
The “Specified Skilled Worker” system has two types of visas (residence statuses): Specified Skilled Worker (i) and Specified Skilled Worker (ii).
- You can work for up to five years with a Specified Skilled Worker (i) visa.
- After working for five years as a Specified Skilled Worker (i), it is possible to change to a Specified Skilled Worker (ii) visa.
While the Specified Skilled Worker system is often confused with the Technical Intern Training Program, many differences exist between the two.
The government expects to accept a total of 800,000 Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals over the next five years. This number is more than double the number of foreign nationals accepted under this program in the past five years.
“What are Specified Skilled Worker (i) and (ii)? – Yokoyama Daisuke Gyoseishoshi Office (Tokyo/Shinjuku)”
“Contact Us – Yokoyama Daisuke Gyoseishoshi Office (daisukeoffice.com)”