Requirements for obtaining “Technology, Humanities, and International Business” status of residence

This is required in order to obtain a visa to work and stay in Japan (i.e., a “Technology, Humanities, and International Business” visa):

  1. Job Description:
    - Specialized skills or knowledge from an academic background is required.
    - Technology or knowledge involving the natural sciences or humanities.
    - Thinking or feeling based on a foreign culture is required.
  2. Appropriateness of the hiring agency:
    - The alien's employment must be continuous and stable.
    - Wages must be equal to or higher than those of Japanese employees.
  3. Educational or work experience requirements:
    - A university degree in a relevant field.
    - Or have at least 10 years of relevant work experience.

Technology category:
Either one of the following two requirements needs to be met (except for applicants in the IT sector, for whom there are no restrictions on academic or practical requirements):

  1. Academic Requirements:
    i) Graduated from a university (including a foreign university) or with an equivalent educational background*
    ii) Specialized in a subject related to the required skills or knowledge in the field of work to be performed and completed a specialized course at a Japanese college of technology (obtaining a highly specialized bachelor's degree or a specialized bachelor's degree) (the relevance of the specialization to the work to be performed must be taken into account).
  2. Substantive requirements:
    Acquisition of the required skills or knowledge through more than 10 years of practical work experience in the relevant field of work** (applies to technical categories)
    or
    More than 3 years of practical work experience (for technical categories)

Humanities category:
Either of the following two requirements needs to be met:

  1. Academic Requirements:
    Educational requirements for the same technical category.

International business category:
It is necessary to fulfill both ① and ② below:

  1. Academic Requirements:
    Educational requirements for the same technical category.
  2. Substantive requirements:
    Substantive requirements for the same technical category.

Special Exception:
For applicants working as translators, interpreters or language teachers who are university graduates (proof of degree is required***), there are no substantive requirements.

  • Bachelor's Degree and College Degree (Short University) are also eligible and there is no restriction on arts and science background.

** Includes the duration of specialization in relevant skills or knowledge in a university, a higher specialized school, a high school, a postgraduate course in a secondary education school or a specialized course in a specialized school.

*** Bachelor's degree (Bachelor) and college degree (short college) are eligible. There is no restriction on liberal arts or science background.

There are two types of qualifications in China (mainland):

(b) Unified Entrance Examination for Higher Education (UEHE): A situation in which a person takes the National Unified Entrance Examination for Higher Education (UEHE) and is admitted to a university on the basis of the examination.
If one graduated from a four-year undergraduate college with a bachelor's degree, then there is no problem.
In case of graduation from a three-year specialized university (junior college), there is no degree, but it is recognized as the same or higher qualification as a university graduation.
(b) Non-high school entrance examination: a situation in which a person does not take the high school entrance examination and then re-enrolls in school, for example, after becoming a member of the community.
Depending on the system of education received at the university, it can be categorized into various forms, such as adult education, self-study exams, e-learning, off-the-job, spare-time, correspondence, and so on. In these cases, it is not enough to graduate, but it is also necessary to obtain a degree (Bachelor's degree).
The self-study examination is a system of higher education in mainland China, mainly a combination of individual self-study and self-study, socially assisted learning and State examinations set up for the purpose of obtaining academic qualifications. The system began in the early 1980s as a new form of open and socialized education. Candidates are not restricted by gender, age, occupation, ethnicity or level of education, and can re-enter university after becoming a member of society. The graduation certificate after the self-test is also recognized as a university diploma in China.

However, a diploma alone is not enough for immigration business in Japan.

In other words, only a diploma and a degree at the same time can be recognized as a degree.

Required materials for application

  1. Documents to be prepared by the applicant:
    - passport
    - resident card
    - Photo (4cm x 3cm)
    - curriculum vitae
    - University diploma or degree
    - University transcripts
    - Proof of previous employment (if any)
    - Relevant qualifications
    - Certificate of Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)
    - Resident's Tax Certificate
    - Resident's tax certificate