In Japan, Certificates of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書) for Specified Skilled Worker (i) (特定技能1号) in the food service industry field are being issued in order up to “applications with a receipt date up to February 6, 2026,” according to the posting of the Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁, ISA) on October 19, 2026. In our office’s applications, an application filed on December 26, 2025 was issued on August 24, 2026, and an application filed on February 3, 2026 was issued on October 26, 2026. These are cases from a single office, but we share them as a clue for thinking about how long issuance takes.
The ISA’s review status page shows up to which receipt date applications are being processed for issuance, but it does not show the number of days from application to issuance. In this article, we explain how to read the page and place the progress of our office’s applications on the same timeline.
The materials were checked on October 27, 2026. The review status is updated, so check the ISA’s page for the latest information.
Review status of the food service industry field published by the ISA (posted October 19, 2026)
For applications for a Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書交付申請), applications for permission to change status of residence (在留資格変更許可申請) are processed first, and certificates are issued in order of receipt date when issuance is possible. In the posting of October 19, 2026, certificates are being issued in order up to “applications with a receipt date up to February 6, 2026.”
Background: the suspension of issuance from April 13
For Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the food service industry field, the number of residents was expected to exceed the projected acceptance number (50,000 people). For this reason, the ISA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced a policy on March 27, 2026, and since April 13 they have taken measures to temporarily suspend the issuance of Certificates of Eligibility.
Applications for a Certificate of Eligibility accepted on or after April 13 will in principle not be issued. Applications accepted before April 13 will be issued in order within the projected acceptance number. However, at the time the policy was announced, it was stated that because change applications are given priority, “a considerable delay is expected before issuance.”
Number of pending applications for a Certificate of Eligibility
The October 19 posting includes the number of pending applications (preliminary figures) as of October 16, 2026.
| Period of acceptance | Number of pending applications |
|---|---|
| February 7 – February 28, 2026 | 732 |
| March 1 – March 31, 2026 | 1,825 |
| April 1 – April 12, 2026 | 4,804 |
How changes and extensions are handled
Applications for permission to change status of residence by people in Japan are handled differently depending on the original status of residence. In the October 19 posting, the following applications are being permitted as usual as soon as the review is completed.
- Job changes within the food service industry field: all applications
- Changes from Technical Intern Training (meal production work at medical and welfare facilities) and from Designated Activities (Preparation for Transition to Specified Skilled Worker (i)) in the food service industry field: applications with a receipt date up to September 30, 2026
- Changes from other statuses of residence: applications with a receipt date up to April 12, 2026 (applications accepted on or after April 13 are in principle not permitted)
Applications for permission to extend period of stay (在留期間更新許可申請) are being reviewed as usual. You can check which of these your company’s hiring falls under in the article above (a-0107).
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Review Status of Applications for Specified Skilled Worker (i) (Food Service Industry Field)”, Immigration Services Agency, “Operation of the Acceptance Cap for Specified Skilled Worker in the ‘Food Service Industry Field'”, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, “Operation of the Acceptance Cap”)
How to read the review status page: what “applications with a receipt date up to February 6” means
“Applications with a receipt date up to February 6” is the range of applications for which review and issuance are being carried out in order of receipt date at the time of that posting. It does not mean that issuance has been completed for all applications up to that date. The page does not show the dates of issuance or the number of days from application to issuance.
Even though processing is in order of receipt date, the order may change depending on the content of the application and the status of the submitted documents. Not all applications accepted before February 6 have necessarily been issued.
Progress from posting to posting
The review status page is rewritten at the same URL with each posting. Comparing it with the previous posting shows how it has progressed.
| Posting date | Receipt dates for which review and issuance are being carried out | Number of pending applications shown |
|---|---|---|
| September 10, 2026 | Up to January 31, 2026 | No |
| October 19, 2026 | Up to February 6, 2026 | Yes (as of October 16) |
The content of the September 10 posting was confirmed from copies that the editorial team obtained from the ISA’s page on October 7, 14, and 17, 2026 (the official page has been rewritten with the October 19 posting). In the 39 days between the two postings, the receipt dates for which review and issuance are being carried out moved forward by 6 days. The page does not say how far the next posting will move forward.
How to read the number of pending applications
The number of pending applications gives a rough idea of how many applications were accepted before your company’s application and have not yet been issued. For example, for an application accepted in mid-March, the 732 applications accepted from February 7 to February 28 and the applications accepted in the first half of March come first.
However, the numbers are only totals for each period of acceptance, and the number for each day is not known. Also, the issuance date cannot be calculated from the numbers.
The figures for the processing period of residence examination cannot be used as a guide
In the ISA’s “Processing Period of Residence Examination” (permissions granted in August 2026), the time until issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility for Specified Skilled Worker (i) is 62.7 days. However, a note states that this figure was calculated excluding applications in the food service industry field. It cannot be used as a guide for the waiting time in the food service industry field.
Where to check progress
It is stated that the ISA, the Regional Immigration Services Bureaus (地方出入国在留管理官署), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries cannot answer inquiries about the status of issuance or permission. Check progress with the postings on the review status page.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Review Status of Applications for Specified Skilled Worker (i) (Food Service Industry Field)”, Immigration Services Agency, “Processing Period of Residence Examination”, Processing Period of Residence Examination (Days), Permissions Granted in August 2026)
Examples from our office’s applications: from application to issuance
Among the Specified Skilled Worker (i) (food service field) cases our office has applied for, the 2 cases that resulted in issuance took 241 days and 265 days from application to issuance. These are records as of October 27, 2026.
| Case | Application date | Issuance date | From application to issuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ① | December 26, 2025 | August 24, 2026 | 241 days (7 months and 29 days) |
| ② | February 3, 2026 | October 26, 2026 | 265 days (8 months and 23 days) |
These are cases from a single office and do not indicate that other applications will be issued in the same number of days. There are differences depending on the timing of the application, the content of the application, and the status of the documents.
Sources: Created by the editorial team (based on the Immigration Services Agency, “Review Status of Applications for Specified Skilled Worker (i) (Food Service Industry Field),” and our office’s applications)
The upper row of the figure shows the ISA’s announcements, and the lower row shows our office’s 2 cases.
Compared with the announcement dates
The application date of case ② (February 3) falls within the range of “applications up to February 6” in the October 19 posting. The issuance date was October 26, 7 days after the posting date.
Case ① (application on December 26) was issued on August 24. This was before the September 10 posting (up to January 31). The issuance date and the posting date are not the same.
Applications still waiting for results
As of October 27, 2026, the following applications at our office are waiting for results.
| Application period | Number waiting for results |
|---|---|
| Late February | 2 |
| Early March | 4 |
| Mid-March to before the policy announcement on March 27 | 15 |
| After the policy announcement on March 27 to before the start of the measures (April 13) | Many |
What accepting companies and registered support organizations should do while waiting for issuance
Based on the content of the review status page, there are 3 points to keep in mind while waiting.
- Respond early to requests for corrections or additional documents: It is stated that even during the suspension of issuance, you may be asked to correct the submitted documents or submit additional ones.
- Check progress on the review status page: It is stated that the ISA and other offices cannot answer inquiries.
- Applications accepted on or after April 13 will in principle not be issued: Even if you now file an application for a Certificate of Eligibility to bring someone in from overseas, it will in principle not be issued.
When you tell the person concerned and the sending organization that the timing of issuance has not been published and that the order may change even though processing is by receipt date, giving them the posting date of the review status page together with this reduces misunderstandings. How to review the planned start date of work or housing preparations depends on individual circumstances. If you are unsure how to decide, consult a specialist.
When the period of stay of a person in Japan is likely to expire while they wait their turn, they may be advised to submit a request to change the application content to Designated Activities (Preparation for Specified Skilled Worker (i)) (food service industry field) (特定活動（特定技能1号準備）（外食業分野）) (the period of stay can be extended only once).
Frequently asked questions
Q. Should we withdraw an application for a Certificate of Eligibility filed by April 12? A. Under the March 27 policy, applications accepted before April 13 will be issued in order within the projected acceptance number. Whether to withdraw depends on your hiring plans and the person’s circumstances, so decide according to the individual situation.
Q. Will applications filed after the March 27 announcement also be issued? A. Under the policy, the dividing line is whether the application was accepted before April 13. It is not divided by the date of the announcement. At our office, too, applications filed after March 27 are waiting for results.
Q. When is the review status updated? A. The schedule for the next posting is not stated on the page. Postings have followed on September 10 and October 19, so check the page from time to time.
Q. We make bento and prepared side dishes, and we are not sure whether this is the food service industry or food and beverage manufacturing. A. How to judge the workplace is explained in the following article.
Supervisor’s comment
We plan to update this article as needed as soon as results are notified for applications filed from February 7 to April 12, 2026.
Summary
- The review status page shows the range of applications for which review and issuance are being carried out in order of receipt date. In the October 19 posting, this is applications up to February 6, 2026.
- The number of pending applications is a rough guide to how many applications come before your company’s application. It does not tell you the issuance date.
- In our office’s cases, it took 241 days and 265 days from application to issuance. These are cases from a single office.
Check the ISA’s review status page for the latest situation. The basics of acceptance and how each hiring route is handled are summarized in the following article.
Primary Sources Referenced in Article Creation
- Immigration Services Agency, “Review Status of Applications for Specified Skilled Worker (i) (Food Service Industry Field)” (posted October 19, 2026)
- Immigration Services Agency, “Operation of the Acceptance Cap for Specified Skilled Worker in the ‘Food Service Industry Field'” (March 27, 2026)
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, “Operation of the Acceptance Cap for Specified Skilled Worker in the ‘Food Service Industry Field'” (March 27, 2026)
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, “Operation of the Acceptance Cap for Specified Skilled Worker in the ‘Food Service Industry Field’ Q&A”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Processing Period of Residence Examination”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Processing Period of Residence Examination (Days), Permissions Granted in August 2026”
This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.
