Companies that employ foreign nationals with the Specified Skilled Worker (特定技能) status submit two kinds of notifications to immigration: the once-a-year “periodic notification” (定期届出) and “ad hoc notifications” (随時届出) when a change occurs.
The periodic notification is submitted every year from April 1 to May 31, and covers the period from April 1 to March 31 of the previous year. An ad hoc notification is submitted within 14 days from the day an event, such as a change in the employment contract (雇用契約) or a resignation, occurs. In both cases, the one who submits is the employer (the specified skilled worker affiliated organization, 特定技能所属機関).
From 2026, the periodic notification became once a year. Attaching the wage ledger is no longer required, but companies that do not meet the “certain criteria” (一定の基準) need to attach documents on social insurance and taxes. It is sometimes called a “periodic report” (定期報告), but its official name is the periodic notification.
The content of this article was checked against materials from the Immigration Services Agency (ISA, 出入国在留管理庁) on October 7, 2026.
Two kinds of Specified Skilled Worker notifications: periodic and ad hoc
The notifications a company submits come in two types: the periodic notification and ad hoc notifications. The differences are as follows.
| Item | Periodic notification | Ad hoc notification |
|---|---|---|
| When | Every year from April 1 to May 31 | Within 14 days from the day the event occurred |
| What | The status of acceptance, activities, and support from April 1 to March 31 of the previous year | Changes, termination, or conclusion of the employment contract, changes to the support plan, difficulty in continuing acceptance, etc. |
| Who | Specified skilled worker affiliated organization | Specified skilled worker affiliated organization |
| Legal basis | Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 19-18, paragraph 2 | Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 19-18, paragraph 1 |
Others also have to submit notifications.
- Registered support organizations (登録支援機関): The status of support is submitted through the company, as part of the periodic notification. When their registered information changes, for example, they submit notifications themselves.
- The foreign nationals themselves: When their contract with the company ends, when they sign a new contract, and so on, they submit a notification within 14 days. Even if the company submits a notification, this does not take the place of the individual’s own notification.
In addition, when a company hires a foreign national or the foreign national leaves the job, a “Report on the Employment Status of Foreign Nationals” (外国人雇用状況の届出) to Hello Work is also required. This is a separate system of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and it is done separately from the notifications to immigration.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Notifications by specified skilled worker affiliated organizations and registered support organizations”, Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “About the Report on the Employment Status of Foreign Nationals”)
The flow of a year: an annual calendar of notifications
Within a year, the periodic notification is concentrated in April and May. Ad hoc notifications are needed at any time when an event occurs. Here are examples of what the person in charge does, month by month.
| Period | What to do |
|---|---|
| January–March | Check the ISA announcements to see whether the preparation guidelines or the list of documents to submit have changed. Check your user registration for electronic notification. Check whether you meet the “certain criteria” |
| March 31 | The period covered by the periodic notification ends |
| April | Prepare the documents for the periodic notification. Get the status of support and signatures from the registered support organization. If you do not meet the criteria, request the certificates |
| April 1–May 31 | The submission period for the periodic notification |
| All year | Ad hoc notifications (within 14 days from the day the event occurred) |
The submission period in 2027 is from April 1 (Thursday) to May 31 (Monday).
The covered period is one year, from April 1 to March 31 of the following year. If you accepted a Specified Skilled Worker foreign national even for one day during this period, a notification is required. For example, a person accepted on March 31 is included in that year’s notification. A person accepted on or after April 1 is included in the following year’s notification.
Examples of situations where ad hoc notifications often arise include contract renewals, transfers between workplaces, temporary returns to the home country, and resignations. When these happen differs from company to company.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Preparation guidelines for the notification on the status of acceptance, activities, and support of Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals (periodic notification)”, Immigration Services Agency, “Periodic notification by specified skilled worker affiliated organizations: list of documents to submit”)
Periodic notification: when, who, and where to submit
The specified skilled worker affiliated organization submits the periodic notification every year from April 1 to May 31. The ISA page states that when May 31 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or national holiday, the deadline is the next business day of the office.
Companies that need to submit
A company that had an employment contract relationship with a Specified Skilled Worker foreign national for even one day during the covered period. A notification is required even if there was a period when the person did not actually work.
As a rule, the start date of acceptance is the day the person received landing permission as “Specified Skilled Worker,” or the day they received the Permission to change status of residence (在留資格の変更許可). It is not the start date of the employment contract.
ISA materials organize it as follows:
- In a year with no acceptance during the covered period, you do not need to submit
- If the company has gone bankrupt or closed its business and cannot prepare the notification form, you do not need to submit
- A person who has only received a Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書) and has not yet entered Japan is not covered
- For a person who changed to another status of residence (在留資格) during the period, the period until the change was permitted is covered
- A notification is also required if you accept only people with Specified Skilled Worker (ii) (特定技能2号). Because there is no obligation to provide support for (ii), you do not need to fill in the support part
Who submits
The specified skilled worker affiliated organization submits the notification. For a corporation, the head office submits one set for the whole company. It is not submitted for each workplace.
If all support is entrusted to a registered support organization, the company compiles the status of support from the registered support organization and submits it together. A registered support organization cannot submit the periodic notification on behalf of the company.
Where and how to submit
There are two ways to submit: the electronic notification system, or by mail or in person. ISA recommends electronic notification.
- Electronic notification: User registration and an application for use are required in advance. Select “specified skilled worker affiliated organization” as the type of organization.
- By mail or in person: Submit to the Regional Immigration Services Bureau or branch office that has jurisdiction over the company’s address (for a corporation, the location of the head office as registered).
Differences from the rules up to 2025
Previously, notifications were submitted once every three months, by quarter. Quarterly notifications ended with those submitted by April 15, 2025, and from April 2026 the notification became once a year.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Notifications by specified skilled worker affiliated organizations and registered support organizations”, Periodic notification preparation guidelines, Periodic notification: list of documents to submit, Immigration Services Agency, “Frequently asked questions about the periodic notification (Q&A)”, Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov))
Documents for the periodic notification and the “certain criteria”
The documents for the periodic notification are divided into common documents that every company submits, and documents that differ depending on whether the company meets the “certain criteria.”
Documents every company submits
- Notification form on the status of acceptance, activities, and support (Reference Form No. 3-6)
- Status of acceptance, activities, and support of Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals (No. 3-6, Attachment 1). Prepare one for each workplace where you accept foreign nationals
- Signature section of the notification form (No. 3-6, Attachment 2). Required when all support is entrusted to more than one registered support organization, and when all support is entrusted and you submit by electronic notification
- Certificate of remuneration payment (Reference Form No. 5-7). Required when you pay wages by a method other than bank transfer
- Statement of reasons (any format). Attach it, for example, when you could not submit within the period
What are the “certain criteria”?
A company that meets the “certain criteria” can omit many of the documents about the company. There are three criteria, and all of them must be met.
- In the past 3 years, the company has not received a written guidance and recommendation (指導勧告書) or an improvement order (改善命令)
- The company makes residence applications online and submits various notifications by electronic notification
- The company falls under one of the following
- A company listed on a Japanese stock exchange
- A mutual company engaged in the insurance business
- An innovation-creating company (a company eligible for the special bonus points for Highly Skilled Professionals)
- A company, etc. that meets certain conditions (such as a company certified under Youth Yell, Kurumin, Eruboshi, or Health and Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations)
- An organization or individual whose withholding tax on employment income for the previous year was 10,000,000 yen or more
- A corporation that has accepted foreign nationals as a specified skilled worker affiliated organization for 3 consecutive years and has not had liabilities exceeding its assets in the past 3 years
Note that omitting documents is allowed only when you submit the periodic notification online. If you submit by mail or at the counter, you cannot omit documents even if you meet the criteria.
Some of these conditions are similar to the idea of company “categories” related to the period of stay (在留期間) for Specified Skilled Workers. However, they are separate systems.
Additional documents for companies that meet or do not meet the criteria
| Companies that meet the criteria | Companies that do not meet the criteria |
|---|---|
| Written pledge on a certain business scale and conformity with the criteria (No. 5-16) | Written pledge on conformity with the criteria (No. 5-17) |
| Documents showing that the company falls under the criteria (proof of listing, a copy of the summary table of statutory records, etc.) | Outline of the specified skilled worker affiliated organization (No. 1-11-1) |
| Written pledge for omitting documents (No. 1-29) | Certificate of registered matters (corporations), a copy of the certificate of residence of officers involved in business execution (for a sole proprietor, the person themselves), and a written pledge regarding officers (if needed) |
| – | Documents on payment of labor insurance premiums (most recent year) |
| – | Documents on payment of social insurance premiums (12 months up to the month before last before the month of notification) |
| – | Tax payment certificate (Part 3), and tax payment certificate for corporate inhabitant tax or individual inhabitant tax (most recent year) |
| – | If you provide support yourself, documents such as your track record of accepting foreign nationals |
The months covered by the social insurance documents change depending on the month you submit. For example, if you submit in May, the guideline is the 12 months from April to March of the previous year.
For workplaces covered by health insurance and employees’ pension insurance, submit either the social insurance premium payment status response form, or copies of the receipts for health insurance and employees’ pension insurance premiums. A sole proprietor (個人事業主) whose business is not a covered workplace submits documents on payment of National Health Insurance (国民健康保険) premiums (tax) and National Pension (国民年金) premiums.
The wage ledger is no longer needed
Under the rules from 2026, copies of the wage ledgers of the Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals and of the Japanese employees used for comparison no longer need to be attached.
Temporary handling in 2026
In 2026, applications for issuing certificates were concentrated. For this reason, ISA allowed certificates from public agencies that could not be submitted by May 31 to be submitted later as an addition. Even in this case, documents other than the certificates had to be submitted by May 31.
This later submission was handling based on the 2026 announcement. The same handling may not apply in the following year. Please check the ISA announcements before submitting.
Common mistakes when filling in the form
Fill in the notification form following the calculation methods in the preparation guidelines. The preparation guidelines list mistakes such as the following:
- Writing the pay raise rate as “105%” (for 5%, write “5.0%”)
- Writing the pay raise rate as “100%” when there was no pay raise (the correct answer is “0%”)
- Writing only the premium portion of overtime allowance (write the full amount of the allowance)
(Sources: Periodic notification preparation guidelines, Periodic notification: list of documents to submit, Immigration Services Agency, “Common mistakes in the periodic notification”, Immigration Services Agency, “Leaflet on the rule changes for the periodic notification under the Specified Skilled Worker system”, Immigration Services Agency, “Submission of attached documents for the periodic notification under the Specified Skilled Worker system (announcement)”, Immigration Services Agency, “About companies, etc. that meet certain conditions”)
Ad hoc notifications: within 14 days in these cases (quick reference)
An ad hoc notification is submitted within 14 days from the day the event to be notified occurred. There are six types of ad hoc notifications that a company submits.
| In this case | Notification | Reference form |
|---|---|---|
| You changed the content of the employment contract, the contract ended, or you signed a new contract with the same person | Notification on the specified skilled worker employment contract | No. 3-1-1 and No. 3-1-2 |
| You changed the support plan, changed the support manager or support staff, changed the organization you entrust support to, or switched to providing support yourself | Notification on changes to the support plan | No. 3-2 |
| You concluded, changed, or ended a support entrustment contract with a registered support organization | Notification on the support entrustment contract | No. 3-3-1 and No. 3-3-2 |
| It has become difficult to continue accepting the person | Notification on difficulty in continuing acceptance | No. 3-4 |
| The company no longer meets the criteria for acceptance | Notification on non-conformity with the criteria | No. 3-5 |
| You could not provide support as set out in the support plan, or you consulted a government agency, etc. to solve a problem | Notification on difficulty in implementing the support plan | No. 3-7 |
The forms are available as “reference forms” and can be downloaded from the ISA’s list of forms page. Check the attached documents in the list of documents to submit for each type of notification.
How to count the 14 days
- Count from the day the event occurred. You cannot submit a notification that uses a future date, which has not yet happened, as the date of the event
- If you send by mail, it must reach immigration within 14 days. The postmark date is not enough
- You can also submit by electronic notification
- For an event that occurred while the person had Specified Skilled Worker status, a notification is required even if the person later changes to another status of residence or leaves Japan
Notification on difficulty in continuing acceptance
The notification on difficulty in continuing acceptance is submitted at the point when it becomes difficult to continue accepting the person, regardless of whether the person actually resigns. Examples are resignation for the company’s reasons, illness or injury, and the person going missing.
It also applies when, after permission for entry or change has been granted, an event occurs that makes the person unable to work for 1 month or more. Examples are leave due to the scaling down of a production line, leave for pregnancy, childbirth, or childcare, and leave due to illness or injury.
The explanatory document to attach differs depending on the event: No. 5-14 if the person cannot work for 1 month or more, No. 5-15 if the person is missing, and No. 5-11 in other cases.
The order of steps when a person leaves
When an event occurs that is expected to lead to the end of the contract, such as a notice of dismissal, submit the notification on difficulty in continuing acceptance at that point. Then, when the contract actually ends, submit the notification on the end of the employment contract within 14 days from the end date.
Notification on non-conformity with the criteria
Typical examples are when the company falls behind on paying taxes or social insurance premiums. It also applies when the company has caused workers doing the same work to leave their jobs for the company’s reasons, or when it did not pay part of the remuneration to a foreign national.
A notification is required even if the problem was corrected within 14 days. The deadline is within 14 days from the day you learned that an event that does not meet the criteria occurred.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Notifications by specified skilled worker affiliated organizations and registered support organizations”, Immigration Services Agency, “Frequently asked questions about ad hoc notifications from specified skilled worker affiliated organizations (Q&A)”, Immigration Services Agency, “List of application and notification forms related to Specified Skilled Workers”, Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov))
Situations where no notification is needed, and confusing cases
There are situations where no notification is needed. However, if the conditions are not met, a notification becomes necessary, so if you are unsure, please check the ISA materials.
- Resignation for personal reasons: The notification on difficulty in continuing acceptance is not needed. Submit only the notification on the end of the employment contract.
- Changes in wages that are favorable to the person: Pay raises, added allowances, newly introduced bonuses, and so on do not require a notification. Changes that are unfavorable to the person, such as a reduction in base pay or the abolition of an allowance, require a notification. Even when no notification is needed, keep the updated statement of employment conditions at the workplace.
- Minor changes: Changes other than remuneration or working conditions that have no substantial effect on the contract do not require a notification. Check which changes are minor using the examples in the appended table of the operational guidelines.
- Changes in the company’s name or address: The notification on changes to the employment contract is not needed. However, the foreign nationals themselves need to submit their own notification, so please let them know.
- When the company the person belongs to changes due to a merger or split: The notification on changes to the employment contract is not needed, but an application for the Permission to change status of residence is required.
- Difficulty in implementing the support plan when all support is entrusted: The company does not need to submit a notification. The registered support organization submits a “report on unusual cases” (特異事案報告).
On the other hand, the notification on changes to the support plan is submitted by the company even when all support is entrusted. This is easy to get backwards, so please be careful.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Handling of cases where notification of changes to the specified skilled worker employment contract is not required”, Ad hoc notification Q&A, Immigration Services Agency, “Leaflet explaining notifications under the Specified Skilled Worker system”)
What registered support organizations do, and what they cannot do
A registered support organization supports the company’s notifications. It cannot submit the company’s notifications on the company’s behalf.
What registered support organizations do for the periodic notification
If entrusted with all support, the registered support organization prepares the status of support (the support part of Attachment 1) and gives it to the company. If needed, it signs the signature section (Attachment 2). The company is the one that submits.
When submitting by mail or at the counter, if all support is entrusted to only one registered support organization, Attachment 2 is not needed.
Notifications registered support organizations submit themselves
| In this case | Notification or report | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| The registered matters listed in the register have changed | Notification on changes to registered matters | Within 14 days from the date of the change |
| Support work has been suspended or discontinued | Notification on suspension or discontinuation of support work (Reference Form No. 4-1) | Within 14 days from the date of suspension or discontinuation |
| Suspended support work will be resumed | Notification on resumption of support work (Reference Form No. 4-2) | Before resumption (the ISA page says up to 1 month before the planned resumption date) |
| There was an unusual case in providing support | Report on unusual cases (Reference Form No. 4-3) | The ISA page does not state a deadline |
Who you can ask to prepare notification forms
The ISA Q&A on ad hoc notifications explains cases where you ask someone else to prepare a notification form. Only a gyoseishoshi lawyer (行政書士) or an attorney may take on the preparation for a fee. When you ask them, you submit a letter of attorney. It states that asking anyone else may violate laws such as the Gyoseishoshi Lawyer Act.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Notifications by specified skilled worker affiliated organizations and registered support organizations”, Ad hoc notification Q&A, Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov))
Risks when a notification is late or not submitted
You can still submit a notification after the deadline has passed. If it is late, it is important to submit it right away.
- Late ad hoc notification: Attach a document explaining the reason for the delay and submit it promptly.
- Late periodic notification: Attach a statement of reasons explaining why you could not submit within the period.
The risks of not submitting notifications are as follows:
- If the periodic notification has not been submitted, acceptance of Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals is, as a rule, not allowed.
- If you do not submit a notification or submit a false notification, you may become unable to conclude Specified Skilled Worker employment contracts for a certain period.
- There are also penalties. The notifications on changes, termination, or conclusion of the employment contract, and, within the periodic notification, the notification of the names, activities, etc. of the foreign nationals you accept, are subject to a fine of up to 300,000 yen (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 71-4). Other notifications are subject to a non-penal fine of up to 100,000 yen (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 77-2).
- If the support status of the registered support organization is not submitted, the registration of the registered support organization may be revoked.
The right response depends on the reason for the delay and the situation. For your individual circumstances, please consult a specialist.
(Sources: Ad hoc notification Q&A, Periodic notification: list of documents to submit, Immigration Services Agency, “Leaflet on the rule changes for the periodic notification under the Specified Skilled Worker system”, Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov))
Common mistakes (from the ISA list of mistakes)
In May 2026, ISA published “Common mistakes in the periodic notification.” The main points are as follows:
- Forgetting to submit the signature section (Attachment 2): If all support is entrusted to more than one registered support organization, signatures from all of the organizations are required.
- A registered support organization submits the periodic notification: Only the specified skilled worker affiliated organization can submit the periodic notification.
- Omitting documents when submitting by mail or at the counter: Omission is allowed only when you submit online.
- Omitting documents without meeting the criteria: To omit documents, all three conditions must be met.
- Wrong type of user registration: If “specified skilled worker affiliated organization” is not checked, you cannot log in for the periodic notification.
The checklist in the list of documents to submit also warns about submitting to the wrong office. For a corporation, the place to submit is the immigration office with jurisdiction over the location of the head office as registered, not the location of the workplace.
(Sources: Common mistakes in the periodic notification, Periodic notification: list of documents to submit)
Notifications by the foreign nationals themselves (separate from the company’s notifications)
Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals also have notifications that they must submit themselves. If any of the following happens, they submit a notification within 14 days.
- Their contract with the company ended, or they signed a new contract
- The company’s name or location changed, or the company ceased to exist
The notification can be submitted by electronic notification, in person at the counter, or by mail. Even if the company submits a notification to immigration, it does not take the place of the individual’s notification.
When a person resigns or changes jobs, it is reassuring if the company tells them about the notification.
Existing article: Points to note about notifications and applications when a foreign national with the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status changes jobs
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Notification regarding the affiliated (contracting) organization”, Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov))
Summary
- A company’s Specified Skilled Worker notifications come in two types: the once-a-year periodic notification and ad hoc notifications within 14 days.
- The periodic notification is submitted every year from April 1 to May 31, covering April to March of the previous year. The company submits it, and for a corporation, the head office submits one set.
- Companies that meet the “certain criteria” and submit online can omit many of the attached documents.
- There are six types of ad hoc notifications. In some situations, such as resignation for personal reasons or a pay raise favorable to the person, no notification is needed.
- A registered support organization cannot submit either the periodic notification or the company’s ad hoc notifications on its behalf.
- The foreign nationals themselves also have notifications due within 14 days, separate from the company’s notifications.
If a notification is late, or if you are unsure which notification applies, please consult a specialist.
Primary Sources Referenced in Article Creation
- Immigration Services Agency, “Notifications by specified skilled worker affiliated organizations and registered support organizations”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Preparation guidelines for the notification on the status of acceptance, activities, and support of Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals (periodic notification)”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Periodic notification by specified skilled worker affiliated organizations: list of documents to submit”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Frequently asked questions about the periodic notification (Q&A)”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Common mistakes in the periodic notification”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Submission of attached documents for the periodic notification under the Specified Skilled Worker system (announcement)”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Leaflet on the rule changes for the periodic notification under the Specified Skilled Worker system”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Leaflet explaining notifications under the Specified Skilled Worker system”
- Immigration Services Agency, “About companies, etc. that meet certain conditions”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Frequently asked questions about ad hoc notifications from specified skilled worker affiliated organizations (Q&A)”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Handling of cases where notification of changes to the specified skilled worker employment contract is not required”
- Immigration Services Agency, “List of application and notification forms related to Specified Skilled Workers”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Notification regarding the affiliated (contracting) organization”
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov)
- Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “About the Report on the Employment Status of Foreign Nationals”
This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.
