[Breaking News] Japan Building Maintenance Association Announces Schedule for the Building Cleaning Specified Skilled Worker (ii) Test on December 18 (October 20, 2026)

This is a breaking news article in which our editorial team reports only the facts, based on an announcement by a public organization. Before making any decision about a procedure, be sure to check the official announcement or consult a professional.

On October 20, 2026, the Japan Building Maintenance Association (公益社団法人全国ビルメンテナンス協会), a public interest incorporated association in Japan, announced the schedule for the Building Cleaning Specified Skilled Worker (ii) Evaluation Test (ビルクリーニング分野特定技能2号評価試験) to be held on Friday, December 18, 2026. Online applications will be accepted from 10:00 on Tuesday, October 27 to 17:00 on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, and the deadline for the test application documents (by mail) is 17:00 on Tuesday, November 24 (must arrive by then).

What the Announcement Says

The schedule announced by the association is as follows.

The announcement also includes the following notes.

• People whose review has been completed will receive an email with information about their admission ticket, sent to everyone at once on December 4. No individual notice of completion will be sent.
• Even if you have applied online, if your test application documents have not arrived or the fee has not been paid, the association will not contact you and the application will be treated as canceled.
• The association states that it cannot accept anything after the deadline in any of these cases.

Who and What This Applies To

• According to the announcement, to take the Specified Skilled Worker (ii) evaluation test, test application documents must be submitted so that the association can confirm whether the foreign national taking the test has experience in on-site management work.
• The announcement states that these test application documents are prepared by the company working together with the foreign national taking the test.

Online Briefing on Preparing the Test Application Documents

For people preparing the test application documents for the first time or having trouble with them, the association will hold an online “Briefing on Preparing the Test Application Documents” (受験申請書類作成説明会).

• Date and time: Thursday, October 29, 2026, 15:00–16:00 (planned)
• Next sessions planned: Tuesday, November 10 and Monday, November 16, both 15:00–16:00 (planned)
• Participation is free, but you must apply. It will be held as a Zoom webinar, and the association says you can apply even while a briefing is in progress.
• The association says anyone can apply and watch from a PC or smartphone.
• Foreign nationals aiming for Specified Skilled Worker (ii) can also take part, but because some of the content is complicated, the association recommends that companies take part together with them. Because the briefing is held several times, the association says you may attend as many times as you like.

Official Announcement

You can check how to apply and where to sign up for the briefing on the association’s announcement page.

• Japan Building Maintenance Association “【12月18日実施】ビルクリーニング分野特定技能2号評価試験　スケジュールのご案内” (Schedule for the Building Cleaning Specified Skilled Worker (ii) Evaluation Test held on December 18) (October 20, 2026)

Primary Sources Referenced for This Article

• Japan Building Maintenance Association “【12月18日実施】ビルクリーニング分野特定技能2号評価試験　スケジュールのご案内” (posted October 20, 2026; checked the same day)