Hiring Foreign Workers– category –

Based on the guidance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Prometric, this article explains the Nursing Care Specified Skills Evaluation Test (Skills and Japanese; formerly the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Test and the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Test) that you take to work in the "nursing care" field of Specified Skilled Worker: what the tests cover, who can take them, how to apply with Prometric (creating an ID, booking, and payment), what to bring on the test day, the score report, the 45-day rule if you fail, the latest pass rates by country, and the order of steps from passing to starting work.

To accept foreign nationals as Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the construction field, you need approval of the Construction Specified Skilled Worker Acceptance Plan from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, separately from the immigration application. Based on MLIT's guide and the operational guidelines, this article covers the requirements for approval, what to submit to MLIT and to immigration and when, the 16 attachments for MLIT, the review period (about 1.5 to 2 months, excluding correction periods) and when to apply, common reasons for corrections, and the reports, training, and change applications after approval.

A field-by-field guide to the documents only for the nursing care field (Table 3) in Specified Skilled Worker "Nursing Care" applications. It covers the entry fields and nine pledges of the written pledge (Field Reference Form No. 1-1), how to count nursing care staff in the facility outline (No. 1-2), what to check before submitting the council certificate, the skills and Japanese-language proof for each background, the evaluation report, and the documents to submit when you cannot get one.

How to fill out the Specified Skilled Worker employment contract (Reference Form No. 1-5), the employment conditions (No. 1-6), and the wage payment sheet (Attachment 1) submitted with a Specified Skilled Worker (i) application, following the Immigration Services Agency's forms and filled-in examples. Covers the worker's language and signature, points to note for each field of the employment conditions, how to write allowances, fixed overtime pay, and deductions (meals, housing, utilities), reviewing that the contents of the employment conditions and the wage payment sheet are consistent, and the fields that require a notification if changed later.

How to fill out the Support Plan for Specified Skilled Worker (i) (Reference Form No. 1-17), explained field by field using the Immigration Services Agency's examples (full outsourcing and in-house support). Covers which fields differ between full outsourcing and in-house support, reasons for "No" and the outsourcing column, explaining housing costs, online interviews and the signature section, the coexistence measures section added in April 2025, and translation and the foreign national's signature.

Since April 21, 2025, nursing care workers with Specified Skilled Worker (i) status can work in home-visit services such as home-visit care, under certain conditions. Following the notices and Q&A of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, this article explains, in the order of the steps: the worker's conditions (completing the initial training course for care workers or similar, and in principle at least 1 year of work experience), the exception for less than 1 year of experience and the length of accompanied visits, the 5 things the facility must observe, explanations to users and families, applying for a certificate of conformity for each foreign national and the documents, periodic reports and itinerant visits, and the procedures for transferring a worker from a facility.

A list of the documents to submit when applying for Specified Skilled Worker "Nursing Care," organized by application type: Certificate of Eligibility, change of status of residence, and extension of period of stay. Following the document checklists revised on October 1, 2026, this article covers the documents only for the nursing care field (the written pledge, the facility outline, and the council certificate), the documents common to all fields and where to get them, where to submit to the council and to immigration, and the fees and standard processing periods.

Even after the deadline for the Specified Skilled Worker periodic notification (by May 31 every year) or an ad hoc notification (within 14 days) has passed, you can still submit it. What matters is to attach a statement of reasons explaining the delay and submit as soon as possible. Based on Immigration Services Agency materials, this article explains the steps to take today, what to do when only some documents are not ready in time, what to do when you notice a mistake after submitting, and the risks of leaving a notification unsubmitted.

An explanation, based on materials published by the Immigration Services Agency, of the Employment for Skill Development system that replaces Technical Intern Training on April 1, 2027 (April 1, Reiwa 9). Tables summarize the differences from Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker, the 17 fields and expected numbers of workers, the rules for transfers, the Japanese language targets, the transitional measures for current technical intern trainees, and what companies and supervising organizations should prepare before the start.

When a Specified Skilled Worker changes companies, a notification alone is not enough: an Application for Permission to change status of residence is required. You cannot work at the new company until permission is granted. Based on Immigration Services Agency materials, this article covers which job changes within job categories are allowed, the timeline from leaving your job to joining the new company, the processing times published by the agency, the notifications required from the former and new companies, and the fees from October 2026.