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For international students who have graduated from Japanese universities or vocational schools to work continuously at a Japanese company, they need to undergo the procedure of changing their Status of Residence from “Student” to a Status of Residence that permits employment (Application for Change of Status of Residence). Crucially important in this procedure is the timing of the application. If aiming for employment in April, the Immigration Services Agency urges applicants to file their applications between December 1st and the end of January of the preceding year. This article, focusing on “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services,” the most common Status of Residence for such changes, provides an explanation by an Administrative Scrivener based on primary information from the Immigration Services Agency, covering the application schedule, conditions for approval, pre-graduation applications, post-offer waiting periods (Designated Activities), required documents, and fees. The content is useful not only for foreign nationals themselves but also for HR professionals at companies that have extended job offers.
For information on the renewal procedure for the Status of Residence “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” (hereinafter referred to as “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”), please refer to “Required Documents and New Requirements for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa Renewal“. Regarding recovery after a Denial in the immigration review, a detailed explanation is provided in “Guide to Re-application After Visa Denial“.
The Status of Residence “Student” is solely for the purpose of studying. Engaging in part-time work during studies is only permitted with “Permission for Activities Outside Status of Residence,” and even then, there is a restriction of generally within 28 hours per week. To work full-time after graduation, it is necessary to change from “Student” to a Status of Residence whose primary purpose is employment.
A typical Status of Residence for foreign nationals working in Japan is Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. This widely includes jobs that utilize specialized knowledge and language skills acquired at universities or similar institutions, such as IT engineers, mechanical/electrical engineers, accounting, sales, planning, interpretation/translation, and language teachers.
As a general rule, you cannot begin employment until your Status of Residence has been changed and approved. It is paramount to act early, counting back from your start date.
The most common mistake people make when changing their Status of Residence for employment is delaying the application period. The Immigration Services Agency advises those wishing to start work in April to submit their applications between December 1st and the end of January of the preceding year.
Why this period? From January to March, applications for April employment concentrate from all over the country. The Immigration Services Agency warns that if required documents are incomplete or if the application is submitted late, there is a possibility that the review may not be completed by the desired start date of employment.
The official application period is “from when the reason for the change of Status of Residence arises (e.g., receiving a job offer) until the expiration date of the Period of Stay.” This means that once you receive a job offer, you can start preparing your application at that point.
📅 Estimated Reverse Schedule from Start Date (Example for April Employment)
⏰ The standard processing time is merely an estimate, and it may take longer depending on the content of the documents. Do not assume that submitting at the last minute will be sufficient; we strongly recommend applying with ample time.
The Status of Residence to be changed to varies depending on the job content at the place of employment. While Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services is central for international students’ employment, other Statuses of Residence may apply depending on the duties.
| Example of Job at Place of Employment | Applicable Status of Residence |
|---|---|
| 🖥️ IT engineer, mechanical/electrical design, accounting, sales, planning | Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services |
| 🌐 Interpretation/translation, language teacher, overseas transactions, design | Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (International Services) |
| 🍳 Cooking, customer service field work, etc. | Generally not permitted under Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. Consider alternative routes such as Specified Skilled Worker. |
| 🏢 Business management of a company | Business Manager |
| 🎓 Research/education at universities, etc. | Researcher, Professor, etc. |
⚠️ It is particularly important to note that simple tasks (such as cooking, customer service, or manufacturing line work) do not fall under Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. It is not the case that “any job can obtain a Work Visa just by graduating from university.” The connection between the specialized field of study and the actual duties to be performed will be questioned.
The key to changing to Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services is the relevance between your academic background (or practical experience) and the job duties you will perform at your employer. Based on the standards of the Immigration Services Agency, this is practically organized as follows:
You must have graduated from a university (including junior colleges) or a Japanese vocational school and obtained a title such as “Senmonshi” (specialist). Furthermore, there must be a relevance between the content of your major and your job duties.
Interpretation/translation, language instruction, public relations/advertising, overseas business transactions, design, etc. Three years or more of practical experience is required (with exceptions, such as no practical experience required for university graduates engaged in translation, interpretation, or language instruction).
Especially for vocational school graduates, there is a tendency for the relevance between the learned content and the job to be more specifically reviewed. For example, while a case where “a vocational school graduate who studied information processing becomes a systems engineer” is likely to be recognized as relevant, occupations far removed from the major are likely to be denied.
💡 To HR Professionals at Companies: Confirming the graduate faculty/major and the actual job duties to be assigned at the stage of offering a job will facilitate the subsequent Application for Change of Status of Residence. It is important to prepare to explain specifically why that individual is necessary in the employment contract or statement of reasons for hiring.
For an Application for Change of Status of Residence, in addition to the applicant’s documents, documents corresponding to the size (category) of the accepting company are required. The volume of submitted documents varies greatly depending on the company’s category; while listed companies (Categories 1 and 2) have simplified requirements, newly established companies (Categories 3 and 4) are required to submit more detailed materials.
Examples of main documents are as follows (actual required documents vary depending on individual circumstances):
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| 💴 Fee | Applications accepted by September 30, 2026: 6,000 yen when permission is granted (paid with Revenue Stamp). 5,500 yen for online application Applications on or after October 1, 2026: 10,000–75,000 yen depending on the period of stay granted (10,000–65,000 yen for online applications; Revenue Stamps cannot be used and a separate payment handling fee applies) |
| ⏳ Standard Processing Time | Change to work Status of Residence is 1 to 2 months (may vary depending on time of year and documents). |
| 👤 Who can apply | The applicant themselves (relatives, etc., may apply on behalf of those under 16 years old). |
📎 The fee is paid “when permission is granted,” not at the time of application. The amount may be reviewed due to future system revisions, so please check the latest information from the Immigration Services Agency before applying.
Even if you haven’t received a job offer by graduation or if your job offer starts after graduation, there are ways to continue your stay.
If you wish to continue job hunting in Japan after graduating from a university or similar institution, a change to the Status of Residence of “Designated Activities” may be permitted. According to the Immigration Services Agency, a stay of up to one year (first 6 months, renewable for another 6 months) is possible, provided there is a recommendation from the educational institution you graduated from, among other conditions. Furthermore, if you can receive employment support from a local government, there is a system that allows for an extension up to the second year after graduation.
In cases where a job offer has been received but employment starts after graduation, a change to “Designated Activities” may be permitted for the period until employment. The Immigration Services Agency states that, provided there are documents confirming the job offer, a change of Status of Residence to “Designated Activities” will be permitted only for a period within one year after the job offer and not exceeding one year and six months after graduation.
📌 In all cases, these are operations where permission “may be granted,” and it is not guaranteed. Preparing documents that meet the conditions, such as letters of recommendation from educational institutions and job offer letters, is key.
In the Status of Residence change review, cases often stumble on the following points. We have organized them into a checklist by立場 (position).
Common failures include delayed applications, mismatches between major and job duties, and insufficient explanation of labor conditions. Explanations that the salary is equivalent to or higher than that of Japanese nationals and that the duties fall under the Status of Residence are emphasized in the review.
Q1. Can I apply for a Status of Residence change before I graduate?
A. Yes. If you have a Certificate of Expected Graduation or similar, you can apply for a Status of Residence change even before graduation. In fact, for those starting in April, it is recommended to apply between December of the previous year and the end of January, before graduation. However, final permission is contingent on graduation (acquisition of a degree or title).
Q2. How long does the Processing time take?
A. The standard Processing time for changing to a Work Visa is approximately 1 to 2 months. However, applications concentrate between January and March, and if there are deficiencies in the documents, it may take even longer. Please apply with ample time to meet your desired start date of employment.
Q3. Can I change to a Work Visa even if I graduated from a vocational school?
A. Yes, if you have graduated from a Japanese vocational school and obtained a title such as “Specialist.” However, in the fields of Engineer/Specialist in Humanities, the relevance between what you studied at the vocational school and the job duties at your employer tends to be reviewed more specifically than for university graduates. Please note that occupations with little relation to your major are less likely to be approved.
Q4. I have exceeded the part-time work (Permission for Activities Outside Status of Residence) hours. Will this affect my change?
A. Permission for Activities Outside Status of Residence during a Student Period of Stay is generally within 28 hours per week. If you have significantly exceeded this, it may be unfavorably evaluated in the review of your Status of Residence. Since it depends on individual circumstances, please consult an Administrative Scrivener before applying if you are concerned.
Q5. Is it okay to start working before the change is permitted?
A. No. In principle, you cannot start working under a new Status of Residence until the change of Status of Residence is permitted. Working without waiting for permission may lead to problems as Activities Outside Status of Residence. Please start working after receiving the permission notice.
Q6. My job offer starts about half a year after graduation. What happens to my Status of Residence during that time?
A. If there are documents confirming the fact of a job offer, a change of Status of Residence to “Designated Activities” may be permitted for the period until employment. The Immigration Services Agency states that this is limited to a period within 1 year after the job offer and not exceeding 1 year and 6 months after graduation. Individual confirmation is required to determine if the conditions are met.
Changing your Status of Residence from Student to employment is the first step in your career in Japan. There are three key points to keep in mind:
None of these are suitable for last-minute responses. Planning and preparing systematically from the moment you receive a job offer, with the start date of employment in mind, will lead to a smooth start to your work. For companies, this is also important preparation to ensure that the hired talent can start working reliably.
In practice, individual consideration is essential for explaining the relevance between major and job duties, preparing documents according to the company category, and deciding on pre-graduation applications or Designated Activities. If you are unsure, please consult an experienced Administrative Scrivener.
Our office provides consultations from both foreign nationals and accepting companies, based on the latest institutional trends.
Please feel free to use our free consultation service.
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Before you submit, let us take a look.
Free Immigration Pre-Submission Check ›
For those who will apply for a status of residence at the Immigration Services Bureau by themselves. Before you submit, we check your application form and supporting documents and tell you about any missing documents and points to watch. We accept checks online (Google Meet, about 20 minutes) or via LINE.
・Eligible: applications for a Certificate of Eligibility, change of status of residence and extension of period of stay (applications for permanent residence are accepted only from residents of Miyazaki Prefecture). Naturalization is not covered.
・Online (Google Meet): once per application. Replies via LINE: available for the same application until you submit it.
・Our guideline for replies via LINE is, in principle, within 2 business days (we are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; replies may take longer when we are busy).
・Please send copies of your documents by LINE or email. For your residence card, send the front side only; please do not send the side showing your My Number.
・What we tell you is our office’s opinion. It does not guarantee approval; the outcome depends on the decision of the Immigration Services Bureau.
・We only point out missing documents and points to watch. We do not prepare or rewrite your application documents for you or draft text for them, and we do not tell you whether your application is likely to be approved (if you would like to engage us, we will introduce the Self-Prep Course, the Light Plan and the Standard Plan).
・If we find that a document contains information that is not true, or that the application is not your own (or a family member’s), we will decline the check.
This article is based on publicly available information as of July 2026. Details and implementation of the system may change in the future. For actual applications, please refer to the official information from the Immigration Services Agency or contact our office.
Author of this article: Administrative Scrivener Satoshi Nakayama
Representative, Administrative Scrivener Corporation Miyazaki International Legal Office
Location: Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture
