New work visa type of Designated Activities added for world talents graduating from an university in Japan

Japanese Version

A new work visa type of Designated Activities has been added on May 30th 2019, which is intended for world talents graduating from an university in Japan. It is applied to a job-seeking non-Japanese student 1) graduating from an university in Japan with bachelor’s or master’s degree, and 2) passing JLPT N1 or equivalent. This types allows “for such a student to be employed for wider range of jobs including communication in Japanese at work”.

The existing work visa type of “Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services” is not granted, in case a job includes generic services or manufacturing activities even as a part among the entire coverage of work which should be based on specific and technical knowledge gained at an university. This new type is granted even in such a case. It is expected therefore to increase employment of non-Japanese university graduates, especially in industries where even an university graduate has to take care of activities of client facing and worker facing in nature: e.g. retail, chain restaurants, nursing care, sight-seeing and manufacturing. It should contribute for Japan to get closer to its goal of more than 50% of world graduates to be employed in Japan by 2020. The ratio currently still at around 30 – 40%.

The following should be noted also for this new visa type: 3) the change of residence status has to be applied when a holder changes an employer, 4) it is only for a full time employment, not for part time, and 5) a holder can not be dispatched to another company.

Link: MOJ “Guidelines on a type of Designated Activities for a job-seeking graduate of an university in Japan” (Japanese)

Link: JASSO “MEXT – Support in Placement of World students in Japan – June 2018” (Japanese)