Switching to the Highly Skilled Professional Visa (高度人材ビザ - *Kodo Jinzai Visa*) offers you many rights and conveniences for life in Japan. Notably, this is a shortcut to obtaining Permanent Residency in just 1 or 3 years, instead of the usual 10-year wait.
I recently applied to switch to the Highly Skilled Professional Visa myself. To be honest, this visa change wasn't strictly necessary since my previous visa was still valid until 2028. However, I wanted to switch to the Highly Skilled Professional Visa to make it easier to apply for fast-track Permanent Residency after 1 year.
What is the Highly Skilled Professional Visa?
The Highly Skilled Professional Visa in Japan, also known as 高度専門職 (*Kodo Senmonshoku*) or 高度人材ビザ (*Kodo Jinzai Visa*), is a visa category designed for foreign nationals with outstanding specialized skills, educational background, work experience, or research capabilities. To obtain this visa, you must score 70 points or higher (or 80 points for certain special incentives) based on criteria set by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, such as:
Benefits of Holding a Highly Skilled Professional Visa
Engage in a broader range of activities compared to standard visas: The Highly Skilled Professional Visa allows you to undertake various activities related to your main field. For example, if you are working in IT, you can legally teach IT or conduct IT research at universities.
Grant of a 5-year period of stay: You will receive a residency status valid for 5 years, which is the maximum period for work visas in Japan. This allows you to stabilize your job and make long-term plans.
Relaxed requirements for Permanent Residency: Instead of having to live in Japan continuously for 10 years (including 5 years under a work status) to apply for Permanent Residency, HSP visa holders only need:
1 year if you score 80 points
3 years if you score 70 points
Spouse allowed to work without hourly limits: Typically, dependents (Family Stay visa / 家族滞在) are limited to working a maximum of 28 hours per week. However, with a Highly Skilled Professional Visa, your spouse can work full-time or unlimited hours, significantly improving family income and stability.
Ability to bring parents to live in Japan: You can sponsor your parents to come to Japan if you meet specific conditions, facilitating family reunification and making your life in Japan more comfortable and warm.
Other preferential treatments: Beyond the main benefits listed above, you may also be eligible for various other incentives.
How to Calculate Points for the Highly Skilled Professional Visa
How to Prepare the Application for Switching to an HSP Visa
The procedure for applying to switch to a Highly Skilled Professional Visa requires the following documents:
Point Calculation Sheet: Refer to the calculation method I provided above and fill in the point calculation file.
Application for Change of Status of Residence: I will provide detailed instructions for this below.
Certificates of Employment from previous companies: Contact all the companies you have previously worked for and ask them to issue a Certificate of Retirement/Employment (退職証明書).
Certificate of Employment from current company: Ask your current company to issue a Certificate of Employment (在職証明書).
Proof of Expected Income for the coming year: Ask your current company to issue a Salary Payment (Expected) Certificate (給与支払（見込み）証明書).
Photocopy of Residence Card
Photocopy of Passport
ID Photo (3x4 cm)
JLPT Certificate and relevant degrees, if applicable
How to Fill Out the Highly Skilled Professional Visa Application Form
First, you can download the Excel or PDF file from the links below. In my experience, you should download the Excel file to make it easier to fill in the content on your computer.
How to fill out the section "For Applicant, Part 1" (申請人等作成用１)
You can refer to my sample entry below:
1. 国籍・地域 (Nationality/Region): Nationality, e.g., Vietnam 2. 生年月日 (Date of Birth): Your date of birth 3. 氏名 (Name): Full name, all uppercase, no accents, e.g., LE MINH THIEN TOAN 4. 性別 (Sex): Gender 5. 出生地 (Place of Birth): Place of birth, write the province name without accents, e.g., Lam Dong 6. 配属社の有無 (Marital Status): Whether you are married or not 7. 職業 (Occupation): Job title, e.g., IT Engineer (IT エンジニア) 8. 本国における居住地 (Home Address): Place of residence in your home country, write province name without accents, e.g., Lam Dong 9.
住居地 (Address in Japan): Address in Japan, detailed down to the room number
携帯電話番号 (Mobile Phone Number): Phone number
10. 旅券 (Passport): Passport information
番号 (Number): Passport number
有効期限 (Expiration Date): Date of expiration
11. 現に有する在留資格 (Current Status of Residence): Current Visa type, e.g., Technology/Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務)
在留期間 (Period of Stay): Duration of stay
在留期間の満了日 (Expiration Date of Period of Stay): Date of expiration
12. 在留カード番号 (Residence Card Number): The number on your residence card 13. 希望する在留資格 (Desired Status of Residence): The Visa type you want. In my case, it is Highly Skilled Professional (i)(b) (高度専門職１号ロ) 14. 変更の理由 (Reason for Change): Reason for switching Visa. You can write exactly as I did: "To continue working and living in Japan" (この先も日本で仕事をして暮らしていくため) 15. 犯罪を理由とする処分を受けたことの有無 (Criminal Record): Naturally, you must circle "No" (indicating you have never committed a crime) 😁 16. 在日親族及び同居者 (Family in Japan and Co-residents): Information of relatives or spouse in Japan.
How to fill out the section "For Applicant, Part 2" (申請人等作成用２)
You can refer to my sample entry below:
17. 勤務先 (Place of Employment): Information about your current company
名称 (Name): Company name
支店・事務所名 (Branch/Office Name): Branch or department name
所在地 (Address): Company address
電話番号 (Phone Number): Company phone number
18. 最終学歴 (Highest Level of Education): Highest degree obtained
Where you studied
本邦 (Japan): Japan
外国 (Foreign): Overseas
Type of school
大学院（博士）: Graduate School (Doctorate)
大学院（修士）: Graduate School (Master's)
大学: University (Bachelor's)
短期大学: Junior College
専門学校: Vocational School
高等学校: High School
中学校: Junior High School
その他: Other (Please specify)
学校名 (School Name): Name of the school
卒業年月日 (Date of Graduation): Graduation date
19. 専攻・専門分野 (Major/Field of Specialization): The major you studied (for those who selected Doctorate to Junior College in section 18) 20. 情報処理技術者資格又は試験合格の有無 (Information Processing Qualifications): Enter information if you hold or have passed exams for IT qualifications, such as the FE exam 21. 職歴 (Employment History): Work history. Include time worked overseas 22. 代理人 (Legal Representative/Agent): Information of the representative. If you prepare and submit the application yourself, you don't need to fill this out. In my case, since my company hired a lawyer to handle everything from A to Z, the lawyer filled in this section.
Submitting Documents to the Immigration Bureau
If you are doing it yourself, once you have prepared all the documents, go to the Immigration Services Bureau (Nyukan) to submit them. Remember to bring your passport and residence card (Zairyu Card).
If any documents are missing, Nyukan will contact you to request additional submissions. Depending on the specifics of your profession, job, or educational background, Nyukan may require other documents. If necessary, you can contact Nyukan directly for detailed guidance.
The Result:
高度専門職１号ロ
My company hired a lawyer to do it for me, but it still took over 2 months for the Visa to arrive. I hope you all receive your Highly Skilled Professional Visa smoothly and quickly!
Hello everyone. I'm an IT engineer working in Japan. I created this blog to share about life and experiences during my study and work journey. I hope this article will be helpful to you.
