Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services

Japan's Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status (often shortened to Gijinkoku) covers professional work under a contract with a public or private organisation in Japan.

Typical examples include software and mechanical engineers, accountants, legal/economic/marketing specialists, translators, interpreters, designers, language instructors at private organisations, public relations and overseas-trade roles.

The actual duties—not the English job title—must require natural-science/humanities knowledge or foreign-culture-based thought or sensitivity. Routine manual, service or production work generally belongs under another status, such as Specified Skilled Worker.

Periods of stay are 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months. ISA decides the period; an employment contract does not guarantee a matching five-year grant.

For engineering or humanities work requiring technical/academic knowledge, qualify through one of these paths:

• a university degree or equivalent education in a field related to the work;
• completion of a relevant Japanese specialised-training college program that confers Senmonshi or Kodo Senmonshi; or
• at least 10 years of relevant practical experience, including specified periods spent studying related subjects.

Certain recognised information-technology examinations or qualifications can satisfy a special route.

For International Services work—such as translation, interpreting, language instruction, public relations, advertising, overseas transactions, fashion/interior design or product development—the usual rule is at least 3 years of relevant experience. A university graduate doing translation, interpreting or language instruction is generally exempt from that 3-year experience requirement.

The salary must be at least equivalent to that paid to a Japanese worker doing comparable work. ISA also checks whether the employer and role are genuine and stable.

ISA divides sponsoring organisations into Categories 1–4 for document purposes. These are employer evidence categories, not different visa tiers for the worker.

Category affects how much company material is required. Category 3 and 4 cases generally need more evidence about registration, business activity, finances and the proposed work.

For applications under the checklist effective 15 April 2026, Category 3/4 organisations provide the prescribed representative declaration. Additional evidence can apply when the work primarily uses language ability in interpersonal services; the current ISA material refers to CEFR B2-equivalent language evidence in specified cases. Continuing workers doing the same duties can have an exemption, but ISA can request evidence during review.

Dispatched-worker arrangements have their own pledges, contracts and management records. Always use the live checklist for the application type—CoE, Change of Status or Extension—because item numbers and exemptions differ.

A standard overseas CoE case commonly includes:

Applicant evidence

• passport/identity details and compliant photograph;
• résumé describing education and work history;
• degree, diploma, transcript or relevant IT qualification;
• employment certificates proving required experience where used; and
• Japanese translations for foreign-language documents.

Job and organisation evidence

• employment contract or written working conditions showing duties, term and pay;
• detailed job description demonstrating why professional knowledge is required;
• company registration and business overview;
• statutory/tax, payroll or financial records required for the employer category; and
• Category 3/4, dispatch or language evidence required by the current 2026 checklist.

A degree alone is not enough if the planned duties do not fit the status. Conversely, the experience route needs detailed letters showing duties and dates, not only a résumé.

Applying from outside Japan: a representative in Japan—commonly the employer or an authorised professional—normally submits the Certificate of Eligibility application to ISA. After the CoE is issued, the applicant uses it for the visa application at the Japanese embassy/consulate with jurisdiction.

A CoE is the standard faster route but does not guarantee visa issuance or admission. A long-term visa application without a CoE can be possible, but MOFA warns that it can take much longer because documents must be referred to Japan.

Already in Japan: use Change of Status of Residence if moving from another status, or Extension of Period of Stay to remain under the same status beyond expiry.

Do not use JAPAN eVISA for this long-term work route; it is not the normal Engineer/Specialist filing channel.

You can usually change employers without first changing status if the new duties still fall within Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. However, you must notify ISA of the old contract ending and the new contract starting within 14 days of each event.

If the new job's activities fall under another status, obtain the appropriate Change of Status before doing that work. A Certificate of Authorized Employment can be useful—but is not always mandatory—to confirm how the new work fits the current status.

The first extension after moving to a Category 3 or 4 organisation requires additional employer/job documents. Keep the new contract, detailed duties, company records and proof that the 14-day notifications were submitted.

Extended inactivity can create status risks. Address unemployment promptly, keep evidence of job-search or justified circumstances, and obtain individual advice where the gap is significant.

There is no government fee for a Certificate of Eligibility application.

For an overseas consular visa, MOFA's standard fee is approximately ¥3,000 for a single-entry visa and ¥6,000 for a double- or multiple-entry visa, collected in local currency if the visa is issued. Nationality-based exemptions and local amounts can apply. There is no separate ¥3,000 government “residence card issuance fee” for the initial card at landing.

Inside Japan, permission for a Change of Status or Extension of Period of Stay costs ¥6,000 in person or ¥5,500 online from 1 April 2025, paid only upon approval.

Published general targets are commonly:

• CoE: about 1–3 months;
• consular visa with CoE: about 5 working days if there is no issue;
• long-term visa without CoE: often 1–3 months; and
• change/extension in Japan: generally 2 weeks–1 month, with actual regional times varying.

These are guidance, not guarantees.

A spouse and dependent children can generally apply for Dependent (Family Stay) status. They need their own CoE/visa process. A dependent spouse needs separate permission for limited work outside the dependent status; the commonly granted blanket permission is normally capped at 28 hours per week.

Permanent residence is not automatic. The ordinary route generally looks for a long continuous residence period, including required years under a qualifying work/residence status, good conduct, stable livelihood, tax/pension/insurance compliance and a suitable guarantor. Highly skilled points can shorten the residence period to 1 or 3 years where the requirements are continuously met.

Keep extension decisions, contracts, tax records, pension/insurance records and employer-change notifications. Late public-obligation payments can damage a future permanent-residence case even if the current work status remains valid.

The most common problems are substantive, not cosmetic:

• duties are too routine/manual or do not require the claimed professional knowledge;
• the academic field or experience does not connect sufficiently to the work;
• experience letters omit duties, dates or employer verification;
• salary is below the comparable Japanese-worker level;
• employer category documents, representative declaration or 2026 language/dispatch evidence are missing;
• information conflicts across the CoE, contract, résumé and consular application; or
• the applicant uses the wrong procedure after a job/status change.

Use the current ISA checklist, describe actual daily duties in concrete terms, and avoid copying a generic job description. ISA assesses the whole employment arrangement.