Specified Skilled Worker (i)
For workers with the skills to do the job without further training.
- Length of stay
- Up to 5 years in total
- Family
- Family cannot accompany
- Support
- Support plan required
02Specified Skilled Worker
Specified Skilled Worker, handled end to end
Japan created the Specified Skilled Worker (Tokutei Ginō) visa in 2019 so that industries short of people could hire skilled foreign workers directly. As a registered support organisation, we find the right people, prepare the application and carry out the support the law requires — so you can focus on the work.
What the visa is
Unlike Technical Intern Training, whose purpose is to transfer skills to developing countries, Specified Skilled Worker exists to fill real labour shortages. Workers arrive with proven skills and Japanese, are paid at least what a Japanese employee in the same job earns, and can change employer within their field.
To qualify, a candidate passes a skills test for the field and a Japanese test — JLPT N4 or the JFT-Basic — or has completed Technical Intern Training (ii) in a related job, which exempts them from both.
Why work with us on SSW
One contact for everything
Recruitment, the application and ongoing support sit with one team, so nothing falls between agencies.
Compliance you can show
Support plans, interview records and the regular reports to immigration are prepared on time, with copies for your files.
Support in their language
Guidance, interviews and consultations happen in a language the worker fully understands, as the law expects.
Candidates in Japan and abroad
We recruit people already in Japan who are changing status, and people abroad who have passed the tests in their home country.
Two levels of the visa
Most workers start on (i). Some fields offer (ii) to experienced workers who pass a higher test.
Specified Skilled Worker (ii)
For experienced workers who can lead a team and pass a higher-level test.
- Length of stay
- Renewable with no upper limit
- Family
- Spouse and children can join
- Support
- No support plan required
The 16 fields
The fields where Specified Skilled Workers can be hired, and the work each one covers. The list is set by the government and has grown since 2019 — ask us about the latest.
01
Nursing care
介護
Physical care such as bathing, meals and toileting, plus recreation and related support.
02
Building cleaning
ビルクリーニング
Cleaning inside buildings such as offices, hotels, hospitals and commercial facilities.
03
Industrial product manufacturing
工業製品製造業
Machining, casting, metal pressing, welding, plating, painting, electronics assembly and industrial packaging.
04
Construction
建設
Civil engineering, building and utility work — from formwork and scaffolding to interiors and plumbing.
05
Shipbuilding and ship machinery
造船・舶用工業
Welding, painting, finishing, machining and assembly of ships and marine equipment.
06
Automobile repair and maintenance
自動車整備
Daily and periodic inspections, servicing and disassembly maintenance of vehicles.
07
Aviation
航空
Airport ground handling and aircraft maintenance.
08
Accommodation
宿泊
Front desk, planning and publicity, guest service and restaurant service at hotels and inns.
09
Automobile transportation
自動車運送業
Driving trucks, taxis and buses.
10
Railway
鉄道
Track, electrical and rolling-stock maintenance, train manufacturing, and station and crew roles.
11
Agriculture
農業
Crop farming and livestock farming.
12
Fishery and aquaculture
漁業
Fishing and aquaculture.
13
Food and beverage manufacturing
飲食料品製造業
Making and processing food and drink (excluding alcohol), including hygiene management.
14
Food service
外食業
Cooking, customer service and store management in restaurants.
15
Forestry
林業
Planting and tending forests, and harvesting timber.
16
Wood industry
木材産業
Sawmilling and the manufacture of plywood and other wood products.
The support we provide
An employer of (i) workers must provide ten kinds of support, or entrust them to a registered support organisation. We take on all ten.
- 01
Pre-entry guidance
Working conditions, duties and life in Japan explained before the contract takes effect.
- 02
Airport pickup and send-off
Met on arrival, and accompanied to the airport when they leave Japan.
- 03
Housing and essential contracts
Help finding housing and opening a bank account, a phone contract and utilities.
- 04
Life orientation
Rules, manners, transport, healthcare and what to do in an emergency, in their language.
- 05
Help with official procedures
Accompanied to the city office for residence registration, tax and social insurance.
- 06
Japanese learning opportunities
Information on classes and study materials, and help getting started.
- 07
Consultations and complaints
A way to raise problems at work or in daily life, answered in their language.
- 08
Connecting with the community
Introductions to local events and neighbours, so that work is not their whole life in Japan.
- 09
Job-change support
If the job ends for reasons that are not their fault, help finding the next employer in the field.
- 10
Regular interviews and reporting
Interviews with the worker and their supervisor at least every three months, with any labour-law problems reported to the authorities.
SSW compared with Technical Intern Training
The two are often confused. The difference decides who you can hire, for how long, and what you must provide.
| Item | Specified Skilled Worker (i) | Technical Intern Training |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Filling labour shortages | Transferring skills to developing countries |
| Skills at entry | Skills test and Japanese test (or TITP (ii) completed) | No test required (nursing care excepted) |
| Length of stay | Up to 5 years in total | Up to 5 years |
| Changing employer | Allowed within the same field | Generally not allowed |
| Family | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Who supports them | Employer or registered support organisation | Supervising organisation |
| Limit on numbers | None, except in nursing care and construction | Capped by the size of your workforce |
Specified Skilled Worker (i)
- Purpose
- Filling labour shortages
- Skills at entry
- Skills test and Japanese test (or TITP (ii) completed)
- Length of stay
- Up to 5 years in total
- Changing employer
- Allowed within the same field
- Family
- Not allowed
- Who supports them
- Employer or registered support organisation
- Limit on numbers
- None, except in nursing care and construction
Technical Intern Training
- Purpose
- Transferring skills to developing countries
- Skills at entry
- No test required (nursing care excepted)
- Length of stay
- Up to 5 years
- Changing employer
- Generally not allowed
- Family
- Not allowed
- Who supports them
- Supervising organisation
- Limit on numbers
- Capped by the size of your workforce
Technical Intern Training is due to be replaced by the new Employment for Skill Development system (育成就労) from April 2027, designed to lead into Specified Skilled Worker.
How SSW hiring works
Step 01
Check eligibility
We confirm that your work falls within a field and that your business meets the conditions, such as joining the field's council.
Step 02
Find candidates
We introduce people who have passed the tests, in Japan or abroad, and arrange your interviews.
Step 03
Contract and support plan
You sign an employment contract that meets the SSW standards, and we draw up the support plan.
Step 04
Immigration application
A Certificate of Eligibility for someone abroad, or a change of status for someone already in Japan. We prepare it and follow it through.
Step 05
Arrival and orientation
Airport pickup, housing, registration and a life orientation in their language during the first weeks.
Step 06
Ongoing support
Interviews every three months, consultations whenever needed, and the regular reports to immigration prepared for you.
Questions companies ask
Something we did not cover? Ask our team
Can SSW workers be dispatched?
Only in agriculture and fishery, where the seasonal nature of the work allows it. In every other field the worker must be your direct employee — and every worker we place is hired directly by you.
How much must we pay?
At least what a Japanese employee doing the same work would earn, and never below the regional minimum wage. We help you set a salary that meets the standard and is competitive enough to keep people.
Can we provide the support ourselves?
Yes, if your company meets the conditions — for example, experience employing foreign nationals and staff who can support them in their language. Most companies find it simpler to entrust all of it to a registered support organisation.
What happens after five years?
In fields that offer (ii), a worker who passes the higher test can move to (ii), which has no limit on stay and allows family to join. Otherwise they return home, or change to another status they qualify for.
Other services
Thinking about Specified Skilled Workers?
Tell us your field and how many people you need. We will check eligibility and explain the next steps — with no obligation.