Foreigner Engineer Visa Applications: What are the Types and Conditions?

Updated: July 2025, 10

What is an Engineer Visa?

The official name of the engineer visa is "Technical/Humanities Specialist/International Services."
This is obtained by foreigners who work in Japanese companies and who require specialized skills and knowledge.
This is an essential visa type for working in Japan, especially for IT professionals and engineers in the science and technology fields.

This system will bring highly specialized human resources to Japan and contribute to industrial development.
It is not simply a matter of labor; work requires expertise and experience, and certain requirements must be met to obtain it.
This program is aimed at a wide range of professional occupations, including systems development and data analysis.
Japanese companies can secure diverse foreign talent and increase their international competitiveness.
This status of residence is limited to highly specialized work and does not apply to simple labor or part-time work.
When applying, you must clearly indicate whether the work you will be doing falls under this status of residence.

Requirements for obtaining an engineer visa

To obtain an engineer visa, you must meet several important requirements.
These are intended to demonstrate the applicant's ability to carry out professional duties in Japan.
The main subjects of the review are educational background, work experience, and activities in Japan.
Employers are also expected to provide appropriate treatment and a financial foundation.
This system has strict screening criteria in order to promote the acceptance of high-quality specialist human resources.
The necessary documents and preparations will vary depending on the situation of the foreign national applying and the specific work content.

When inviting someone from overseas to Japan

When inviting foreign engineers from overseas to Japan, the general requirement is that they have graduated from university or completed a specialized course at a Japanese vocational school.
In particular, IT engineers are required to have specialized knowledge and skills in information processing.
Even if you do not have a sufficient level of education, you can meet the requirements if you have more than 10 years of work experience in a related field.

For IT-related work, there are special exceptions that allow those who have passed the Information Processing Technology Examination and those who have graduated from certain vocational schools to have their period of practical experience shortened.
Companies must pay applicants at least the same wages as Japanese employees and prove that they have a stable management base.

You will also need documents that clearly explain that the specific work you will be doing in Japan requires specialized knowledge and skills.

When changing from another status of residence

The basic requirements for obtaining an engineer visa are the same for foreigners already residing in Japan who wish to change their residence status (such as a student visa or family visa) to an engineer visa.
A university degree or vocational school degree, or work experience is required.

If an international student who has graduated from a Japanese university or vocational school finds employment in Japan and works as an engineer, they will apply for permission to change their residence status once they have found employment.
Even if your reason for resigning is changing jobs, it is important to make sure that the work you will be doing at your new workplace meets the requirements for an engineer visa.

When applying for a change, you will need to provide a detailed explanation of your current status of residence, the reason for the change, and the specific duties of your new employer.
Part-time jobs and other activities are not covered, so care must be taken when changing your residence status.

When renewing the period of stay of an engineer visa

When renewing your period of stay on an engineer visa, the most important thing is that you continue to be engaged in specialized work in Japan.
When applying for renewal, the work you are doing at your current workplace will be examined to see if it meets the "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" visa status.

Other important criteria for consideration are whether or not you have a stable income and are properly fulfilling your tax obligations.
Even if you change jobs, you can renew your visa if the work you do at your new workplace meets the requirements for an engineer visa.
However, if you have only been working at your current job for a short time or your job duties have changed significantly, you may be asked to provide a more detailed explanation.

Even if you are working as a dispatched employee, you can renew your contract if the work content of your dispatched company meets the requirements.
However, if your placement changes frequently or if your work is deemed unspecialized, it may be difficult to renew your contract.

Applications for renewal can be made up to three months before the expiration of your current period of stay.

Conditions set by the Minister of Justice

System engineer is one of the popular occupations that are recognized under the technical/humanities/international work visa.

In particular, for system engineers, it is necessary to pass an examination related to information processing technology specified by the Minister of Justice or have a qualification announced by the Minister of Justice.The conditions of ``graduated from a science university'' and ``10 years or more of experience related to the job'' are no longer required.

Leave your visa application to Support Administrative Scriveners Corporation!

Please leave your application for an engineer/humanities specialist/international work visa to Support Administrative Scrivener Corporation.

We have offices in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, and our highly experienced and proven "work visa application specialist staff" will respond to each and every customer's inquiries.

Even if it is difficult for you to obtain, renew, or change an engineer, humanities specialist, or international business visa on your own, we will work with you to find a solution and provide support.
If you applied for an engineer/specialist in humanities/international work visa yourself at the Immigration Bureau and your visa was rejected, we will also take care of re-applying for you.
We also have staff who can speak foreign languages, so even those who find it difficult to consult in Japanese can feel at ease.
By preparing according to each individual's circumstances, we help prevent future issues and provide advice on creating an environment that makes it easier to reside in Japan.

■Those who have applied for an engineer/humanities specialist/international work visa and have received an "additional materials submission notice" from the Immigration Bureau.
A request for additional documents does not mean your application has been denied.
The submission of additional documents is time-sensitive.
In many cases, documents must be submitted within 1-2 weeks from the date of the notice, so prompt action is crucial.
We also provide support for submitting additional documents, so please contact us.



■Those who have applied for an engineer/humanities/international work visa and have been denied the visa, or those who wish to reapply
There is no need to give up on obtaining a visa just because you receive a notification of denial.
By identifying and addressing the reasons for the denial and reapplying, there is a possibility of approval.
At our company, we accompany applicants to the Immigration Bureau to confirm the reasons for refusal and provide support for re-applications.
Click here for details[Confirmation of reasons for visa refusal/re-application]