Getting engineer visa in Japan

May 27

Engineering visa in Japan typically involves you to come to Japan on Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa.

The following tech roles are eligible to get you an engineer visa in Japan:

You need to get a letter called Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to get this visa. Getting a COE, generally your company needs to prepare the relevant documents :

Your offer letter, including your salary -> needs to be more than 200,000 JPY monthly (Employment Agreement, Employment Contract, Letter of Employment, Letter of Appointment issued by the employer.)
Company Brochure or Leaflet.
Certificate of Company Registration (Toukibo Touhon, Toukijikou Shoumeisho).
Financial Statement for the last fiscal year.
In case of new company: 1-year Business Plan, Notification of the establishment of salary payment office, Payment slip for Withholding Tax (for the past 3 months) or Application for Payment of Withholding Income Tax on a Semiannual.

All the documents written in foreign languages need to attach Japanese translation.

From visa applicant’s end, he/she needs:

CV,
Your educational background (it’s great if you have a relevant college degree) -> Documents which certify educational experience: e.g. University Diploma, Certificate of Graduate.
Documents which certify your work experience: e.g. Certificate of Employment issued by ex-employer.
Documents which certify your qualifications: e.g. JLPT Certificate, TOEFL, GRE scores

Period of Stay

Each visa status has the expiration date — Period of stay depends on the case, however, it shall be either of 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, or 3 months.

Process:

Step 1

Confirm that the Applicant satisfies the preliminary requirements for obtaining a Japan Engineer Visa.

There are several initial points that need to be confirmed prior to applying for an Engineer Visa. These requirements vary depending on the Applicants qualifications:

In general, an Applicant for an Engineer Visa must satisfy one of the following requirements:

Graduated from university and majored in a subject relevant to the duties which he plans to undertake, OR
Have at least 10 years relevant experience.

In addition, the applicant must receive no less remuneration than would a Japanese national for comparable work (typically 200,000 yen / month)

Special Requirements for Applicants who have Passed a Designated Technology Exam (当該(とうがい)

Where an Applicant can demonstrate she has passed one of these specialist Japanese exams, the requirement is that the Applicant must receive no less remuneration than would a Japanese national for comparable work.

Step 2

Confirm that the proposed work in Japan is consistent with the activities permitted for the holder of an Engineer Visa.

Once the preliminary items in Step 1 have been confirmed, the actual activities the Applicant will undertake in Japan need to be considered.

The permitted activities for the holder of an Engineer Visa are activities that require knowledge of at least one of the following:

Technology,
Physical science,
Engineering, or
Other natural science fields.

The scope of this discussion is for technology related jobs only and includes the job ‘titles’ mentioned above

Step 3

Assemble the documents required to support a Japan Engineer Visa application.

Once an Applicant has confirmed that her proposed activities in Japan are consistent with those outlined above in Step 2, supporting documentation needs to be prepared.

For an Engineer Visa application, the following documents are required:

From the company that will be employing the Applicant:

A copy of the company registration,
A profit and loss statement, and
Supporting documents that describe the company’s business.

From the Applicant:

A diploma or a certificate of graduation showing a major relevant to the activities which the Applicant will undertake in Japan.
Documents certifying the Applicants professional career.
Documents that certify the position the Applicant will be taking up along with details of the activity, its duration, and the associated remuneration.

Step 4

Submit an application for a Japan Engineer Visa Certificate of Eligibility (“COE”).

Once the Applicant’s activities have been confirmed and the appropriate documents assembled per steps 2 and 3 above, the next step in most cases will be to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (abbreviated as “COE”).

A COE is a document issued by the Japanese immigration authorities. It certifies an Applicant’s eligibility to undertake specific employment in Japan — in this case, the job associated with the Engineer Visa application. For our discussion, we are concerned with technology related jobs here.

An application for an Engineer Visa COE must be submitted in person at a regional immigration office in Japan. The COE application cannot be submitted by mail or at a Japanese embassy outside Japan.

Where the Applicant is not personally available (for example because she is not in Japan or due to a busy schedule) Japanese law allows a certified immigration specialist to submit an Engineer Visa COE application on behalf of the Applicant.

Step 5

Await Approval of the Engineer Visa COE.

The processing time for an Engineer Visa COE is generally four to twelve weeks. We have known of people who have gotten their visa in 1 month as well as people who had to wait 3 months. If it’s taking long, don’t worry, sometimes the immigration office asks for more documents or clarifications, and if you fulfill the criteria above, you’ll be awarded a COE.

Once approved, a notice is sent to an address in Japan advising that the COE is ready for collection at the regional immigration office where the COE application was originally submitted.

Where Japan Visa’s certified immigration specialists are handling the Engineer Visa application, the notification from the immigration authorities is sent to our office. Japan Visa then collects the COE from the regional immigration office and either forwards it to the Applicant or prepares a change of status application (see Step 6 below).

Step 6

Obtain Engineer Status of Residence (“SOR”).

Once an Applicant has the Engineer Visa COE in hand, the next step is for her to exchange the COE for Engineer “Status of Residence” (usually abbreviated as “SOR”).

Technically speaking, it is the Engineer SOR that will form the basis of the Applicant actually living and working in Japan.

The way to get the visa is to exchange the Engineer COE at a Japanese embassy or Consul outside Japan. This is the traditional route for obtaining Engineer SOR. The Applicant first exchanges the Engineer Visa COE for an Engineer Visa at a Japanese embassy or consul outside Japan. The process generally takes two to three business days. The Applicant then travels to Japan and is granted Engineer SOR at the port of entry.

Note Regarding Japan Tax Planning Opportunities for Engineer Visa applicants:

Often, there are significant tax planning opportunities for the holder of an Engineer Visa. Items such as employer provided housing, commuting allowance, and employer funded home leave can result in significant individual tax savings. In some circumstances, off-shore payment of compensation can result in tax savings if the holder of the Engineer Visa will spend time outside Japan on business.

All these matters should be negotiated prior to finalizing the documentation needed for the Engineer Visa COE application (see Step 4 below). The following article provides more information about this important issue Japan Taxes: Tax Planning for Foreigners Working in Japan.

Japan Residence Card

Whether you receive your Engineer SOR at the airport upon entering Japan or via a change of status application filed at a regional immigration office in Japan (see Step 6 above), you will receive a Japan Residence Card.

This is an official identification card that includes an IC chip. The Residence Card contains personal information such as your name, address, birth date, residence status (in this case, Engineer SOR), period of stay, etc.

You are required to carry your Residence Card at all times.