• Working Information
  For those Living Overseas
• For those
  Living in Japan
• Frequently Asked
  Questions from Foreign
  Workers in Japan

Required Visa and Application Procedure.

• Engineer, Specialist in Humanities, International Services

  Examples:

  Engineers, interpreters, designers, language teachers in private companies, marketing staff

  Requirements:

  Educational background or more than 10 years of work experience related to the job in which you intend to work in Japan.
  ＊It is important that your skills match the job at the company where you will work.

  Period of stay:

  5 years, 3 years, 1 year, or 3 months

  Usually, it takes more than 2 months from applying for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE^※) to entering Japan, but it depends on the case.
  COE …Document needed when applying for a visa.

• About Residence Status

  Please see the Immigration Services Agency website for details.
  List of Residence Statuses

• About Visas

  Please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for details.
  Visa Information

If you already have a residence status and want to change jobs or work at a new company, you may need to change your residence status.

• About Residence Status

  Please see the Immigration Services Agency website for details.
  List of Residence Statuses

• General Consultation about Residence Status and Procedures

  The Yokohama District Immigration Services Office has an advisory room called “Y-FORA.” Foreign residents in Japan can ask about residence status and immigration procedures. (Reservation required)
  Y-FORA Advisory Room

• Labor Consultation

  The Kanagawa Labor Center accepts consultations about labor problems for foreign workers.
  Kanagawa Labor Center Foreign Labor Consultation

• Guidebook for Foreign Labor Issues

  This guide provides simple explanations of systems for foreign workers in Japan.
  Guidebook for Foreign Labor Issues

• Multicultural Living

  This portal site has useful information for living in Kanagawa.
  Kanagawa Community Network Site

• Study in Kanagawa

  This site has information for people who want to study and work in Kanagawa.
  Study in Kanagawa

• Why is the amount of salary I get differs from the amount shown in the interview?

  Taxes and social insurance premium are deducted from your salary. To join the social insurance is mandatory for Full-time workers and some part-time workers, so insurance premium is automatically deducted from your salary every month.

• What is social insurance?

  Social insurance consists of five systems: health insurance, nursing care insurance, pension insurance, industrial accident compensation insurance, and employment insurance. These systems help you when you are sick, injured, need care, get old, have a disability, or lose your job. By paying insurance premium, you can get treatment at a hospital with less cost, receive job seekers allowance, childcare leave benefits, and workers’ compensation benefits.

• What is the nursing care insurance premium?

  People who are 40 years old or older, paying health insurance premium must pay nursing care insurance premium. (People under 39 years old do not have to pay.)

• Do I have to pay pension insurance premium even if I am not sure I will get it?

  Paying pension insurance premium is mandatory for people working in Japan.
  Full-time workers join employee pension through their company. Others (self-employed, part-time, unemployed) must join the national pension.
  However, if foreign workers leave their company and return to their home country, there is a system to get back part of the pension insurance premium they paid (lump-sum withdrawal payment).

• About Lump-Sum Withdrawal Payment

  Foreign workers who do not have Japanese nationality, had lived in Japan, and had been covered by the Japanese pension system for a brief time, can claim the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payments within two years after your departure from Japan.
  Details: Lump-Sum Withdrawal Payment System (Japan Pension Service)