On Friday, February 17, 2023, the Japanese government announced that it would introduce new immigration pathways aimed at high-income earners and graduates of top international universities.
The following new immigration pathways are expected to be implemented in April following a public comment process:
- J-Skip – Japan System for Special Highly Skilled Professionals
- Applies to people in three types of positions: researchers, engineers, and high-level managers. They would be able to skip the current point-based system and automatically be considered for a highly skilled professional visa as long as they meet specific income and work experience requirements.
- Under the current policy, a person can be considered for the highly skilled professional status only when they achieve 70 points or more via a “preferential immigration treatment system,” which began in 2012 and scores applicants on academic background, research achievements, and Japanese proficiency.
- J-Find – Japan System for Future Creation Individual Visa.
- This system will grant graduates from top foreign universities an extended period of stay as they search for employment in Japan.
- Under the current policy, these graduates can stay in Japan for 90 days under the “short-term stay” status to search for a job, but J-Find would extend that to two years. Family members will also be able to accompany these individuals.
Erickson Insights
This new pathway is part of Japan’s effort to attract top talent as the global demand for highly-skilled workers intensifies. The particulars of these new immigration pathways may revise following the official announcement and pubic comment phase.
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.